Hainan Free Trade Port 2026: Foreign Company Guide

Does China have a free trade zone? Yes—and it now has something broader on its southern edge.

Hainan Free Trade Port is an entire Chinese island province operating under a special customs framework and a national policy programme for trade, investment, tax and cross-border services. Island-wide special customs operations began on 18 December 2025, moving the project from a collection of pilots toward a province-wide operating system.

That does not turn Hainan into an offshore company jurisdiction. A Hainan company is an onshore Chinese company. It follows Chinese law, uses ordinary corporate and regulatory institutions, and can serve the domestic market within its approved scope. The difference is that qualifying companies, people, goods and transactions may receive treatment that is not generally available elsewhere in mainland China.

This guide explains the system without treating a policy headline as an automatic benefit. It covers what the free trade port is, how its customs boundary works, the four policy pillars, which businesses may fit, how Hainan compares with Dubai, Singapore and Hong Kong, and what still needs case-by-case verification in 2026.

What Is Hainan Free Trade Port?

Hainan is China’s southernmost province. Its main island lies across the Qiongzhou Strait from Guangdong and faces Southeast Asia across the South China Sea. The province covers about 35,400 square kilometres of land. Haikou, in the north, is the capital and largest administrative and commercial centre; Sanya, in the south, is a major tourism centre and home to technology and research clusters such as Yazhou Bay Science City.

The Hainan Free Trade Port, usually shortened to Hainan FTP, covers the whole island rather than one industrial park or urban district. The official 2020 Master Plan defines the whole island as the implementation scope and builds the system around trade and investment liberalization, more convenient cross-border flows, a special tax framework and risk controls.

Three descriptions help separate what Hainan is from what it is not:

Lens	What Hainan FTP is	What it is not
Geography	A province-wide programme covering Hainan island	A single fenced industrial park
Legal status	An onshore Chinese jurisdiction supported by national legislation and policy	An offshore jurisdiction outside Chinese law
Customs	A special island-wide customs operating framework with a first line, second line and internal island circulation	A place where every imported good automatically becomes tax-free
Tax	A location where qualifying enterprises and talent may access specified preferences	A blanket 15% rate for every company and employee
Investment	A China market-entry location with a separate access and service environment	A universal substitute for Singapore, Hong Kong or another holding platform

Searchers often use Hainan free trade zone as a synonym. The history matters: Hainan became a pilot free trade zone in 2018, while the free trade port master plan followed in 2020 and the Hainan Free Trade Port Law took effect in 2021. “Free trade zone” is useful search language, but the current policy project is a free trade port with an island-wide scope and deeper customs design.

The legal foundation is also more than a local incentive notice. The Hainan Free Trade Port Law was enacted by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress in June 2021. That creates a national statutory basis for the port. Individual benefits, however, still depend on supporting rules, catalogues, implementation periods and the company’s facts.

Where are the main Hainan FTP business parks?

• Haikou: Jiangdong New Area and the comprehensive bonded zone support headquarters, professional services, aviation, trade and logistics.
• Sanya: Yazhou Bay Science City focuses on seed technology, deep-sea research and related innovation activities.
• Qionghai: the Boao Lecheng Medical Zone supports regulated healthcare and life-science market entry through specialist pathways that remain subject to institution, product, data and authority requirements.
• Yangpu: the port and bonded-processing area support shipping, trade, manufacturing and qualifying value-added processing models.
• Chengmai: Old Town Tech City is a major digital-economy cluster, including game publishing overseas and cross-border digital services.

Location should follow the company’s customers, people, premises, supply chain and regulatory needs. Digital founders comparing zones can also read our Hainan versus Qianhai AI solopreneur guide.

A Brief Timeline: From Island Province to Free Trade Port

Hainan’s transformation is a staged programme, not a switch that was turned on once.

Date	Milestone	Why it matters to a foreign business
April 2018	China announced support for building a pilot free trade zone and exploring a free trade port in Hainan	Established the strategic direction
1 June 2020	The central government released the Master Plan for the Construction of Hainan Free Trade Port	Defined the whole-island scope, policy architecture and phased targets
10 June 2021	The port’s national law took effect	Added the national legal foundation
18 December 2025	Island-wide special customs operations officially began	Activated the province-wide first-line and second-line customs framework and the related 2025 rules
April 2026	Hainan issued a three-year action plan for foreign-related services	Set implementation tasks for bilingual policy access, registration, finance, talent and daily services
31 December 2027	Current CIT and IIT preference period ends	Creates a real modelling date; post-2027 treatment requires a future official rule

The 2018 announcement and 2020 plan explain the ambition. The 2025 customs launch is the operational dividing line. Hainan’s official launch notice brought the new first-line and second-line tax rules, taxable-goods catalogue, value-added processing measures and customs supervision framework into effect on the same date.

The April 2026 foreign-services plan should be read differently. It is a 2026–2028 implementation roadmap. Some measures expand systems already operating; others call for upgrades, wider institutional participation or later implementation. Our 30-measure action-plan guide separates current services from roadmap commitments.

The 2027 date also needs discipline. China extended the current Hainan corporate income tax policies to 31 December 2027 in Finance and Taxation [2025] No. 3. That is the rule available for planning today. Historical policy direction may be relevant context, but it is not authority for assuming another extension.

The Four Policy Pillars

The policy framework is often compressed into four slogans: 15% corporate tax, 15% personal tax, zero tariff and freer capital. Each slogan is only the beginning of an eligibility analysis.

1. Corporate income tax: 15% versus the 25% standard rate

China’s standard corporate income tax rate is generally 25%. A qualifying encouraged-industry enterprise with substantive operations in Hainan may apply a 15% rate during the current policy period.

Three tests sit behind the headline:

1. Encouraged industry: the company’s main business must fit the applicable Hainan encouraged-industry catalogue.
2. Revenue proportion: revenue from the encouraged main business generally must represent at least 60% of total revenue.
3. Substantive operation: management and control over operations, people, accounts and assets must form a genuine Hainan activity.

Registration is not a fourth test that overrides the other three. A Hainan business licence and a park address do not, on their own, create a 15% tax result.

High and New Technology Enterprise status is a separate national route that can also produce a 15% rate for a qualifying enterprise. The rates do not stack into a lower percentage. A technology company should compare the qualification path, research and development evidence, intellectual property, personnel and other Hainan benefits rather than add two 15% labels together.

The revised China company setup comparison explains how to model Hainan against Shanghai or Shenzhen, including first-year setup costs and a 15%/25% sensitivity case. The CIT guide goes deeper into the catalogue, revenue and substance tests.

2. Personal income tax: relief above a 15% burden for qualifying talent

The personal tax policy is frequently described as a flat 15% rate. That shorthand is incomplete.

Qualifying high-end or urgently needed talent working in Hainan may receive relief on the portion of eligible Hainan individual income tax burden above 15%. Eligibility depends on the current talent routes, work and residence facts, Hainan-source income, tax filing and annual settlement. Not every employee qualifies, and not every type of income is treated identically.

This distinction matters in founder compensation models. Salary, bonus, operating income, dividends and equity-related income should not be placed into one “15%” cell without classification. Cash flow also matters because the benefit may be claimed through the annual settlement process rather than every payroll month.

Use the Hainan personal income tax guide to test the talent route, days, income category and records.

3. Zero tariff: eligible first-line goods and qualifying processing

Island-wide special customs operations created a “first line” between Hainan and places outside mainland China, a regulated “second line” between Hainan and mainland China, and circulation rules within the island.

Under the post-closure framework, eligible goods entering Hainan through the first line may receive zero-tariff treatment unless they fall within the imported taxable-goods catalogue or another exclusion. The treatment depends on the goods, entity, use and transaction—not just the destination port.

Goods moving from Hainan into mainland China through the second line are generally subject to the applicable import taxes. A separate value-added processing mechanism may exempt qualifying processed goods from import duty when Hainan value added reaches at least 30%. Import VAT and consumption tax remain payable where applicable.

That creates several possible business cases:

• equipment or inputs imported for a qualifying Hainan operation;
• international processing or service-trade models with both ends outside mainland China;
• Hainan processing that can meet the value-added calculation and evidence rules; and
• regional distribution where inventory, customs status and destination are carefully separated.

It does not mean that a trading company can import anything into Hainan tax-free and move it to Shanghai without a second-line tax consequence. The zero-tariff guide and import-export guide map the company, tariff code, first-line, processing and second-line questions.

Companies that move recurring goods through the port should also look at AEO certification — China’s authorized economic operator scheme is what turns zero-tariff eligibility into consistently faster clearance.

4. Cross-border capital: expanding channels with transaction review

The Master Plan calls for free and convenient cross-border capital flows in an orderly manner and with financial services supporting the real economy. Hainan has developed tools including multifunctional free trade accounts, generally called EF accounts, and the QFLP pilot for qualifying foreign limited partners.

These tools can support legitimate investment, financing, trade and other eligible transactions. They are not full capital-account liberalization and do not remove bank review. The financial institution still examines beneficial ownership, source and use of funds, contracts, invoices, tax, customs, foreign-exchange classification, sanctions and anti-money-laundering risks.

An EF account is therefore not a “freer money” product in isolation. It is an account architecture attached to a permitted transaction and an institution’s risk assessment. QFLP is a programme with manager, fund, investment and regulatory conditions, not a general fund-transfer channel for every company.

The EF-account guide and cross-border fund-flow guide separate capital contribution, loans, trade payments, service payments, salary and distributions.

For the repatriation side of those flows — dividends, service fees and liquidation proceeds — see our step-by-step profit repatriation guide.

Which Businesses Benefit Most?

The best fit is not simply “foreign-owned.” It is a business whose real operation and transactions align with Hainan’s industrial and geographic advantages.

International and digital services

Consulting, software, digital trade and other asset-light services may be able to serve regional clients from Hainan without depending on one mainland manufacturing cluster. Fit still depends on the encouraged catalogue, data, talent, customer contracting and where delivery actually occurs.

The tech-startup guide covers intellectual property, data architecture, HNTE and local substance for technology founders.

Trading, logistics and processing

Companies importing inputs, processing goods or coordinating international trade may find the customs framework relevant. The commercial case should be modelled by product and route. A benefit that works for an imported component used in Hainan may not apply to the finished good moving into mainland China.

Regional management and headquarters functions

Hainan can support a regional coordination, treasury, procurement or service function when the group can place genuine decision-making and resources there. “Regional headquarters” can describe a commercial role or refer to a formal recognition programme; the two should not be confused. The regional-headquarters guide explains that distinction.

Tourism, healthcare and life sciences

Tourism is an established Hainan industry, while healthcare, medical services, biotech and the Boao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone offer specialist opportunities. Products, clinical activity, data, professional qualifications and sector approvals require separate analysis.

Aviation, marine and tropical agriculture

Hainan’s geography and policy catalogues support aviation, shipping, marine industries, seed development and tropical agriculture. These are operational sectors with assets, licences, customs and environmental conditions—not address-only incentive categories.

Commercial aerospace is another fast-developing cluster. Wenchang International Aerospace City is building rocket, satellite and data-industry chains around Hainan’s launch infrastructure; foreign investors should use our Hainan aerospace company registration guide to separate ordinary company formation from launch, telecom, mapping and data permissions.

Investment funds and specialist financial activity

QFLP and other financial programmes may be relevant to qualifying fund managers and investors. The entry conditions, permitted activity, fund structure, custodian or bank and investment scope must be confirmed before selecting Hainan for a financial label.

Hainan is less likely to fit when all staff, customers, suppliers and management must remain in another mainland cluster; the activity is outside the encouraged catalogue; local talent cannot support delivery; or the project fails at the standard 25% rate. In those cases, the free trade port may add distance without creating durable value.

The Government Is Explicitly Asking for What We Do

In August 2026, the Hainan Provincial Government issued its Investment & Financing Reform Measures (Qiongfu Office [2026] No. 50). Article 9 directs every city, county and industrial park in the province to establish market-oriented foreign investment service agencies providing “investment environment assessment, supply-chain matching, and policy consulting” for foreign investors.

That is a provincial government formally describing the service category Hainan Setup was built in — and asking for more of it. We break down the full package in our analysis of the 2026 investment reform.

Hainan vs Other International Business Hubs

Hainan is often placed in a table with Dubai, Singapore and Hong Kong. The comparison is useful only when it distinguishes an onshore China operating company from a regional or offshore platform.

Dimension	Hainan FTP	Dubai free zone	Singapore	Hong Kong
Corporate tax headline	15% for qualifying encouraged-industry enterprises with substantive operations; otherwise the applicable China rate	0% on qualifying income for a Qualifying Free Zone Person; 9% can apply to non-qualifying taxable income	17% standard rate, with exemptions or rebates subject to current conditions	8.25% on the first HKD 2 million of assessable profits for an eligible corporation; 16.5% above, with connected-entity limits
Personal tax headline	Relief above a 15% burden for qualifying talent and eligible income	No federal personal income tax on ordinary salary	Progressive resident rates	Progressive rates and a standard-rate calculation under current rules
Customs position	Special first-line and second-line framework; zero tariff is conditional by goods and transaction	Free-zone customs treatment depends on the zone and movement into the UAE mainland	Generally open trading hub with product-specific controls and taxes	Free port with product-specific controls and taxes
Cross-border capital	Expanding EF-account and pilot channels, with bank and regulatory review	No China foreign-exchange status; local banking and compliance apply	Mature international financial system	Mature international financial system
China operating status	Onshore Chinese company with direct domestic contracting and hiring capability within scope	Not an onshore China entity	Not an onshore China entity	Not an onshore mainland China entity
Registration from overseas	Eligible Hainan registration steps are increasingly electronic; the live route varies	Commonly supported, subject to zone and KYC	Commonly supported, subject to corporate and KYC requirements	Commonly supported, subject to corporate and KYC requirements
English business environment	Developing; bilingual government services are expanding	Mature	Mature	Mature bilingual environment
Strongest use case	A genuine China operation that also uses relevant Hainan policies	Middle East or international business fitting the chosen zone	Regional headquarters, finance and Southeast Asian operations	Finance, trading and regional holding or service functions

Official tax rules illustrate why the footnotes matter. The UAE Federal Tax Authority states that 0% applies to qualifying income of a Qualifying Free Zone Person, while other taxable income may be subject to 9%. Singapore’s Inland Revenue Authority states a 17% corporate rate and provides partial exemption and time-specific rebate rules. Hong Kong’s Inland Revenue Department applies the two-tiered profits tax regime only under its conditions.

Hainan’s distinctive feature is its onshore China status combined with conditional policy preferences. A Hainan company can contract, hire and operate in China; Dubai, Singapore and Hong Kong entities may trade cross-border with China, but they do not automatically provide the same domestic employment, invoicing, licensing or operating capability. A separate mainland entity may be needed depending on the business model.

That does not mean Hainan “collapses two structures into one” in every case. A group may still need a Singapore or Hong Kong parent for investors, treasury, governance, exits or regional operations, with a Hainan subsidiary for the China business. Conversely, a founder needing no China operating presence may find that a Hainan company adds an unnecessary layer.

The Hainan, Singapore, Hong Kong and BVI comparison separates holding, operating, tax-residence and substance decisions.

International recognition: the UN FAO has set up in Hainan

Policy incentives tell you what a government promises. Institutional arrivals tell you who has already acted on them. In December 2025, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) formally established its Hainan Project Cooperation Office in Sanya — focusing on tropical agriculture, food security, and sustainable agrifood systems, and serving as a platform for technical cooperation, policy dialogue, and capacity building between China and tropical countries worldwide.

The office is already active. In August 2026, the FAO’s first-ever offline global workshop under its “One Country One Priority Product” (OCOP) initiative concluded in Yazhou Bay, Sanya, bringing together more than 40 government delegates, technical experts and development partners from 14 tropical countries across Africa, Asia, the Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean. During the program, delegates visited the National Nanfan Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences inside Yazhou Bay Science and Technology City.

For foreign businesses, the signal is practical: tropical agriculture and life sciences are not just entries on Hainan’s encouraged-industry catalogue — they are sectors where international institutions are physically embedding themselves in the island’s infrastructure. Companies in agritech, the seed industry, food processing and tropical produce trade will find an operating environment that multilateral organizations have already validated.

Sources: FAO China Representation Office, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Farmers’ Daily (August 2026).

Current Status After the December 2025 Customs Launch

The policy framework is no longer only a 2020 blueprint. The provincial government’s official notice launched island-wide special customs operations on 18 December 2025 and brought a package of customs and tax documents into effect. Hainan reported early use of the expanded zero-tariff system and value-added processing rules after launch.

For the goods-tax rules, EF accounts and company action checklist, read our full island-wide customs closure briefing.

Post-customs launch: the first results (data as of 31 July 2026)

In the seven and a half months after island-wide independent customs operations began on 18 December 2025, official figures released by the Hainan provincial government on 29 August 2026 show:

• Zero-tariff trade: RMB 3.624 billion in zero-tariff imports (+40.1% year on year), relieving RMB 598 million in duties and taxes. Zero-tariff product categories expanded from 21% to 74% of all tariff lines — over 6,600 categories.
• Processing value-added rule: RMB 759 million in goods sold into mainland China duty-free under the ≥30% value-added policy, with more than RMB 44.6 million in customs duty relieved.
• Cross-border finance: EF (multi-function free-trade) account volume surpassed RMB 600 billion across nearly 1,300 accounts, covering over 100 countries and regions.
• People flows: 1.818 million inbound/outbound passengers (+27.1%), including 473,000 visa-free arrivals (+40%).
• Customs efficiency: average import clearance time cut by 20%; “second-line” declaration items simplified by over 60%.
• Foreign investment: newly registered foreign-invested enterprises in Hainan grew 38.6% year on year in H1 2026 — the fastest among China’s major exporting provinces (national average: +7.0%), per the State Administration for Market Regulation.
• Corporate footprint: 22 foreign Fortune Global 500 companies and 139 headquarters enterprises now operate in Hainan.

Sources: Hainan Provincial Government press conference, 29 August 2026; Xinhua / State Administration for Market Regulation, 29 August 2026.

The customs launch did not change the separate immigration rules for people; business visitors can review the current Hainan visa-free entry conditions before planning a trip.

The operational picture is still uneven across workstreams.

What a business can treat as operating infrastructure

• the island-wide first-line, second-line and internal-circulation customs framework;
• the current 15% CIT and IIT preference rules through 2027;
• existing company registration and electronic government-service channels;
• EF-account infrastructure at participating institutions;
• QFLP and other established pilot programmes; and
• official English policy and international-service portals.

What still needs institution-specific confirmation

• whether the investor’s passport and shareholder structure can use a fully electronic identity route;
• whether a bank supports the requested EF-account function and transaction;
• whether a park will accept the company and provide an address or workspace;
• whether a foreign qualification, licence or professional document is recognized;
• whether an English-language service is available at the specific authority or provider; and
• whether a 2026–2028 action-plan commitment has moved into live implementation.

The honest assessment is that legislation and customs architecture are ahead of ecosystem maturity. Hainan has a smaller pool of bilingual professional services, international schools, specialist employees and experienced banks than Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai or Shenzhen. The gap is narrowing in some sectors, but a provincial target should not be converted into a promise from every branch, hospital, park or service desk.

This gap is not a reason to dismiss the port. It is a reason to make implementation part of location due diligence. Ask which service is available, at which institution, for which applicant, under which published rule, with what fallback.

How to Get Started

Do not begin with a company name. Begin with the operation.

Step 1: map the business

List the product or service, customers, suppliers, contracts, delivery location, employees, imports, data, currencies and licences. This reveals whether Hainan solves a business problem or only offers an attractive headline.

Step 2: screen market access and the encouraged catalogue

Check the planned activity against the applicable foreign-investment negative list, market-access rules and sector licences. Then test whether the main business fits the current encouraged catalogue. A permitted business is not automatically an encouraged business.

Step 3: test each desired benefit separately

For CIT, test industry, revenue and substance. For IIT, test the person, work, days, income and settlement. For customs, test the goods, entity, use, processing and route. For cross-border finance, test the transaction and bank. Build a no-benefit scenario alongside the preferred case.

Step 4: choose the entity and location

A WFOE is a common structure for a fully foreign-owned operating company where the activity permits. A joint venture, representative office, partnership or branch may serve different purposes. City and park selection should follow talent, customers, address, bank, licence and operating needs. Use the WFOE registration guide to compare the entity routes before instructing a filing.

Step 5: confirm the document and bank routes before filing

The official foreign-invested enterprise registration guide identifies core company conditions and notes that notarized or authenticated documents may be required. The 2026 action plan calls for additional facilitated routes, but live availability must be confirmed for the investor.

Screen banks in parallel. A business licence does not guarantee an account, and electronic registration does not guarantee travel-free bank onboarding.

Some preparation and eligible registration steps can be completed remotely, but the route varies by shareholder, document authentication, identity verification, bank and regulated activity. A four-to-eight-week planning range may be useful for a straightforward project, but it is not a promised completion time: licence issuance, banking, tax activation, premises review and sector approvals run on separate clocks. Confirm any required visit before booking travel or setting a commercial launch date.

Step 6: activate and document the operation

After the licence, complete the relevant chops, banking, tax, bookkeeping, invoices, employment, social insurance, customs and sector procedures. If a policy benefit is expected, create the evidence process at launch rather than reconstructing it at year-end.

For the detailed sequence, use the Hainan company registration guide or review our company registration service. For a city and cost comparison, read the 2026 China setup strategy guide. A digital or content business should also separate company formation from website permissions using the ICP filing versus ICP licence guide. Ongoing records and returns can be scoped through the bookkeeping and tax service.

Risks Foreign Companies Should Model

The largest risk is not that a published preference disappears overnight; it is that the business never met the conditions assumed in its forecast. Before committing capital, model these failure cases:

• the main activity is permitted but not covered by the applicable encouraged-industry catalogue;
• qualifying revenue falls below the required threshold or the Hainan operation cannot evidence control over people, accounts, assets and decisions;
• imported goods receive one treatment at the first line but incur taxes or restrictions when they move through the second line;
• the selected bank, park, licence authority or talent route does not support the proposed applicant or transaction;
• a cross-border data, telecom, healthcare, education or financial activity triggers a separate approval; or
• the project only works at 15%, despite the current preference ending on 31 December 2027 unless a future rule extends it.

Run a downside case at the standard 25% corporate income tax rate, map the second-line customs cost, and identify an alternative bank, premises and launch sequence. Tax and customs preferences should improve a sound Hainan operation; they should not be the only reason it exists.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Hainan Free Trade Port?

It is a national-level free trade port covering Hainan island province in southern China. It remains an onshore Chinese jurisdiction while operating a special customs framework and conditional policies for tax, trade, investment and cross-border services.

How does Hainan’s customs closure affect foreign companies?

The closure is a customs arrangement, not a closure to people or investment. Since 18 December 2025, eligible goods entering Hainan from overseas may receive first-line treatment, while goods moving from Hainan to mainland China face second-line supervision and the applicable taxes unless a specific rule, such as qualifying value-added processing, applies.

What are the main tax and customs benefits?

Potential benefits include a reduced 15% corporate income tax rate for qualifying encouraged-industry enterprises with substantive operations, individual income tax relief for qualifying talent, conditional zero-tariff treatment for eligible imports, and import-duty relief for qualifying goods processed in Hainan with at least 30% value added. Each benefit has separate conditions and evidence requirements.

Is Hainan better than Singapore, Dubai or Hong Kong?

Not universally. Hainan is an onshore China operating location, while Singapore, Dubai and Hong Kong serve different regional, financial and holding-company functions. The right structure depends on customers, staff, licences, banking, investors, supply chains and where management actually occurs.

Can a foreign founder start the setup remotely?

Some document preparation and eligible registration steps can be handled remotely, but the live route depends on the shareholder, document authentication, identity checks, bank and business activity. Bank onboarding, regulated licences or premises checks may still require an in-person step, so a travel-free launch should never be assumed.

What are the main risks for a foreign company in Hainan?

The main risks are choosing Hainan for a headline tax rate without qualifying activity, underestimating substantive-operation evidence, confusing first-line and second-line customs treatment, assuming bank or licence availability, and relying on policy periods beyond published dates. Model the project at the standard tax rate and confirm each benefit with the relevant authority or provider.

Related Hainan FTP guides

Ready to go deeper on market entry? See our practical roadmap for doing business in China.

Policy references include the Hainan FTP Master Plan issued on 1 June 2020, the Hainan Free Trade Port Law effective 10 June 2021, the island-wide special customs launch on 18 December 2025, the April 2026 Three-Year Action Plan for foreign-related services, and the current CIT and IIT preference period through 31 December 2027. Policy eligibility and implementation depend on the current rules, facts and competent authority or provider assessment. This article is general information, not legal, tax, customs, banking or investment advice.