Cyberspace Administration of China
Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of the People’s Republic of China
Ministry of Public Security of the People’s Republic of China
Ministry of Transport of the People’s Republic of China
Ministry of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China
People’s Bank of China
General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China
State Taxation Administration
State Administration for Market Regulation
National Financial Regulatory Administration
Decree
No. 22
The “Provisions on Promoting and Regulating the Application of Electronic Documents” were reviewed and adopted at the 4th executive meeting of the Cyberspace Administration of China on February 10, 2026, and with the consent of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Commerce, the People’s Bank of China, the General Administration of Customs, the State Taxation Administration, the State Administration for Market Regulation, and the National Financial Regulatory Administration, are hereby promulgated, effective from September 1, 2026.
Zhuang Rongwen, Director of the Cyberspace Administration of China
Li Lecheng, Minister of Industry and Information Technology
Wang Xiaohong, Minister of Public Security
Liu Wei, Minister of Transport
Wang Wentao, Minister of Commerce
Pan Gongsheng, Governor of the People’s Bank of China
Sun Meijun, Director General of the General Administration of Customs
Hu Jinglin, Commissioner of the State Taxation Administration
Luo Wen, Director of the State Administration for Market Regulation
Li Yunze, Director of the National Financial Regulatory Administration
April 17, 2026
Provisions on Promoting and Regulating the Application of Electronic Documents
Chapter I General Provisions
Article 1 These Provisions are formulated in accordance with laws and administrative regulations such as the “Electronic Signature Law of the People’s Republic of China”, the “Maritime Code of the People’s Republic of China”, the “Cybersecurity Law of the People’s Republic of China”, the “Data Security Law of the People’s Republic of China”, and the “Personal Information Protection Law of the People’s Republic of China”, for the purposes of promoting and regulating the widespread application of electronic documents, enhancing the digitalization level of goods trade and transportation, effectively reducing the overall logistics costs of society, safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of parties involved in electronic document activities, and maintaining national security and public social interests.
Article 2 These Provisions apply to the application of electronic documents and related management activities conducted within the territory of the People’s Republic of China. Where other laws and administrative regulations provide otherwise, those provisions shall prevail.
Article 3 The State adheres to the principle of balancing development and security, combining promotion of innovation with law-based governance, encourages the widespread application of electronic documents, manages electronic document systems by category and grade, and enhances the digitalization and facilitation level of goods trade and transportation.
Article 4 The national cyberspace administration department, together with the industrial and information technology, public security, transport, commerce, customs, taxation, market regulation, and financial management departments under the State Council, shall strengthen policy coordination and promote and regulate the application of electronic documents according to their respective responsibilities.
Article 5 Relevant industry organizations shall strengthen industry self-discipline, establish and improve industry self-discipline systems and industry codes, and promote the standardized application and prosperous development of the electronic document ecosystem.
Article 6 Relevant state departments shall promote international exchanges and cooperation in the field of electronic documents, participate in the formulation and promotion of the application of relevant international rules, and promote relevant international mutual recognition.
The State encourages relevant enterprises and research institutions to deepen interactions and exchanges with international organizations and alliances, extensively carry out international business cooperation in the field of electronic documents, and actively participate in international standardization work.
Chapter II Promotion of the Application of Electronic Documents
Article 7 Institutions and enterprises in fields such as goods trade, logistics, and finance are encouraged to recognize and use electronic documents in their business operations, enhance the digitalization level of business applications, and promote industry quality improvement and efficiency enhancement. Financial institutions are encouraged, under the premise of legal compliance and ensuring security, to explore the use of new payment methods such as digital RMB for cross-border payments based on the characteristics of electronic documents, prudently advance the use of digital RMB smart contracts to enhance the intelligence level of financial services, and actively yet prudently carry out innovation in financial products and service models.
Article 8 Relevant enterprises, research institutions, industry organizations, and public service institutions are encouraged to collaborate on technological innovation in electronic documents, transformation of scientific and technological achievements, and risk prevention, share practical experiences, and promote the development and application of electronic document technology.
Article 9 Relevant state departments shall, according to their respective responsibilities, strengthen the formulation of standards in the field of electronic documents, promptly organize the formulation of national standards, encourage social organizations such as industry associations and industrial technology alliances, as well as relevant enterprises, to participate in the formulation of standards related to electronic documents, and orderly promote the transformation of existing industry standards into national standards.
Article 10 Operators of electronic document systems and related service support parties for electronic document systems shall comply with relevant laws, administrative regulations, mandatory national standards, and other normative requirements when engaging in electronic document business activities.
Operators of electronic document systems and related service support parties for electronic document systems are encouraged to adopt recommended national standards related to electronic documents, promptly benchmark against international standards, and strengthen the mutual recognition and sharing of electronic document information.
Article 11 Operators of electronic document systems, related service support parties for electronic document systems, and users of electronic document systems are encouraged to conduct evaluations of the implementation effect of electronic document standards, provide feedback on standard implementation information to the standard-setting bodies, propose suggestions for standard revision, promote continuous optimization of standards, and adapt to the development needs of the industry.
Article 12 Operators of electronic document systems shall formulate business rules, verify the identity information of users according to law, and sign service agreements with users, clarifying the rights and obligations of both parties, and requiring users to commit to complying with legal provisions.
Related service support parties for electronic document systems shall sign service agreements with operators of electronic document systems, clarifying the rights and obligations of both parties.
Article 13 Operators of electronic document systems in China are encouraged to provide cross-border business services to domestic and foreign users in accordance with laws and regulations within the framework of the national data cross-border security management system, promoting the application of electronic documents in fields such as international trade and transportation.
Chapter III Reliability and Security of Electronic Document Systems
Article 14 Relevant institutions, organizations, and individuals are encouraged to engage in activities such as issuance, storage, modification, conversion, transfer, pledge, and circulation of electronic documents through reliable electronic document systems.
A reliable electronic document system shall achieve the following functions:
(1) Ensure that electronic document information is fully traceable and cannot be tampered with;
(2) Be capable of identifying the issuer of the electronic document;
(3) If it supports the mutual conversion of electronic documents and paper documents, it shall ensure the consistency of information before and after conversion, and reflect the relevant conversion information in the document.
A reliable electronic document system providing services for transferable electronic documents shall also achieve the following functions:
(1) Be capable of identifying the electronic document and ensuring its uniqueness;
(2) Ensure that the electronic document is under exclusive control from its generation until it ceases to be effective, and be capable of identifying its controller;
(3) Ensure that control over the electronic document is transferred along with its transfer.
Article 15 The reliability of an electronic document system refers to the system’s ability to operate stably and continuously and to achieve the functions specified in Article 14 of these Provisions when providing services for activities such as issuance, storage, modification, conversion, transfer, pledge, and circulation of electronic documents.
Factors for evaluating the reliability of an electronic document system include:
(1) The operational rules applicable to the system;
(2) The guarantee of the integrity of data stored in the system;
(3) The system’s requirements for the reliability of electronic signatures;
(4) The ability to prevent unauthorized access to or use of the system;
(5) The security of the hardware and software used by the system;
(6) The stability of the system’s operation;
(7) The disaster recovery capability of the system;
(8) Whether the system undergoes regular audits by independent institutions, and the frequency and scope of such audits;
(9) Certifications made by relevant institutions, organizations, etc., regarding the system’s reliability;
(10) Relevant technical standards;
(11) Other relevant factors.
Article 16 Operators and users of electronic document systems are encouraged to voluntarily use electronic identity verification service systems that comply with national standards, possess functions such as enterprise user identity verification and authentication, authorized operation, self-management, on-demand provision, security and reliability, and can effectively support the safe and reliable operation of electronic document systems, as well as identity authentication systems such as the national network identity authentication public service with natural person identity verification functions, to ensure the safety and convenience of goods trade and transportation.
The reliability certification of electronic signatures in electronic documents shall be carried out in accordance with the “Electronic Signature Law of the People’s Republic of China” and other laws, administrative regulations, and relevant state provisions.
Article 17 Operators of electronic document systems are encouraged to apply for system reliability certification from certification institutions established according to law, and to standardize the construction, operation, and maintenance of electronic document systems.
Article 18 Operators of electronic document systems shall strengthen risk management, improve business processes, support relevant parties in confirming electronic document information at the time of issuance, and reduce the risk of inconsistency between the goods information recorded in the electronic document and the actual goods information.
Article 19 Operators of electronic document systems shall comply with the “Cybersecurity Law of the People’s Republic of China” and other laws, administrative regulations, and relevant state provisions, use technologies and equipment that meet national safety standards, implement the cybersecurity level protection system, and ensure the cybersecurity of electronic document systems and electronic documents.
Operators of electronic document systems shall establish and improve cybersecurity technical measures, continuously monitor the operational status of the system, and promptly handle abnormal situations. They shall formulate cybersecurity incident emergency plans, and in the event of a cybersecurity incident, immediately activate the emergency plan, take corresponding remedial measures, and report to the relevant competent authorities in accordance with regulations.
If the electronic document system is a critical information infrastructure, the operator of the electronic document system shall also fulfill the cybersecurity obligations that critical information infrastructure operators shall undertake.
Article 20 Operators of electronic document systems, relevant service support parties of electronic document systems, and users of electronic document systems shall, when processing electronic document data, comply with the “Cybersecurity Law of the People’s Republic of China,” the “Data Security Law of the People’s Republic of China,” the “Personal Information Protection Law of the People’s Republic of China,” and other laws, administrative regulations, and relevant state provisions, implement data security protection responsibilities, establish and improve a full-process data security management system, and in accordance with the requirements of the data classification and grading protection system, strengthen the protection of electronic document data included in the national important data catalog, ensure the data security of electronic document systems and electronic documents, and protect the personal information rights and interests of users of electronic document systems and related entities.
The storage of electronic document data shall, according to its industry and type, comply with the relevant provisions of the competent authorities on data storage.
Article 21 Providing data related to electronic documents abroad shall comply with the relevant national provisions on data export. For data related to electronic documents collected and generated during international trade and cross-border transportation, if provided abroad and meeting one of the following conditions, the declaration of data export security assessment, conclusion of standard contracts for the export of personal information, and passing of personal information protection certification are exempted:
(1) The data does not contain personal information or important data;
(2) The personal information involved is only necessary for issuing, transferring, pledging electronic documents, or exercising rights under electronic documents.
Chapter IV Supervision, Inspection, and Legal Liability
Article 22 The national cyberspace administration department, together with relevant national competent authorities, shall, based on the type, technical characteristics, and industry characteristics of electronic documents, formulate corresponding classification and grading standards and management requirements in accordance with relevant laws and administrative regulations, improve management methods, and encourage the application and innovative development of electronic documents.
Article 23 Relevant national competent authorities shall, based on their respective responsibilities, conduct supervision and inspection of the construction and operation of electronic document systems and electronic document business. Operators of electronic document systems, relevant service support parties of electronic document systems, and relevant parties shall cooperate in accordance with the law. When conducting supervision and inspection, relevant departments shall not hinder the normal production and business activities of the inspected entity.
Relevant institutions and personnel participating in supervision and inspection shall keep confidential state secrets, trade secrets, personal privacy, and personal information learned during the performance of their duties in accordance with the law, and shall not disclose or illegally provide them to others.
Article 24 If operators of electronic document systems, relevant service support parties of electronic document systems, and relevant parties violate these provisions, the relevant competent authorities shall impose penalties in accordance with the “Electronic Signature Law of the People’s Republic of China,” the “Cybersecurity Law of the People’s Republic of China,” the “Data Security Law of the People’s Republic of China,” the “Personal Information Protection Law of the People’s Republic of China,” and other laws and administrative regulations; if there are no provisions in laws or administrative regulations, the relevant competent authorities shall, based on their responsibilities, issue warnings and order corrections within a specified period; if corrections are refused or the circumstances are serious, they shall order the suspension of relevant services; if a crime is constituted, criminal liability shall be pursued in accordance with the law.
Chapter V Supplementary Provisions
Article 25 The meanings of the following terms in these provisions:
(1) Electronic documents refer to documents in the form of data messages that can prove the existence of legal relationships between parties such as cargo transportation, cargo storage, and cargo insurance, including but not limited to electronic bills of lading, electronic sea waybills, electronic railway consignment notes, electronic air waybills, electronic road consignment notes, electronic multimodal transport documents, and other electronic transport records, as well as electronic warehouse receipts, electronic cargo insurance policies, etc. Electronic documents include transferable electronic documents and non-transferable electronic documents.
(2) Electronic document systems refer to information systems based on network information technology that provide technical services for creating, receiving, storing, and sending electronic document information.
(3) Operators of electronic document systems refer to institutions and organizations responsible for constructing and operating electronic document systems, providing services to the public such as issuing, storing, modifying, converting, transferring, pledging, and circulating electronic documents.
(4) Relevant service support parties of electronic document systems refer to institutions and organizations that provide support or services for the effective operation of electronic document systems.
(5) Users of electronic document systems refer to institutions, organizations, and individuals that use electronic document systems.
Article 26 These provisions shall come into effect on September 1, 2026.
