Tax Refund for Refit Container Houses

Refit container houses that meet the conditions are eligible for export tax refunds, which require compliance with delivery locations, customs declarations, and tax refund regulations. Details are as follows:

Basic Conditions for Tax Refund

Enterprises exporting newly manufactured containers (including refit container houses that meet standards) to foreign merchants must deliver them to designated storage yards within China and obtain an Export Goods Customs Declaration (for Export Tax Refund), while also complying with other export tax refund (exemption) regulations. According to the Announcement of the State Administration of Taxation on Issues Related to Export Tax Refunds (Exemptions) for Enterprise Export Containers (Announcement No. 59 of 2014), containers exported in 2014 and subsequent years are eligible for this policy. If a container is refitted into a "mobile home" (such as a mobile homestay space capsule), it must be declared under the corresponding tax number. For example, under the latest HS coding rules in 2026, mobile homestay space capsules are classified under 9406900090 (other mobile homes), with a 13% value-added tax export refund rate applicable.

Key Declaration Requirements

1. Customs Declaration Form Filling Specifications
   The export tax refund-specific customs declaration issued by customs must indicate the name of the storage yard and not include the name of the means of transport, voyage number, or departure date. If exported under the policy of tax refund at the port of departure, it must be carried by a qualified transportation enterprise (such as China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. and its subsidiaries) and transported directly from the railway to the port of departure via customs transfer.

2. Document Filing and Compliance
   Enterprises need to prepare basic documents such as sales contracts, pro forma invoices, packing lists (in both Chinese and English), customs declaration authorization letters, and bills of lading, as well as special certificates (such as fumigation certificates for wooden products and CE certifications for electrical equipment). If classified as a "mobile home," it must ensure that the structure complies with the definition of the World Customs Organization (WCO) to avoid misclassification as "steel structural parts" or "containers" (which have lower tax refund rates and require additional certifications).

3. Foreign Exchange Collection and Tax Refund Deadlines
   Foreign exchange must be collected within 90 days after export, and failure to do so may affect the tax refund. Tax refund documents include the export customs declaration (for tax refund), value-added tax special invoices, and bank foreign exchange collection water bills, which must be applied for with the tax authorities within one month after export.

Policy Optimization and Risk Avoidance

After policy optimization in 2026, the entire tax refund process can be handled non-contact through the electronic tax bureau or the international trade "single window." However, the tax authorities have intensified their verification of document filing and the authenticity of foreign exchange collection, requiring the assurance of "four-flow consistency" (contract flow, goods flow, capital flow, and invoice flow). Violations such as misclassification or overstating the tax refund rate may result in tax payments, surcharges, and even customs inspections.