Short answer: think of the paperwork as two stacks. The China-side export file is standardized — China’s used-car export licence regime produces a fixed set of documents, and you can demand each one. The destination-side import file is country-specific — age proofs, conformity certificates, permits and tax registrations differ, so confirm that stack in our country guides and with a local broker. Below is the China-side list item by item, what each document proves, and the consistency checks that catch most fraud before money moves.

The China-side export file

  • Export licence (one per shipment). Used-car exports are under export licence administration nationwide: the exporter who ships is the one who applies, one licence covers one shipment (up to 20 vehicles under one HS code, single customs declaration), issued within 3 working days. Licence details must match the official Motor Vehicle Registration Certificate; from 2026-01-01 the licence annex must carry each vehicle’s registration date and transfer-for-export date, and non-compliant filings are refused. (Announcement 2024 No. 6, official, checked 2026-09-05.)
  • Third-party inspection report (passenger cars follow standard WM/T 8-2022) plus the inspection agency’s compliance declaration — mandatory for the licence application; vehicles that fail are barred from export. This is also your best condition evidence.
  • Exporter’s written declaration (company seal) that the vehicle meets the destination market’s access standards — a regulatory requirement on the exporter; note it is a declaration, not a conformity approval.
  • Commercial invoice and packing list — the transaction value your destination customs will tax; keep them consistent with what you actually paid.
  • Bill of lading (or rail bill / CMR road consignment note for land routes to Central Asia and Russia) — the transport title document your balance payment should be tied to.
  • Export customs declaration — filed at exit; also the document the exporter must use to deregister the car in China within two months after export.
  • Motor Vehicle Registration Certificate with the transfer-for-export entry — shows the car was registered “transferred pending export” when the exporter bought it, anchoring legal ownership and age; the car cannot be traded domestically after that entry.
  • After-sales paperwork: the export contract must contain after-sales service clauses (a foreign-language contract needs a Chinese translation, and the Chinese text prevails); for cars registered 180 days or less before the export application, a manufacturer After-sales Repair Service Confirmation Letter naming destination service outlets is additionally required from 2026-01-01 — no letter, no licence. (MOFCOM/MIIT/MPS/GACC Notice, effective 2026-01-01, official, checked 2026-09-05.)
  • Letter of authorization — wherever an agent signs or acts for an owner or buyer in the chain, get the authorization on paper and check the signatory’s name against the company registration.

The destination-side import file

Exactly which documents destination customs wants varies by country: proof of manufacture/age, certificate of origin, conformity or pre-export inspection certificates, import permits, and tax registrations all differ. That stack is documented per country in our guides — UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kazakhstan, Russia, Kenya, Nigeria and others — and rules change, so verify with destination customs or a licensed broker before shipping: China Used Car Export Rules 2026 covers the China side in depth.

Consistency checks that catch most problems

  1. VIN identical across licence, inspection report, invoice, packing list and B/L — one character off is a clearance problem; a swapped VIN is fraud.
  2. Company name identical across contract, invoice, licence and bank account.
  3. Dates in logical order: first registration → transfer-for-export → inspection → licence → export declaration. The 2026-01-01 annex rule makes these dates checkable against the licence itself.
  4. Contract versions match: your language and the prevailing Chinese text say the same thing about price, condition and after-sales.

When you need a professional

The exporter should produce the China-side stack as a matter of routine — reluctance is a red flag (how to verify an exporter). For the destination stack, use a licensed customs broker at the port of entry; for anything unusual (classic vehicles, salvage history, EV batteries), ask the broker before booking freight, not at the terminal.

Sources and scope

All China-side items above: MOFCOM Announcement 2024 No. 6, the licence bureau’s deregistration notice and the 180-day-rule notice (official, checked 2026-09-05). Destination-side document lists live in the country guides, each with its own check date and sources.