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CIFER - Checklist tool for industry

The purpose of this document is to help guide industry through the application process in the China Import Food Enterprise Registration (CIFER) system managed by the General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China (GACC). The checklist below does not include all of the fields that may be encountered in the CIFER system but has highlighted key areas to be aware of as you complete the various types of applications. Please note that GACC often uses the term "manufacturer" in the system. For the purpose of registration in CIFER, this terms refers to anyone who manufactures, processes, or stores food and agri-food products for export to China. Additional information on CIFER can be found on the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA)'s Industry Guidance page.

1.0 Getting Started in CIFER

1.1 Creation of a CIFER Account

Access the CIFER system. If you do not have an account you will need to select "Create an account" from the login page. A separate account will be required for each establishment/vessel.

Item Risk Category Requirements Checkbox
Safe Food for Canadians (SFC) licence All not all establishments responsible for low risk products require an SFC licence. Please use the CFIA's licensing interactive tool to determine if an SFC licence is required for your establishment. Box
Located Country (Region) Register Number High Establishments can use either:
  • a pre-SFCR registration number (3-7 digits) that was issued by CFIA;
OR
  • a unique 4 character establishment ID number assigned by CFIA. Contact your local CFIA office to obtain an establishment ID number if you do not have one before proceeding
Box
Located Country (Region) Register Number Medium
  • establishments should use a unique 4 character establishment ID number assigned by CFIA. Contact your local CFIA office to obtain an establishment ID number if you do not have one before proceeding
Box
Located Country (Region) Register Number Medium/Low Note: alternatively, your SFC licence number could be used as a registration number but is not recommended by CFIA
Located Country (Region) Register Number Low
  • any unique number may be chosen by the establishment during the self-registration process in CIFER
Box
Company name All
  • company name has been entered exactly as it appears on the SFC licence (if applicable), the GACC checklist, and the application form online in CIFER
Box

1.2 Certification of CIFER Account

Risk Category Requirements Checkbox
Low

CFIA certification of CIFER account not required

Note: after creating your account in CIFER, you can immediately begin an Application for Registration for any low risk product category(ies). When submitted, these low risk applications are reviewed and approved directly by GACC and do not require CFIA involvement.

Medium/High
  • go to "Account Certification" and fill in the fields to request to have your account certified by the CFIA
  • after you click the "Commit" button, contact your local CFIA office by email and advise them that you have submitted a request to have your account certified in CIFER. Your email must contain
    • full legal name of the establishment as it appears on the SFC licence; and
    • the specific CFIA-issued establishment ID number that was used to create the establishment's CIFER account
Note: once your account has been certified by CFIA, you will be able to complete an "Application for Registration" for any product category in CIFER
Box

2.0 Applications in CIFER

2.1 "Application for Registration" (requesting approval for a new product category) / "Application for Modification" (requesting changes to a current registration)

Item Requirements Checkbox
Navigation

Select "Application for Registration" or "Application for Modification" from the main CIFER menu.

  • "Application for Registration": select the applicable product category
  • "Application for Modification": select the product category you want to amend and select the "Modify" button to access the application
Red Asterisks (*) Note: any field marked with a red asterisk(*) is a mandatory field required by GACC and must be filled out before the application can be submitted.
Enterprise name
  • the enterprise name is entered exactly as it appears on the SFC licence, the GACC checklist, and in the CIFER application form online.
Note: if you would like to add an additional name you may do so in brackets, that is, "Legal Business Name (Establishment or Vessel Name)". How the name is entered in CIFER should match how it is entered on export certificates/documentation
Box
Legal representative - name
  • the name entered is the name of the person legally responsible for the establishment/vessel
Note: the legal representative will be the one who needs to sign all CIFER-related documentation where a signature is required
Box
Address of manufacturing facility
  • the address is the physical location of the establishment, that is, not a post office box or the company's head office address
  • vessels are to use the address of the location the vessel is primarily docked
Box
Plant Establishment Time
  • the plant establishment time is the (approximate) date the company began operating in the current establishment/vessel
Box
Products to be registered/added to China
  • the correct Harmonized System (HS) Codes and China Inspection and Quarantine (CIQ) Codes for each of your products to be exported has been determined by working with your importer in China and consulting the Product Type Query list in CIFER.
  • Other product related information may be required. Often, clicking the "Edit" button for a product entry opens a pop-up window with additional mandatory information fields or checkboxes indicated by red asterisks.
Box
Products to be registered/added to China Aquatic products only:
  • Only products from species Canada is approved to export to China have been entered in CIFER
  • the Latin name(s) of the product(s) exactly match how they are written on China's list of approved species
Note: the list of approved aquatic species can be found at http://43.248.49.223/AP_NameListSearch.aspx?type=%E6%B0%B4%E4%BA%A7 (Chinese Only – link must be copied to the address bar of your web browser). Canada's approved species for export to China can be found under 加拿大
Box
Specific processing methods (Aquatic products only)
  • a process flow chart is attached for each product exported to China
Note: if multiple products follow the same process flow, they do not require individual process flow charts but the name of all products that follow the process must be listed at the top of the page
Box
Human Resources
  • The field entitled "Number of official inspection and quarantine personnel in the factory" cannot be entered as zero (0). Even if your establishment does not have daily CFIA inspector presence on site, you need to enter a value of at least one (1).
Box
Enterprise declaration
  • the "Declaration of Manufacturer" template form has been downloaded from the CIFER application
  • the enterprise name is entered exactly as it is entered in the CIFER application, the GACC checklist, and the SFC licence
  • both name and position of legal representative have been provided in the designated location on the declaration
  • the declaration has been signed by the legal representative identified on the first page of the application
  • a fully legible/visible company stamp/seal has been applied
Box
Supporting materials to modify information (Application for Modification only)
  • document(s) to support modification request has been uploaded to CIFER

Note: when completing the "Application for Modification" to update your initial registration that was prepopulated by GACC, there is no guidance on what types of documents to include as supporting materials. Since the field is marked as a mandatory field, we recommend you add any supporting document you feel supports your application and that the supporting document is not a duplicate of any document added in another field.

For any other modification applications, the supporting materials should clearly identify what information is being modified in the application.

Box
Submitting the application
electronically in CIFER
  • To submit your application to the CFIA for review/approval:
    • click on the "Preview" button
    • scroll down to the bottom of the "Preview" page
    • click on the "submit" button
Box
Screen capture
  • once the application has been submitted to the CFIA, take a screen capture of the status at the top of the application and save the image somewhere it can be later retrieved
Note: if the application has been successfully submitted, the status on screen will say "Current state: Submit to Authorities"
Box
Inform local CFIA office
  • send an email to your CFIA local office to inform them you have submitted your application in CIFER. The email must include:
    • full legal name as it appears on the SFC licence
    • establishment physical address
    • the unique Canadian establishment ID number used to create the establishment's CIFER account
    • a list of the specific products or product types in the application(s)
    • screen capture of the application status in CIFER
Box
Additional documents required for application
  • after contacting the local CFIA office, you were provided with the following two forms for completion while CFIA review's your application:
    • CFIA Application Form
    • GACC Product Type Inspection Checklist
  • Complete both forms and return them by email to the local CFIA office
Note: tips for completing these forms can be found in section 3.0 below "Additional documents".
Box
Final Submission
  • you received notification from the local CFIA office that the application has been submitted to GACC for review/approval
Note: please see section 4.0 below "Monitoring the status of your application" for next steps.
Box

2.2 "Application for Extension" (also referred to as a renewal application)

Note: Registrations in CIFER are valid for a period of 5 years. Renewal applications must be submitted 3-6 months prior to the expiry date. It is the establishment's responsibility to know the expiry date(s) of their registration(s) and submit the application for extension within the renewal period. The application for extension will only be accessible during this 3-6 month period.

Item Requirements Checkbox
Navigation
  • select "Application for Extension" in main CIFER menu
  • select the "Extend" button to access the application for the applicable product category
Declaration for the extension of registration of manufacturer
  • download the declaration form from the CIFER application
  • add both the enterprise name and China registration number (CCAN#) to the first blank line in the declaration
  • the enterprise name is entered exactly as it is entered in the CIFER application
  • both name and position of the legal representative have been provided in the designated location
  • the declaration has been signed by the legal representative identified in the application
  • a fully legible/visible company stamp/seal has been applied
  • you have completed and uploaded the original GACC template provided in the application
Box
Submitting the application
  • once the declaration has been uploaded to the application, click the "Extend" button in the top left corner of the screen to submit the application to the CFIA for review/approval
Box
Screen capture
  • once the application has been submitted to CFIA, take a screen capture of the status at the top of the application and save the image somewhere it can be later retrieved
Note: if the application has been successfully submitted, the status will say "Current state: Submit to Authorities"
Box
Inform local CFIA office
  • send an email to your CFIA local office to inform them you have submitted your application for extension in CIFER. The email must include:
    • enterprise name as it appears in CIFER
    • the Canadian establishment registration number as it appears in CIFER
    • screen capture of the application status in CIFER
Box
Additional documents
  • after contacting the local CFIA office, you were provided with the following two forms for completion while CFIA reviews your application:
    • CFIA application form
    • GACC product-type specific inspection checklist
  • complete both forms and return them to the local CFIA office
Note: tips for completing these forms can be found in section 3.0 below "Additional documents".
Box
Final Submission
  • you received notification from the local CFIA office that the application has been submitted to GACC for review/approval
Note: please see section 4.0 below "Monitoring the status of your application" for next steps.
Box

2.3 "Application for Cancellation"

Item Requirements Checkbox
Navigation
  • select "Application for cancellation" in main CIFER menu
  • select the "Cancel" button to access the application for the applicable product category
Reason for cancellation
  • provide a reason for cancelling the registration in the designated field
Box
Submitting the application
  • select the "Cancel" button in the top left corner of the screen to submit the application to the CFIA for review/approval
Box
Screen capture
  • once the application has been submitted to CFIA, take a screen capture of the status at the top of the application and save the image somewhere it can be later retrieved
Note: if the application has been successfully submitted, the status will say "Current state: Submit to Authorities"
Box
Inform local CFIA office
  • send an email to your CFIA local office to inform them you have submitted your application for cancellation in CIFER. The email included:
    • enterprise name as it appears in CIFER
    • the CFIA establishment ID number as it appears in CIFER
    • screen capture of the application status in CIFER
Box
Final Submission
  • received notification from the local CFIA office that the application has been submitted to GACC for review/approval
Note: please see section 4.0 below "Monitoring the status of your application" for next steps.
Box

3.0 Additional Documents

3.1 CFIA Application for Registration in China's CIFER system (CFIA Application Form)

Item Requirements Checkbox
Scope Note: an Application Form is required with all medium and high risk applications except "Applications for Cancellation"
Blank Template
  • a blank Application Form template has been provided by your local CFIA office
Box
Part A. Identification
  • all fields have been completed as indicated
Box
Part B. Applicant's Statement
  • statements have been read and understood and the application form has been signed and dated.
Note: the application form can be signed by either the legal representative or the applicant
Box
Completed Application Form
  • the completed CFIA Application Form has been emailed to your local CFIA office along with the completed GACC checklist
Box

3.2 GACC Product-Type Specific Checklist

Item Requirements Checkbox
Scope Note: a checklist is required with all medium and high risk applications except "Applications for Cancellation"
Blank template
  • a blank GACC product-type specific inspection checklist template has been provided by your CFIA local office
Box
Establishment Numbers
  • both the CFIA establishment ID number and SFC licence number have been provided
Box
Company Name
  • company name matches the enterprise name as it is entered in the CIFER application
Box
Physical Address
  • the address of the establishment matches the address in the CIFER application, the address on the company stamp (if applicable) and any other uploaded documents bearing the address
Box
Complete the checklist items
  • the checkbox for each item in the Inspection Checklist has been marked as either "Yes", "No" or "N/A" in the "Compliance" column.
  • If selecting "No", justification has been be provided in the "Remarks" column
Box
Sign checklist pages
  • each page of the checklist has been signed by the legal representative named in the application
  • the signature of the legal representative on the checklist matches the signature of the legal representative on the declaration form
Box
Company Stamp or Seal
  • the company name and any information appearing on the stamp/seal fully matches the enterprise name and information in the CIFER application
  • the stamp/seal is fully legible and visible
  • the stamp/seal has been applied to each page of the checklist
Box
PDF size
  • the completed, signed and stamped GACC checklist has been saved as a PDF document with a file size of less than 4 MB
Box
Completed checklist sent
  • the completed checklist has been emailed to your CFIA local office along with the completed CFIA Application Form
Box

4.0 Monitoring the status of your application(s) in CIFER

Item Requirements
Application status monitoring

Note: your CIFER account should be monitored regularly for changes in application status such as return of application for correction, approval by GACC, or GACC rejection of application.

  • Select "Integrated Query" from the main menu in CIFER
  • Select "Application Form Query"
  • You can review the status of all applications in this section
Feedback on returned or rejected applications

Note: if an application is returned for correction or rejected, you will be provided feedback from GACC or CFIA on why the application was not accepted. Under "Integrated Query" "Application Form Query" there are two columns you could see feedback in:

  • If the application was returned by CFIA, the feedback can be found by clicking the word "View" under the "Institutional Feedback" column.
  • If the application was returned by GACC, the feedback can be found by clicking the word "View" under the "Customs Feedback" column.
Feedback on returned or rejected applications

Note: once the status of the application is showing as "approved", you should verify that your registration is published in the CIFER Query list published on the GACC website.

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