An employee at a Shanghai-based food company applies for the archival filing certification for his company with the help of a staff member at Shanghai Customs. [Photo/ pdtimes.com.cn]

A staff member at Shanghai Customs recently issued an archival filing certification to a Shanghai-based food company through an online platform for such certifications.

It is the first archival filing certification to be issued in Shanghai after the reform on separation of permits and business licenses went into effect on Dec 1.

Shanghai Totole Food Co Ltd applied for the renewal of its archival filing certification through an online platform and received the certification on the same day.

"Our company is constantly coming up with new products, and with every new product we have to renew the certification. The renewal process of the certification used to take a lot of time in the past, but thanks to the reform, it's a lot easier now. The reform is conducive to the export of new products," said Chen Junhua, a middle-ranking employee at the company.

The General Administration of Customs of China issued a document detailing the reform on separation of operation permits and business licenses in November 2019.

According to the document, archival filing certifications for companies can be issued and renewed online by customs staff members, and the term of validity will be expanded to five years starting in December.

Shanghai has been working to implement the reform since the beginning of December.