The short answer
Which route applies depends on the product's registration status and the buyer's qualifications - this page sets out the routes, the paperwork and what actually drives timelines.
01
Three Routes - Find Yours First
General-trade importation: the product holds mainland registration or qualifies under a specific policy arrangement, and a licensed mainland importer handles customs declaration and inspection. It suits sizeable, ongoing volumes. We complete the Hong Kong-side export and documentation and coordinate with the importer shipment by shipment.
Medicine and Device Connect: designated GBA hospitals may bring in listed medicines and devices already approved in Hong Kong or Macao. Institutions and regulators lead this route; we provide pathway information and Hong Kong-side supply support, not approval handling.
Cross-border e-commerce retail and personal direct mail: for individual personal use, and a different logic from B2B bulk re-export. Listed categories can move through cross-border e-commerce retail import; medicines outside the list can only be direct-mailed from Hong Kong as personal-use items, parcel by parcel, and cannot use bonded-warehouse stocking. Our own platform storefronts operate under this retail model.
02
What Must Be in Order on the Hong Kong Side
Before export, confirm the product's Hong Kong status and the licences required: controlled pharmaceutical products generally need a per-shipment export licence, and unregistered medicines intended for re-export can be assessed under PLAMMS - both are handled shipment by shipment, and the outcome decides whether goods can move.
One complete document set: commercial invoice, packing list, licences, batch and expiry data, and storage-temperature records; cold-chain products travel temperature-controlled end to end with data retained per batch.
03
Who Owns What on the Mainland Side
Mainland market entry is the importer's responsibility: registration certificates, import clearance and port inspection are handled by the licensed mainland entity. We prepare Hong Kong-side documents to their requirements and support port queries and batch traceability.
We do not clear mainland customs on the importer's behalf, and we do not advise any workaround of the formal routes.
04
Estimating Timelines
There is no one-size-fits-all timeline: product category, licensing, port inspection arrangements and cold-chain transport windows all move the schedule. The reliable approach is per-shipment assessment - once the route is confirmed, we provide a staged written time estimate and report progress at each milestone.
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Conditions requiring case-by-case confirmation
- ✓General information only, not legal advice; requirements follow current regulations and regulator guidance in both jurisdictions
- ✓Mainland entry and clearance are led by the licensed mainland importer; Hong Kong licensing does not guarantee import approval at the destination
- ✓Timelines and costs are assessed per shipment and confirmed in writing
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