Customs Procedures Simplified for the Import of Small Consignments of Pharmaceuticals

　　Customs clearance for small consignments of imported pharmaceuticals has become easier than ever. The Directorate General of Customs announced recently that in consideration of risk control, the quantity and efficiency mechanism, and with due regard for border control, small consignments of imported human-use pharmaceuticals that are not labeled with product name or name of the manufacturer in Chinese, or that do not contain Chinese instructions, will be released after the importer signs a deposition with Customs. Customs will then report the data which it collects on behalf of the Department of Health to the relevant local health agencies.

　　According to the provisions of the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act of 1993, pharmaceuticals can be imported only by the holders of pharmaceutical permits. They cannot be imported by trading houses. Under the current automated customs clearance operation, in 2003 imported pharmaceuticals being classified by computers as in category C3 (subject to examination and inspection) amounted to only 12.15% of total pharmaceutical imports; the rest were identified as being in C1 (exempt from examination and inspection) or C2 (subject to examination but exempt from inspection), and were thus cleared without inspection.

　　Pharmaceutical products that are allowed to enter Taiwan without inspection (that is, those in categories C1 and C2) are reported by the Customs computer system to the health authorities for inland control. For more related information, please consult http://www.mof.gov.tw/content.asp?CuItem=24422&baseDSD=5&CtUnit=11.

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