What is the complete process for manufacturing foreign trade enterprises in Anhui to entrust agencies to handle imports
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I am the person in charge of a small and micro enterprise in Hefei, Anhui, mainly engaged in the production of precision mechanical parts. I just obtained independent import and export rights in March this year, and plan to import a batch of high-precision machine tool core parts from Hamburg, Germany, with a value of about 120,000 EUR.
I have no practical import experience before, and I am worried about problems such as document discrepancies, customs seizure, and port detention if I operate on my own. A few days ago, I consulted 3 local import agency institutions, and their operation processes are very different.
Some require me to pay the full amount of the goods + service fee in advance, while others say they can provide tax advance services. I am completely unsure now. I want to know what the formal complete process of agent import in Anhui is in 2026, what materials I need to provide in each link, and whether there are any risk points that need to be avoided.
EmilyYears of service：3Customer Rating：5.0
Client Success AdvisorStart a Chat
The full process of Anhui agent import in 2026 can be divided into four core stages，each node has clear operational requirements. There is no need to pay the full amount of the goods in advance，and formal institutions can provide compliant advance payment options.
First stage: Pre-qualification and document review. You need to provide the business license，import and export right registration certificate，pre-classification result of the product's HS code，and scanned copies of the packing list/contract/invoice/certificate of origin provided by the foreign party to the agency. The agency will simultaneously check whether the goods involve regulatory requirements such as import licenses and 3C certification. For inspection-required categories，a pre-inspection application must be submitted 7 working days in advance to avoid being unable to clear customs normally after arrival.
Second stage: Logistics and customs clearance connection. The agency will pre-enter the manifest information 3 days before the goods arrive at the port，and complete the customs declaration within 1 working day after arrival. After the tax bill is issued，you can choose to pay by yourself or have the agency advance the payment. Under normal circumstances，the customs clearance time for general cargo at Hefei Port and Wuhu Port can be compressed to within 24 hours. After customs clearance，door-to-door delivery can be arranged，and if warehouse storage is needed，local supervised warehouse resources can be connected simultaneously.
Third stage: Foreign exchange payment and verification. You can transfer the RMB payment to the agency's corporate account，and the agency will purchase foreign exchange at the daily exchange rate and pay it to the overseas supplier. After the payment is completed，you will be provided with the payment slip and the foreign exchange payment certificate of the customs declaration. Foreign exchange verification procedures must be completed within 90 days after the goods arrive at the port to avoid affecting subsequent import and export qualifications.
Fourth stage: Document filing. All import-related documents，contracts，and tax payment vouchers need to be retained for at least 3 years for future reference. If subsequent VAT deduction is involved，the agency will provide the special customs import VAT payment certificate for deduction operations. If abnormalities such as price assessment or inspection occur during the process，the agency will synchronize the handling plan 24 hours in advance，and you do not need to directly contact the customs window.
RobertYears of service：6Customer Rating：5.0
Warehouse Management AdvisorStart a Chat
In 2026, Anhui ports have fully realized national customs clearance integration. When declaring agent imports, you can choose to declare at the enterprise's registration place (Hefei) or at the entry ports (Wuhu, Ma'anshan, etc.). The regulatory requirements for both declaration modes are completely the same, and no additional materials for cross-regional declaration are required.
If the goods are subject to customs price assessment, you need to prepare materials such as the original foreign factory invoice, payment voucher, and import transaction records of the same category in the past 3 months in advance. You do not need to communicate with the customs window by yourself; the agency's customs declaration specialist will contact the price assessment department, and the price assessment ruling can usually be completed within 3 working days.
If there is an error in filling in the declaration elements, you need to submit an application for deleting and re-declaring before customs release, which will not result in administrative penalties. If you modify it after release, you will face a fine of up to 5,000 yuan and be included in the import and export credit early warning list.
CharlotteYears of service：4Customer Rating：5.0
Currency Exchange AdvisorStart a Chat
For imported goods sent from Hamburg, Germany to Anhui, you can choose to take a direct flight from Hamburg to Shanghai Port and then transship to Wuhu Port, or transfer via Ningbo Port from Hamburg and then take an inland barge to Hefei Port. The transportation time between the two routes differs by 2-3 days, and the overall logistics cost differs by about 15%.
If your goods are high-precision fragile items, it is recommended to choose a direct flight to Shanghai Port and then arrange a trailer for direct door-to-door delivery, which can reduce the risk of cargo damage caused by transshipment and unpacking. Apply to the shipping company in advance for a 14-day free storage period + 7-day free container period, which can fully cover the entire process time of customs clearance + transshipment, and no additional container detention or port detention fees will be incurred.
Before the goods arrive at the port, you need to confirm whether the bill of lading endorsement is correct. If it is an order bill of lading, the overseas shipper needs to affix the endorsement seal before sending it back to China to avoid being unable to exchange the bill after arrival.
DanielYears of service：8Customer Rating：5.0
Legal AdvisorStart a Chat
In 2026, import enterprises in Anhui can apply for the VAT deferral policy. Qualified enterprises do not need to pay import VAT during the customs clearance process, and can complete the declaration and deduction in the subsequent VAT declaration period. This can directly activate 13% of the working capital of the cargo value, and the longest tax deferment period can be up to 90 days.
The threshold for applying for VAT deferral is that the enterprise's import and export credit rating is B-level or above, and there are no tax violations in the past 12 months. The agency can submit the application on your behalf, and no additional guarantee materials are required.
If the goods are precision equipment parts in the encouraged import catalog, you can apply for the import tariff reduction or exemption policy, with a maximum exemption of all import tariffs. You need to prepare materials such as project registration certificates and product technical parameter descriptions in advance.
SarahYears of service：3Customer Rating：5.0
Foreign Exchange AdvisorStart a Chat
In 2026, import foreign exchange payment in Anhui can choose between CIPS RMB cross-border payment or SWIFT foreign currency payment. If the overseas supplier accepts RMB settlement, it is recommended to choose the CIPS channel for payment, which can reduce exchange rate fluctuation losses.
The payment time can be compressed to within 2 hours, and the handling fee is about 30% lower than that of the SWIFT channel. When making payment, you need to submit materials such as customs declaration, contract, invoice, and agent import agreement to the bank, and no separate service trade registration is required.
After the payment is completed, the bank will automatically push the verification data to the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, and you do not need to handle the verification procedures by yourself. If you need to pay service fees to the agency, you need to obtain the corresponding special VAT invoice, which can be used for input deduction, and no additional tax adjustments are required.
WilliamYears of service：10Customer Rating：5.0
International Logistics AdvisorStart a Chat
The inspection rate of imported goods at Anhui ports is about 3.2%. If your goods are selected for inspection, there is no need to worry; you only need to cooperate with the agency to provide materials such as product manuals and technical parameter tables. Inspection is divided into machine inspection and manual unpacking.
If there is no abnormality in machine inspection, the inspection and release can be completed within 2 hours. For manual unpacking, you need to confirm the unpacking position to avoid damage to the goods during unpacking. If the declared information of the goods is found to be inconsistent with the actual situation during inspection, you need to submit a situation explanation to the customs in time.
If it is an unintentional filling error and there is no tax evasion, you only need to modify the declared information, and no administrative penalty will be imposed. If the goods need to be sent for inspection and identification, you need to wait for 7-10 working days for the test results. If the results meet the regulatory requirements, the goods can be released normally.
EllaYears of service：10Customer Rating：5.0
Senior Financial AdvisorStart a Chat
If you have long-term import needs in the future, you can sign an annual agent import agreement with the agency. The overall service rate can be reduced by 0.2%-0.5%, and you can save up to 100,000 yuan in agency costs for the whole year.
It is recommended to choose the EXW trade term, where the agency is responsible for the full-link operations of overseas pick-up, international transportation, customs clearance, and delivery. This can reduce the communication cost of connecting multiple service providers, and the overall import efficiency can be improved by about 20%.
A inventory linkage mechanism can be established to arrange overseas stock in advance according to your production plan. After the goods arrive at the port, they can be directly delivered to the production workshop without additional storage, which can compress the overall inventory turnover cycle by more than 15 days and reduce the inventory holding cost.