New Interpretation of 2025 Tax-Exempt Equipment Import Policy for Universities

According to the Tax-Exempt Import Management Measures for Scientific and Educational Supplies (2025 Revised Edition) jointly issued by the Ministry of Finance and the General Administration of Customs, universities importing instruments and equipment for teaching and research can enjoy full exemption from import VAT and tariffs. The new policy includes important adjustments in equipment certification standards, tax-exempt catalog scope, and post-clearance supervision requirements:

• Added 12 new tax-exempt categories including AI experimental equipment and biopharmaceutical R&D instruments
• EstablishEquipment usage efficiency traceability mechanism, requiring establishment of equipment usage ledgers
• Clarified research equipmentTax exemption period extended to 8 years, covering the entire equipment lifecycle

Tax - freeequipment. For example, Indonesia has the SNI certification, Thailand has the TISI certification, and the Philippines has the BPS certification. It is necessary to confirm in advance the equipment voltage (such as 380V/50Hz in Thailand), the compatibility of the CE certification, and the proof of environmentally friendly materials.Complete process analysis

Compliant operations for university tax-exempt equipment imports require three core stages:

• Qualification confirmation stage
  • Verify whether the school is listed in the Ministry of Educations tax-exempt institutions directory
  • Confirm the equipment to be purchased is included in the Catalog of Tax-Exempt Imported Research Equipment (2025 Edition)
• Declaration and approval stage
  • Prepare teaching/research purpose certification documents
  • Complete customs duty reduction and exemption filing procedures (must be completed 60 days before equipment arrival at port)
• Customs clearance and verification phase
  • Assisted completion by agency companyTwo-step declaration + summary taxation
  • Complete duty reduction and exemption confirmation within 15 working days after customs release

Three major misconceptions about tax-exempt equipment imports by universities

According to customs inspection cases from the past three years, universities importing tax-exempt equipment often face the following compliance risks:

• Equipment purpose determination deviation: Mixing administrative office equipment into research equipment declarations
• Tax exemption quota misjudgment: Failure to accurately calculate the value proportion of equipment accessories
• Subsequent supervision negligence: Equipment loaned to other units without timely regulatory change procedures

A 985 university in 2024 had to pay back taxes of 370,000 yuan for an entire batch of equipment due to exceeding value limits on electron microscope supporting software, highlighting the importance of professional agency services.

The value realization path of professional agency services

Qualifiedforeign tradeAgency companies can provide four core services to universities:

• Policy research service: Real-time tracking of customs HS code adjustment trends
• Compliance review service: Pre-review of equipment technical parameters against tax-exempt catalog matching
• Fast clearance service: Utilizing AEO certification for priority inspection
• Follow-up management services: Establish a full lifecycle supervision file for equipment

A provincial university imported a mass spectrometer worth 12 million yuan through professional agency, completing the process from contract signing to equipment installation in just 28 days - 40% faster than conventional procedures, with zero compliance violations throughout.