I. Why is it necessary to engage an import and export agency?

For companies engaging in international trade for the first time,A professional agency can deliver three core values：

• Breaking through the qualification threshold: Help companies bypass the self-operated import/export rights approval process (customs registration will still be required in 2025).
• Improved customs clearance efficiency: Shorten customs clearance time through pre-classification declarations and an intelligent document system (latest data shows that agent clearance is 40% faster than self-operated clearance).
• Cost Control Optimization: Integrating logistics, customs clearance, tax rebates, and other links can reduce overall costs by 15–25%.

II. What statutory qualifications must an agency company possess?

Pursuant to the 2025 Measures for the Administration of the Record-Filing of Consignors and Consignees of Import and Export Goods by Customs, a legitimate agency must satisfy:

• dual filing: Customs Registration of Importers and Exporters + SAFE (State Administration of Foreign Exchange) Entity List Registration
• Special Qualification: Goods subject to inspection require inspection qualifications; food products must complete imported food filing.
• Credit certification：稅関AEO認定企業は優先通関措置を受けられる（2025年に新設される「スマート審査」グリーンチャンネルも含む）

3. What specific items are included in the agency service fee?

A typical foreign trade agency fee structure includes:

• Basic service fee: Typically charged at 0.8%–1.5% of the cargo value (2025 industry guidance price)
• Tax and fee advance payment: Including services for advance payment and subsequent deduction of customs duties and VAT
• Additional Services：
  • Certificate of Origin Agency Service: USD 200–500 per copy
  • Special Document Certification: e.g., FDA certification service fee USD 800–1,500

IV. How to Guard Against Risks in Import and Export Agency Business?

Drawing on 20 years of industry experience, it is recommended to focus on controlling the following key stages:

• Qualification Verification: Check the enterprise registration information on the General Administration of Customs website (URL: customs.gov.cn)
• 契約條項: Clearly delineate responsibilities, with special attention to clauses guaranteeing the accuracy of HS code declarations.
• Fund security: Require the agent to provide a third-party payment escrow account (as per the 2025 PBOC new regulation, transactions exceeding one million RMB must use an escrow account)

V. What are the new changes to the 2025 customs clearance process?

Pursuant to Customs General Administration Announcement No. 58, the key optimization measures for this year include:

• Paperless Upgrade: The electronic accompanying documents have been expanded to 17 categories (with the new addition of the Safety Data Sheet for hazardous chemicals).
• Intelligent Document Review: The AI system automatically identifies 95% of customs declarations, reducing the average processing time to 15 minutes.
• Tax guarantee: AEO Advanced Certified Enterprises may enjoy an expanded consolidated tax credit limit of up to RMB 5 million

6. How do you evaluate the professional competence of an agency?

It is recommended to examine it from five dimensions:

• Industry Focus: Companies that focus exclusively on medical-device distribution usually understand product classification better than generalist firms.
• Customs System: Check whether an ERP system with customs data integration is in place (starting in 2025, the dedicated Electronic Port client will be mandatory).
• Emergency Response: Inquiry regarding the recent inspection rate and the average time required for handling inspection anomalies
• Service Network: Does the main port have an in-house customs clearance team (to avoid subcontracting risks)?
• Risk control system: Whether to establish a commodity pre-screening mechanism and a trade compliance database