Full Process of 2026 Import and Export Tax Refund: Practical Guide from Documentation to Verification

Core Adjustments of 2026 Export Tax Refund Policy

As a key link of capital turnover for foreign trade enterprises in 2026,the export tax refund policy presents three characteristics: dynamic optimization,regional inclination and stricter supervision.For chemical,mechanical and electronic products,the average tax refund rate has increased by 1.2 percentage points,among which the tax refund rate for new energy equipment such as photovoltaic modules reaches 16%,and that for traditional textile fabrics is adjusted from 11% to 12%.

• Tax refund rate is closely related to HS code: it is necessary to strictly check the 2026 Export Commodity Tax Refund Rate Library to avoid misjudgment of tax refund rate caused by code errors.For example,the tax refund rate for electric toothbrushes (HS850940) is 13%,and that for manual toothbrushes (HS960320) is 9%.
• Upgraded function of certificate of origin: RCEP member countries have added a certification channel for "approved exporters",which can increase the tariff reduction rate from 3% to 5%.Pre-examination of FORM R certificates shall be completed 3 working days in advance.
• Practical conditions for tariff reduction: Tariff reduction is applicable only when "the corresponding tax rate of the product’s HS code is ≥5%" and "the declared value is ≤5000 USD" are met at the same time.Attention shall be paid to the consistency of FOB price data during declaration.

Disassembly of the Full Tax Refund Process: 7 Key Nodes

Tax refund for import and export enterprises needs to go through 5 stages: document preparation → data pre-examination → formal declaration → doubt verification → tax refund receipt,among which 3 nodes are most likely to cause risks:

• 1.Document matching: The product names on the VAT invoice and customs declaration form shall be completely consistent.For example,a machinery company encountered a 45-day delay in tax refund due to the difference between the expressions "hydraulic pump" and "hydraulic component".
• 2.Time difference for foreign exchange verification: Foreign exchange receipt must be completed within 90 days after customs declaration.Overdue will trigger "doubtful data",and an Explanation of Unreceived Foreign Exchange shall be submitted for approval by the competent tax authority.
• 3.Consistency of declaration elements: It is necessary to ensure that "brand/model/material/specification" are consistent with the physical description.For example,a clothing enterprise was delayed for 12 days due to customs inspection caused by the contradiction between the expressions "pure cotton" and "95% cotton content".

3 Compliance Red Lines and 2 Practical Pitfall Avoidance Guides

In 2026,the online verification between customs and tax systems is becoming stricter,and enterprises shall focus on preventing:

• Compliance Red Line 1: The "four self and three missing" transaction mode (self-finding customers,self-bearing risks,self-sourcing goods,self-declaring exports,not seeing export products,not seeing suppliers,not seeing foreign investors) will directly trigger tax refund inspection.
• Compliance Red Line 2: Declaring tax refund for export goods that have not actually left the country will require payment of back taxes plus late fees.For example,a company was found to have forged a "departure certificate" and faced a fine of 5 times the amount.
• Compliance Red Line 3: Falsely issuing VAT invoices through "affiliated companies" will lead to criminal liability.Shanghai Customs has investigated 3 such cases in 2026,involving an amount of more than 20 million CNY.

Practical pitfall avoidance suggestions:

• 1.Establish a "one invoice one code" ledger: associate VAT invoice code and number with customs declaration form,and conduct real-time comparison through Excel or ERP system.
• 2.Check the certificate of origin in advance: Complete the pre-examination of RCEP/FORM A certificate before export,focusing on verifying the information of "exporter’s declaration" and "final destination".

Practical Operation of Shanghai Port Agency: Advantages of National Port Linkage

Relying on 20 years of experience of the Shanghai headquarters,Zhongshitong has built a national linkage system of "local declaration,port inspection and release",with new service advantages in 2026:

• 1.Non-local customs declaration: Direct agency declaration is available at 12 coastal ports including Shenzhen,Ningbo and Qingdao,no need for enterprises to travel around.
• 2.Multiple certificates integration: Simultaneously handle customs declaration form,certificate of origin and export license,shortening the document circulation cycle by 50%.
• 3.Exchange rate locking: Cooperate with Bank of China to provide exchange rate risk hedging solutions to avoid foreign exchange settlement losses,saving an average of 1.2% of exchange rate costs for customers in 2026.

Case Analysis: Successful Export Tax Refund Path of a Machinery Enterprise

Situation: A Shanghai machinery enterprise (product: industrial robots) exported to Germany,faced a tax loss of 1.2 million CNY due to wrong HS code classification (842511 vs 842590),which reduced the tax refund rate from 13% to 9%.

Actions:

• 1.The customs affairs team of Zhongshitong completed the classification review within 72 hours,and provided the Classification Opinion and customs classification pre-ruling certificate.
• 2.Coordinated with the German customer to issue a Final Use Statement,proving that the products were not used for military purposes and met EU export requirements.
• 3.Submitted FORM A certificate of origin simultaneously,increasing the tariff reduction rate from 3% to 5%.

Result: The tax refund rate was successfully restored to 13%,an additional tariff reduction of 180,000 CNY was obtained,and the tax refund cycle was shortened to 28 days.