The Initiation of Customs Supervision and Inspection System in Taiwan --- The Management of Imported Chemical Substances

As the pre-registration of existing chemical substances has been finished and the late pre-registration launched in Taiwan, Taiwan’s customs recently initiated the supervision and inspection on imported chemical substances. That is, the platform of chemical commodity importation pre-confirmation has official been launched. The platform is used for the management of imported chemical substance and to fully implement the notification of chemical substance in Taiwan.

After the initiation of the supervision and inspection system, imported products, which contain chemical substances within the managing scope of Item One of Article Seven of Toxic Chemical Substance Control Act (TCSCA) and Regulation on the Registration of New and Existing Chemical Substance, shall be pre-confirmed through the platform of chemical commodity importation pre-confirmation before importation. The purpose is to confirm whether chemical substances contained in the products meet the requirements of the registration measures. The pre-confirmation made by enterprises can also be used as a basis for later customs inspections.

Currently, the pre-confirmation of imported goods is still non-mandatory. Enterprises without making the pre-confirmation can still import their commodities into Taiwan. However, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will launch post-market inspection along with local departments and enterprises failing to finish the pre-confirmation will be their top priority. Punishments will be imposed on enterprises in accordance with Item One of Article Thirty Five of TCSCA in case enterprises are found to have not complied with requirements of relevant rules and regulations.