How long does it take for a duty-free license to be approved after being submitted to the central government?
2 Answers
If the duty-free license submitted to the central government passes the approval process, it will take approximately 15 working days to be granted. Below is relevant information about duty-free licenses: 1. Companies with duty-free licenses: Currently, there are 8 duty-free licenses in China. China International Travel Service holds 3 of them—CDF, Sunrise, and Hainan Duty-Free—while the others are held by Zhuhai Duty-Free (acquired by Gree Real Estate), Shenzhen Duty-Free, CNSC Duty-Free (under Caissa Tourism Group), Zhongqiao Duty-Free, and the newly acquired Wangfujing. 2. Importance of duty-free licenses: Due to their impact on national tax revenue, duty-free licenses are extremely difficult to obtain. Each license is subject to strict restrictions and must be approved by multiple departments, including the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Commerce, General Administration of Customs, State Taxation Administration, Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and even the State Council.
I've handled similar tax-exempt license applications before and found that the approval time from the central authorities is never set in stone. Generally speaking, if you have all the paperwork ready—like submitting all vehicle certifications, tax exemption eligibility documents, and application forms—you could get approval in as little as two to three weeks. But during peak seasons or when the central approval office is swamped with backlog, delays stretching to a month or longer aren’t uncommon. I remember last time helping a friend with an imported electric vehicle license, and due to missing details in the documents, it took two months of back-and-forth resubmissions. So the key is to prepare your materials thoroughly in advance to avoid delays. In the automotive world, these licenses are usually for special cases, like diplomatic vehicles or certain high-emission imported cars eligible for tax exemptions, aimed at reducing costs. My advice? Work with a reliable agent or contact the traffic management office directly to check on progress—it can save a lot of waiting anxiety. Bottom line: stay patient, and having a contingency plan is always reassuring.
