How many steps are there in the payment process for goods, exactly?

輸出代理店The payment collection process is mainly divided intoFour Key Stages：

• Contract Agreement Stage: Clearly define core terms such as payment method (T/T, L/C, etc.), payment ratio, and settlement currency.
• Advance Payment Collection: Typically, 30% of the contract value is collected as the production start-up fund (increased to 50% for high-risk countries).
• Final payment settlement: Collect the remaining payment against transport documents such as the bill of lading; by 2025, the adoption rate of electronic bills of lading has reached 87%.
• Foreign exchange verification and cancellation: Match and write off customs data against the received foreign exchange amount through an agency

How do different settlement methods affect the time it takes for funds to arrive?

According to the 2024 statistics released by the General Administration of Customs of China, a comparison of the current mainstream settlement methods by processing time:

• T/T Telegraphic Transfer：
  • Advance payment: arrives within 1–3 business days
  • Balance payment: within 3–7 working days after receipt of the copy of the B/L
• クレジットカード(L/C)：
  • Approximately 15 working days after document submission
  • After the electronic document submission system goes live in 2025, the timeframe will be shortened to 7 days.
• D/P collection：
  • The average lead time in South America is 21 days
  • Special attention must be paid to Brazil’s new foreign-exchange reporting system in 2025

Which countries will have special foreign exchange controls in 2025?

Reminder based on the latest foreign exchange control policies:

• the Middle East：
  • The UAE requires all foreign-exchange transactions to be registered under the AFT mechanism.
  • Saudi industrial product imports require a copy of the SASO certificate.
• Key African Countries：
  • Nigeria Implements New NDA Foreign Exchange Declaration Regulations
  • Egypt requires proof of the source of funds for advance payments
• South American market：
  • Argentina continues to implement foreign exchange quotas
  • Chile requires electronic filing of health certificates

How to Guard Against the Risk of Payment Recovery?

Recommended actions for 2025Triple-layer risk prevention and control mechanism：

• Pre-trade verification：
  • Check the buyer's credit rating through Sinosure
  • Verify the foreign exchange compliance qualifications of the agency
• Process Control：
  • Production will be scheduled only after the advance payment has been received.
  • Use blockchain to track the circulation of logistics documents
• Emergency Response Plan：
  • Take out short-term export credit insurance (the 2025 premium rate drops to 0.8‰)
  • Establish a country-risk reserve system

What should I do if the agency goes out of business midway?

Addressing the risks of agencyThree major safeguard measures：

• Partner with China Customs AEO Advanced Certified Enterprises (21,000 certified enterprises by 2025)
• Request the agency to provide an escrow bank account service.
• Enter into clear legal documents stipulating the ownership of the payment for goods.

Under what circumstances will foreign exchange fail to be credited?

Common Scenarios of Foreign Exchange Receipt Obstacles in 2025:

• The deviation between the declared customs value and the received foreign exchange amount exceeds ±5%.
• Misclassification of the goods’ HS code has triggered customs scrutiny.
• Failure to timely declare commission payments under trade in services
• Payments involving entities on the U.S. BIS Entity List