Interim Regulation on Express Delivery (2025 Revision)

Interim Regulation on Express Delivery
(Promulgated by Order No. 697 of the State Council of the People's Republic of China on March 2, 2018; revised for the first time in accordance with the Decision of the State Council to Amend Certain Administrative Regulations on March 2, 2019; and revised for the second time in accordance with the Decision of the State Council to Amend the Interim Regulation on Express Delivery on April 13, 2025)

Chapter I General Provisions
Article 1 For purposes of promoting the sound development of the express delivery industry, guaranteeing express delivery safety, protecting the lawful rights and interests of express delivery users, and strengthening the supervision and administration of the express delivery industry, this Regulation is developed in accordance with the Postal Law of the People's Republic of China and other relevant laws.
Article 2 This Regulation shall apply to the engagement in business operations, receipt of express delivery services, and supervision and administration of the express delivery industry in the territory of the People's Republic of China.
Article 3 The development of the express delivery industry shall follow the principles of market orientation, ensuring safety, innovation as a driver, and coordinated development, and establish a safe, high-efficiency, green, and energy-saving express delivery service system with advanced technology and high-quality service which benefits both urban and rural areas.
Article 4 Local people's governments at all levels shall create a good business environment for the express delivery industry, support enterprises engaged in express delivery business in innovating on business models and service modes, and in strengthening the management of service quality, improving rules and systems, and refining safety guarantee measures so as to provide users with fast, accurate, safe, and convenient express delivery services.
Local people's governments at all levels shall ensure that relevant government actions comply with fair competition requirements and relevant laws and regulations, maintain the competition order of the express delivery industry, and shall not issue any policy or measures which are contrary to fair competition, or which may result in regional blockades or monopoly of the industry.
Article 5 No entity or individual may engage in any activity which endangers state security, public interests, or the lawful rights and interests of others, by mail, parcel, presswork, or any other delivery (hereinafter collectively referred to as the "parcels").
Except for the relevant authorities as authorized by the law, no entity or individual may illegally inspect the parcel of another person. No entity or individual may open, conceal, destroy, discard, or trade in a parcel of another person without permission.
Article 6 The postal administrative department of the State Council shall be responsible for the supervision and administration of the express delivery industry nationwide. The public security, state security, customs, market regulation, and other relevant departments of the State Council shall be responsible for relevant supervision and administration of express delivery within their respective functions.
The postal administrative agencies of provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the Central Government and the postal administrative agencies below the provincial level established as provided by the State Council shall be responsible for the supervision and administration of the express delivery industry within their respective jurisdiction. Relevant departments of local people's governments at or above the county level shall be responsible for relevant supervision and administration of express delivery within their respective functions.
Article 7 The postal administrative departments of the State Council, the postal administrative agencies of provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the Central Government, and the postal administrative agencies below the provincial level (hereinafter collectively referred to as the "postal administrative authorities") shall cooperate with the public security, state security, customs, market regulation, and other relevant authorities, establish and improve a regulatory mechanism for express delivery safety, strengthen the monitoring and advance warning of the safe operation of the express delivery industry, collect and share information related to the safe operation of the express delivery industry, and deal with events affecting the safe operation of the express delivery industry according to the law.
Article 8 An express delivery industry organization established according to the law shall protect the lawful rights and interests of enterprises, strengthen the self-regulation of the industry, promote the compliance, honesty, and safe operation of enterprises, urge enterprises to implement the primary responsibility for work safety, and guide enterprises in continuously improving the quality of and upgrading express delivery services.
Article 9 The state shall strengthen the building of the credit system for the express delivery industry, establish and improve credit record, information disclosure, and credit rating systems for the express delivery industry, and implement joint disciplinary measures according to the law, so as to raise the trustworthy level of the express delivery industry.
Article 10 The state improves comprehensive support policies and works towards greener, reduced, and recyclable express packaging.
The state encourages enterprises engaged in express delivery business and consignors to use degradable and recyclable environmentally-friendly packaging materials.
Chapter II Development Guarantees
Article 11 The postal administrative department of the State Council shall formulate a development plan for the express delivery industry to promote the sound development of the express delivery industry.
Local people's governments at or above the county level shall incorporate the development of the express delivery industry into the national economic and social development plan at the same level and comprehensively consider the needs of large-sized distribution, sorting, and other infrastructure for parcels in territorial spatial plans.
Local people's governments at or above the county level shall establish and improve policies and measures for promoting the sound development of the express delivery industry, improve relevant supporting provisions, and legally protect the lawful rights and interests of enterprises engaged in express delivery business and of their practitioners.
Article 12 The state shall encourage enterprises engaged in express delivery business to develop express delivery service networks in rural areas and remote areas and improve the distribution of end express delivery outlets and give them support.
Article 13 The state shall encourage and offer guidance to enterprises engaged in express delivery business so that they can adopt advanced technology and boost the promotion and application of automated sorting equipment, mechanized loading and discharge equipment, intelligent terminal service facilities, electronic waybills, and information technology-based parcel management systems, among others.
Article 14 The public security, transport, and other departments of local people's governments at or above the county level and the postal administrative authorities shall strengthen coordination and cooperation, establish and improve a transportation guarantee mechanism for express delivery, and safeguard the right of way and intermediate stop of express delivery service vehicles according to the law, and shall not prohibit express delivery service vehicles from passing in accordance with the law.
The postal administrative authorities shall, together with the public security and other departments of the local people's governments at or above the county level, regulate the administration and use of express delivery service vehicles according to the law, make provisions on the speed limit and load of express delivery-purpose electric tricycles, and strengthen the unified numbering and identifier administration of express delivery service vehicles. Enterprises engaged in express delivery business shall strengthen the road traffic safety training for their practitioners.
Practitioners of express delivery shall abide by the provisions of road traffic safety laws and regulations and drive vehicles in a safely and civilized manner, and in accordance with the operating standards. If a practitioner of express delivery causes damage to any person when performing a task, the enterprise engaged in express delivery business, where the practitioner works, shall be liable for the tort in accordance with the laws relating to civil tort liability.
Article 15 Enterprises, public institutions, and residential community management entities shall, in light of the actual circumstances, provide facilitation necessary for express delivery services, by executing contracts with enterprises engaged in express delivery business, setting up earmarked venues for consigning and taking parcels, and other means. Enterprises engaged in express delivery business shall be encouraged to share end-service facilities and provide users with convenient end-express delivery services.
Article 16 The state shall encourage the express delivery industry to establish a coordinated development mechanism with manufacturing, agricultural, trade, and other industries, promote the integrated development of the express delivery industry and e-commerce, enhance information exchange, and share facilities and network resources.
The state shall guide and promote the harmonization of the standards for the express delivery industry and those for railway, highway, waterway, civil aviation, and other industries and support the construction of parcel transportation channels and transshipment venues at transport hubs such as large-sized stations, terminals, and airports.
Article 17 The state shall encourage enterprises engaged in express delivery business to carry out inbound and outbound express delivery business according to law and support the construction of inbound and outbound parcel processing centers at priority ports and, as legally required, the formation of express delivery service institutions and establishment of parcel processing venues overseas.
Customs, postal administration, and other authorities shall establish a collaboration mechanism to improve the administration of inbound and outbound parcels and promote the achievement of easy customs clearance of parcels.
Chapter III Businesses
Article 18 For engaging in express delivery business, an express delivery business permit shall be obtained in accordance with the law. The postal administrative authorities ......