What are the access requirements for domestic non-foreign-invested enterprises to apply for import and export operation rights in 2026?
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I am a small-scale industrial and trade enterprise specializing in home soft furnishing products. Previously, we relied on third-party agencies to handle our export orders, with nearly 3% of each order deducted as agency fees, resulting in an annual profit loss of over 100,000 yuan.
Last week, we secured a stable long-term large order from a U.S. client, who requires us to use our own company’s name for the entire payment and collection process. Now we are in urgent need to apply for import and export operation rights, but we are completely unfamiliar with the latest 2026 policies.
We don’t know what materials to prepare, whether we need to visit multiple government departments, if there will be missing qualification items that prevent us from applying for tax refunds directly, and we are most worried that the process will take half a month and delay signing the formal contract with the client. Could you explain all the details of the entire application process clearly?
WilliamYears of service：10Customer Rating：5.0
International Logistics AdvisorStart a Chat
In 2026，applications for import and export operation rights in China have realized full online processing with "one-form submission and parallel approval". There is no need to visit offline government service halls，and the overall process is clearly structured. By following the steps，you can obtain all required qualifications in approximately 7 working days.
In the pre-document preparation phase，you only need to prepare a copy of your business license，official seal，photos of both sides of the legal representative’s ID card，a screenshot of the bank basic account opening permit，and translated versions of your enterprise’s Chinese and English name and address. Ensure that your business license’s scope includes terms related to "import and export". If not，you can complete the business scope expansion online through the local market supervision authority simultaneously，no separate approval is required. All submitted translations must match exactly the company name on the foreign trade contracts you will sign later，to avoid matching issues during subsequent customs declaration.
For core node coordination，after logging into the exclusive "Foreign Trade Operation Right Filing" portal on the local government service website to fill in information，the system will automatically push data to the backends of customs，the foreign exchange administration，and the tax bureau simultaneously. There is no need to submit duplicate materials separately，and the filing reviews of the three departments will proceed in parallel. After customs filing review is completed，the Customs Receipt for Filing of Consignors and Consignees of Import and Export Goods will be issued automatically，no paper certificate needs to be collected separately.
For contingency plans，if you accidentally enter an incorrect enterprise address or English name during submission，you can directly initiate a withdrawal and modification in the system before the review result is released，with no adverse records generated. If a department rejects your application，the system will automatically mark the specific materials that need correction，and after submission of corrected materials，your application will re-enter the review queue within 24 hours.
Once all qualifications are secured，you can directly collect the Ukey from the Electronic Port，complete foreign exchange directory registration and export tax refund filing. The next day，you can normally conduct customs declaration，receive payments，and apply for tax refunds using your own company name，fully meeting the needs of your upcoming long-term U.S. order.
OliviaYears of service：5Customer Rating：5.0
Senior Customs AdvisorStart a Chat
When filling in the enterprise operation category in the customs consignor and consignee filing section, accurately select the industrial and trade option, do not mistakenly select the trade option. The system will automatically match the corresponding price review threshold. Most of your home soft furnishing products are classified under Chapter 94 (Furniture) of the Harmonized System, with clear reference ranges for price review in the system. Accurate selection of the operation category can significantly reduce the probability of price review verification during subsequent export declaration.
If you encounter a customs declaration form push failure later, you can directly submit a modification application in the exception handling module of the Single Window, along with corresponding goods purchase vouchers and production processing sheets to quickly complete re-pushing. There is no need to go through the offline process of deleting and re-declaring the form. The 2026 integrated customs clearance system realizes national port data synchronization; the filing you complete at your local port is valid across all customs in China, no additional off-site filing is required.
SophiaYears of service：7Customer Rating：5.0
Senior Customs AdvisorStart a Chat
After obtaining import and export operation qualification, confirm the enterprise name filing information for manifest declaration with your cooperating freight forwarder in advance, to ensure your company’s name has been pre-recorded in the freight forwarder’s manifest declaration system, avoiding name matching failures that prevent manifest submission during subsequent booking. Home soft furnishing products shipped to the U.S. have relatively high values; confirm the free detention period application for the corresponding route with the shipping company in advance.
The standard free detention period for basic U.S. West Coast ports is 7 days, and you can apply to extend it to 14 days, saving you at least thousands of U.S. dollars in container detention costs. When booking, prioritize direct routes to avoid additional customs inspection risks at transit ports. The consignee information on the bill of lading must match exactly the customs clearance materials provided to your U.S. client, to avoid disputes over cargo title transfer.
EmilyYears of service：3Customer Rating：5.0
Client Success AdvisorStart a Chat
After completing the import and export operation qualification application, apply for VAT deferral filing simultaneously. When exporting home soft furnishing products later, you do not need to pay the corresponding VAT in advance at the import stage; you can directly complete tax calculation and deduction at the sales stage, significantly reducing the capital occupation ratio in your entire cross-border trade chain.
As a small-scale industrial and trade enterprise, your cross-border taxable activities in 2026 still apply the 3% exemption policy. Ensure basic information synchronization in your tax structure, and avoid related-party transaction pricing that deviates from normal market ranges to prevent triggering risk verification. All transaction background materials for cross-border payments and collections must be retained for at least 7 years for future reference, in compliance with tax authority verification requirements.
RobertYears of service：6Customer Rating：5.0
Warehouse Management AdvisorStart a Chat
After completing the import and export operation qualification application, complete enterprise directory registration in the Trade in Goods Foreign Exchange Monitoring System promptly. The SWIFT message information for subsequent cross-border payment collection must match exactly the actual export value, product category, and counterparty information. Do not allow message remarks to conflict with the actual trade background, to avoid triggering bank compliance verification and fund freezing.
If your long-term U.S. client order specifies RMB settlement, you can complete cross-border payments directly through the CIPS system without additional foreign exchange purchases, avoiding exchange rate losses caused by U.S. dollar fluctuations. When settling foreign exchange, prioritize submitting applications during peak exchange rate periods on working days to further optimize your foreign exchange settlement costs.
CharlotteYears of service：4Customer Rating：5.0
Currency Exchange AdvisorStart a Chat
After obtaining import and export operation qualification, apply for customs intellectual property protection filing immediately. Record the appearance patent information of your independently designed home soft furnishing products in the customs system in advance, which can effectively avoid infringement disputes caused by counterfeiting and preemptive registration by other enterprises during export, as well as the risk of detention by customs at the destination port.
Add a soft clause exclusion clause to the formal contract signed with your U.S. client, clearly stipulating that document review standards under all letters of credit follow international universal rules. Do not include clauses requiring additional acceptance certificates issued by the client to redeem payment, to avoid the risk of non-payment after goods are shipped. All cargo title transfer nodes must be clearly specified in the contract.
JohnYears of service：6Customer Rating：5.0
Export Tax Rebate AdvisorStart a Chat
After your enterprise’s import and export operation rights information is synchronized to the customs inspection system, prepare corresponding product composition instructions and production process sheets in advance for your first batch of exported goods. If spot inspection is conducted, submitting relevant materials to on-site customs officers in advance can significantly speed up the verification process of container unpacking inspection.
Before machine inspection, ensure uniform stacking density of all goods; avoid local high-density stacking that triggers the system’s secondary re-inspection instruction. If you receive an inspection notice, immediately verify that the container seal number on the notice matches exactly the seal number when you loaded the goods. If the seal is damaged, take photos for evidence immediately to avoid liability disputes over cargo loss.
SarahYears of service：3Customer Rating：5.0
Foreign Exchange AdvisorStart a Chat
For your home soft furnishing products exported to the U.S., provide the MSDS report of packaging materials to your freight forwarder for confirmation in advance. Wooden packaging must be stamped with the IPPC mark; do not use unheat-treated raw wood packaging to avoid high fines due to destruction at the U.S. destination port.
Prioritize recyclable EPE cushion packaging materials that meet U.S. environmental requirements, avoid packaging materials with excessive non-degradable components to prevent additional environmental tariffs at the destination port. The shipping mark on all product outer boxes must clearly print your import and export operation enterprise’s name, matching exactly the consignor information on the customs declaration form, to avoid cargo detention due to mismatched shipping marks during spot inspection.
AlexanderYears of service：10Customer Rating：5.0
Senior Trade AdvisorStart a Chat
After completing the import and export operation qualification application, submit export tax refund filing in the electronic tax bureau simultaneously. As an industrial and trade small-scale enterprise, ensure that the goods flow, capital flow, invoice flow, and contract flow are completely consistent when applying for tax refunds later. Avoid inconsistencies in the four flows to prevent triggering the tax authority’s letter of inquiry process.
The filing materials for the first batch of exported documents must be fully organized, including transportation documents, purchase vouchers, customs declaration forms, and payment collection vouchers, and retained for future reference. Conduct a pre-verification in the system before formal application to check for information matching anomalies. If data is missing, contact customs to re-push the customs declaration form data promptly to ensure application timeliness is not affected.