Brands facing counterfeits can proactively stop them at the border by recording trademarks with China Customs—completely free. Requires a Chinese trademark registration first (8–12 months). Recordal enables customs to inspect and detain suspicious shipments proactively, with security deposit capped at RMB 100,000. Lasts 10 years.
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If you sell branded products internationally, you know the frustration: counterfeiters pop up on e-commerce platforms faster than you can take them down. Remove one listing, three more appear. You're playing whack-a-mole—and losing.
But fighting at the point of sale is reactive. Fighting at the border is proactive.
China Customs offers a powerful tool that stops counterfeit goods before they leave the country. The key?Register your trademark with China Customs.
Why Trademarks?
Trademarks dominate customs enforcement—accounting for 99.5% of seizure cases and 93.57% of seized items. Why? Because trademarks are easy to spot and verify at the border. While patents and copyrights can also be recorded with Chinese Customs, trademarks deliver the strongest, most practical protection.
How Customs Recordal Works
Once your trademark is recorded, customs officers actively inspect shipments. When they find suspicious goods, they notify you and can detain them upon your request—without you having to detect the infringement first.
Without recordal, you must discover the infringing goods yourself and request detention each time. Customs will not proactively look for them.
Critical: Registration Comes First
Here's the hard truth:Customs only protects IP rights that are registered in China.** Your U.S. trademark, your EU registration—they don't matter at the border. China Customs applies Chinese law, which requires valid Chinese IP registrations.
So before you can record your trademark with Customs, you must first register it with the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA).
The Benefits of Recordal
With a customs recordal, enforcement is proactive—customs acts on your behalf without you having to detect infringements yourself. The financial burden is also significantly lower: the security deposit you pay to request detention is capped at RMB 100,000 (about $14,000), regardless of the shipment's value. Without recordal, you would need to deposit the full value of the goods.
Perhaps most importantly, recordal creates deterrence. Once your trademark is in the customs database, it is publicly visible. Potential infringers see it and know that their shipments risk being stopped at the border—often discouraging them from manufacturing in the first place.
Best of all:customs recordal is completely free！
What You Should Do
First, register your trademark in China with CNIPA. This takes about 8 to 12 months. Once registered, apply for customs recordal online through the General Administration of Customs portal. Processing takes about 30 working days. The recordal lasts 10 years and can be renewed.
Stop Fighting the Wrong Battle
Platform takedowns treat symptoms. Customs protection goes upstream—it stops counterfeit products before they ever ship.
The best time to record was yesterday. The second-best time is today.
Note：This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Please consult qualified counsel for your specific situation.
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