Lu Ying, a staff member of Zhoushan Customs, completed a series of procedures online and successfully renewed the archival filing certification of Zhoushan Changguo Foodstuff Co Ltd on Dec 1.

Local authorities said that this is the first archival filing certification to be handled online in China.

Zhoushan Changguo Foodstuff Co Ltd, located in the China (Zhejiang) Pilot Free Trade Zone (FTZ), mainly focuses on the production and export of food.

"On the morning of Dec 1, I phoned Zhoushan Customs for the renewal of our company's archival filing certification. I was aghast when the renewal procedure took less than 10 minutes," said Chen Ning, a high-ranking employee in charge of customs related affairs at the company.

Chen added that the renewal of the company's archival filing certification usually took more than 10 workdays in the past.

According to a document on service reform released by the General Administration of Customs of China on Nov 27, the archival filing certifications of companies registered in national free trade zones across the country can be renewed online by customs staff members starting Dec 1.

Fu Fengyong, an official in charge of company supervision at Zhoushan Customs, said that companies in the Zhejiang FTZ can now apply for archival filing certifications online if they meet the requirements issued by the General Administration of Customs.

Fu added that Zhoushan Customs will continue to promote the policy change to more companies in the Zhejiang FTZ.

A staff member (L) of Zhoushan Customs issues an archival filing certification to a representative (R) from a company based in the China (Zhejiang) Pilot Free Trade Zone. [Photo/zjol.com.cn]