Shanghai customs is tightening restrictions on the size of shipments for returning Chinese citizens.

A returning citizen is entitled to a HHG shipment if they have lived outside China for at least 1 year for professional reasons, however Shanghai customs is interpreting this rule to mean that the stay must have been uninterrupted.

The shipper cannot have come back to China for even acouple of days on business or for holiday. If they have, they currently only allow 2 cbm shipments. In practice Shanghai has always been more restrictive than other Chinese cities and only granted automatic entry to shipments of a maximum of 6 cbm, whereas other cities would allow a full 20’ container or even larger shipments. Whilst in some cases it is still possible to obtain entry to Shanghai for a 20’container at discretion of officers and upon submission of many documents, this is currently the most restrictive Shanghai customs has been for returning Chinese citizens.