Because of the impact of the epidemic, especially at the stage of the outbreak in the world, the urgent shortage of medical and nursing supplies has been very serious, among which masks have been out of stock in all domestic and foreign supermarkets and major e-commerce platforms, which also allows many domestic manufacturers and trading companies to consult China's policy on the export of masks after the start of construction, and whether to prohibit masks from being exported by the customs of China. In fact, China's customs has not prohibited the export of masks, hand sanitizers, protective clothing, eye masks, gloves, thermometers and other medical materials. If there are restrictions or other problems in the export, the reasons are the export qualification and foreign requirements.
Therefore, as long as enterprises declare or file normally according to the standard process and have legitimate procedures and qualifications, the import and export of such materials will not be affected, and it is also required that whether it is a freight forwarder, manufacturer or trading company, they should understand the qualification requirements and regulatory conditions of the import and export countries, so as to effectively avoid the problems of being detained or returned. Here we summarize the following considerations:
I. Document requirements for exporting masks from China
1. Business license
2. Enterprise production license
3. Product inspection report
4. Medical Device Registration Certificate
5. Product instructions and labels.
6. Product batch/number
7. Product Quality Safety Letter
8. Pictures of product samples and packaging
II. The common problems in exporting masks from China
1. The Ministry of Commerce has announced that epidemic materials such as masks can be exported normally.
2. Specific qualifications required for export: enterprises with import and export rights can export ordinary masks and other non-medical devices without supervision conditions; for epidemic materials such as masks with certificates, three certificates of products are required: A. business license (business scope includes medical devices related), B. product record certificate or registration certificate, C.The manufacturer's inspection report can then be exported with the right of import and export operation. In addition, if the enterprise wants to donate or replace the overseas affiliated companies for purchase, it needs to provide information instructions.
3. If you want to export materials with certificates, but have no export qualification, as long as the factory producing the products has three certificates, then you can export and sell them through the foreign trade agency.
4. How to check whether the mask is qualified: log in to the official website of the National medical products administration (www.nmpa.gov.cn), then click on the column of "Medical Devices" - "Domestic Devices". According to the instructions on the page, enter the medical device registration certificate number or enterprise name of the mask, so as to know the production information related to the product and the approval number information, then you can know that if it is qualified.

III. Import requirements of some countries
1. USA
Necessary information (qualification)
Bill of lading, packing list, invoice
For imported masks from the United States, if they need to be sold, they must be FDA-certified before they can be sold in the U.S. domestic market. For self-use and gift masks, it is better to ask the reception side of the United States first when exporting, whether FDA-certified masks are also required, or whether they are purchased through the original FDA-certified masks.
Mask Requirements
According to the HHS (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services) regulations, NIOSH (National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health) classifies its certified particulate mask into nine categories. The specific certification is operated by the NPPTL laboratory under NIOSH.
In the United States, masks can be classified into three grades - N, R, and P, according to the lowest filtration efficiency of the filter material.
Class N masks can only filter non-oily particles, such as dust, acid mist, paint mist, microorganisms, etc. Suspended particulates in air pollution are also mostly non-oily.
Class R masks are only suitable for filtering oily and non-oily particulates, but the limited use time for oily particulates should not exceed 8 hours.
Class P masks can filter both non-oily and oily particulates. Oily particulates such as oil fume, oil mist, etc.
According to the different filtration efficiency, there are 90, 95, 100 differences, referring to the minimum filtration efficiency of 90%, 95%, 99.97% under the test conditions specified in the standard, respectively.
So N95 is not a specific product name. As long as the N95 standard is met and the product is reviewed by NIOSH, it can be called the "N95 Mask".

2. European Union
Necessary information (qualification)
Bill of lading, packing list, invoice
Mask Requirements
In the European Union, masks belong to PPE personal protective equipment, ""health-threatening substances and mixtures"".Since 2019, the new EU regulation PPE Regulation (EU) 2016/425 has been enforced, and all masks exported to the EU must obtain CE certification under the requirements of the new regulations.
CE certification is a mandatory product safety certification system implemented by the European Union, with the purpose of ensuring the safety of life and property of the people of European Union countries.

3. Japan
Necessary information (qualification)
Bill of lading, packing list, invoice
PMDA Registered Medical Device Act (PMD Act) exporting to Japan is required for the products to be put into the Japanese market. Under the requirements of PMD Act, the TOROKU registration system requires foreign manufacturers to register manufacturer information with PMDA.
Mask Requirements
Packing printed with ウィルスカット99% of the words are medical masks that exceed the domestic filtration efficiency 95% (N95 mask) standard!
PFE: 0.1um particle filterability
_BFE: Bacterial filterability
_VFE: Virus filterability
: Viral Interception
1. Medical protective mask: meets the mandatory standard of China GB 19083-2010, with filtration efficiency (> 95%) (using non-oily particulate matter test).
2. N95 mask: NIOSH certified in the United States, the filtration efficiency of non-oily particulate matter is more than 95%.
3. KN95 Mask: Compliance with China GB 2626 mandatory standard, non-oily particulate matter filtration efficiency (>95%)
4. Australia
Necessary information (qualification)
Bill of lading, packing list, invoice
Mask Requirements
AS/NZS 1716:2012 is the standard for respiratory protection devices in Australia and New Zealand, and the manufacturing process and testing of related products must comply with this specification.
This standard specifies the procedures and materials that must be used during the manufacture of particle-resistant masks, as well as the determined test and performance results, to ensure safety in use


5. Korea
Necessary information (qualification)
Bill of lading, packing list, invoice, business licenses of Korean importers, Korean consignees need to go to Korea Pharmaceutical Traders Association of Korea Drug Administration. The website of import qualification in advance filing is www.kpta.or.kr.
Enterprises for self-use and donation can import by themselves without requiring relevant qualifications.
Mask Requirements
Masks also need to have a detailed origin label, if made in China, must have a label: Made in China, the manufacturer's information, quality guarantee period, ingredient content description and manufacturing process should be prepared. These documents have not yet been completed, and the goods need to be sent to the laboratory after they have arrived in Korea for intensive supervision and test. Only after passing the test, masks can enter the Korean market for sale and circulation.
Finally, because Airsupply’s core business is air transport services in China-North America/Europe/Australia and other countries, we have received a lot of export consulting for this kind of medical materials in March. Especially under the situation that international flights are still gradually decreasing, Global air freight capacity shortage and the situation of over-booked is getting worse and worse, even some of the airlines have been directly temporary suspend receiving goods in order to have the energy to deal with the goods that have been received, so it is suggested to confirm with the agent or the airline company whether have available space, and also confirm about maximum acceptable quantity.