Guo Yan Ban Zong [2023] No.112

Provincial tobacco monopoly bureaus:

We are now issuing the Guidelines on Promoting the Construction of Quality Assurance System for Export Electronic Cigarette Products to you. Please implement them seriously.

Office of the National Tobacco Monopoly Administration

July 18, 2023

On Promoting Quality Assurance of Export Electronic Cigarette Products

Guidelines for system construction

Article 1: In order to promote the legal and standardized development of the electronic cigarette industry, effectively prevent trade risks in exported electronic cigarettes, and encourage electronic cigarette related production enterprises (hereinafter referred to as enterprises) to actively build a quality assurance system for exported electronic cigarette products, This guideline is formulated in accordance with laws, regulations, and normative documents such as the Tobacco Monopoly Law of the People's Republic of China, the Implementation Regulations of the Tobacco Monopoly Law of the People's Republic of China, and the Electronic Cigarette Management Measures (Announcement No. 1 of the National Tobacco Monopoly Administration in 2022).

  Based on the actual situation of the enterprise, actively connect with international advanced technologies, rules, and standards, focus on improving product quality, ensuring product safety, and comprehensively improving the overall quality and safety level of exported electronic cigarette products.

Article 3: Enterprises shall be fully responsible for the quality and safety of their exported electronic cigarette products, carry out production and business activities in accordance with laws and regulations, and accept supervision and management.

Article 4 Enterprises shall ensure that their exported products comply with the laws, regulations, and standard requirements of the destination country (region); If the destination country (region) does not have relevant laws, regulations, and standards, it shall comply with the relevant requirements of Chinese laws, regulations, and standards.

Article 5 Enterprises shall establish a quality assurance management system that includes all elements, processes, and data, to ensure the effective operation of the system and to ensure that the procurement, production, storage, and transportation of exported electronic cigarette raw materials continue to comply with relevant laws, regulations, and quality and safety requirements. Encourage mature enterprises to participate in relevant quality system qualification certification.

Article 6 Enterprises shall clarify the quality and safety standards for exported electronic cigarette products, formulate testing operation procedures for raw and auxiliary materials, semi-finished products, and finished products, implement quality and safety testing, and form testing reports or certificates.

Article 7 Enterprises shall systematically sort out their technological processes to ensure their sustainable and stable production of products that meet the quality and safety standards specified by the enterprise, strengthen business operation training, and ensure that staff can operate correctly according to the processes.

Article 8 Enterprises shall ensure that the production resources equipped for self production or commissioned processing meet relevant requirements, including:

1. Personnel with appropriate qualifications and qualified training;

2. Safe factory buildings and spaces;

3. Applicable equipment and maintenance support;

4. Qualified raw and auxiliary materials and packaging materials;

5. Qualified storage and transportation conditions;

6. Other necessary production resources.

Article 9 Enterprises shall establish a supplier evaluation system, a procurement inspection record system, a production record archive system, a factory inspection record system, a commissioned processing product inspection record system, a product traceability system, and a system for handling non-conforming products. The relevant records should be true and valid, and the retention period should not be less than 6 months after the expiration of the product's shelf life.

Article 10: The boxes and packaging of exported electronic cigarette products shall be labeled with the tobacco monopoly production enterprise license number, product name, production batch number, and production date. Among them, the export electronic cigarette product boxes and packaging entrusted for processing should be labeled with the tobacco monopoly production enterprise license number of the entrusted electronic cigarette production enterprise.

Article 11: The domestic and international logistics transportation of exported electronic cigarette products shall comply with relevant safety requirements and ensure full traceability.

Article 12: When exporting electronic cigarette products, enterprises shall truthfully declare to the customs in accordance with the law, and shall file relevant information on the national unified electronic cigarette transaction management platform within 30 days after the export declaration.

Article 13: If there are quality and safety issues with exported electronic cigarette products that have caused or may cause harm to human health, the enterprise shall immediately stop the production of relevant products, take corresponding measures to avoid and reduce the occurrence of harm, and report to the local tobacco monopoly bureau.

Article 14: If an export electronic cigarette product is notified by international organizations or overseas government agencies due to quality and safety issues, the enterprise shall immediately report to the local tobacco monopoly bureau, and the relevant enterprise shall accept the verification and handling organized by the tobacco monopoly bureau in accordance with the law.

Article 15: The State Tobacco Monopoly Administration shall establish a quality traceability system for exported electronic cigarette products, improve the supervision of enterprise quality, safety, and credit, and achieve the informatization, networking, and intelligence of quality and safety supervision for exported electronic cigarette products. Tobacco monopoly bureaus at all levels should collaborate with customs, market supervision, taxation and other departments to strengthen joint supervision.

Article 16: Export electronic cigarette products refer to electronic cigarette products produced by enterprises that are not sold within China and are only used for export. The construction of a quality assurance system for nicotine and aerosols used in exported electronic cigarettes shall refer to this guideline.

Article 17: These guidelines shall be interpreted by the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration.

Article 18: These guidelines shall come into effect from the date of publication.