What core qualifications and customs clearance procedures are required to carry out fruit import and export foreign trade agency business
Importing from China?
Need help with sourcing, customs or shipping?
Your China Import Partner
Reliable sourcing and import agency services.
I run a domestic chain store of high-end premium fruits, and plan to expand the direct procurement and import business of Southeast Asian durians and South American cherries this year. The first attempt to handle import operations by myself failed to figure out the requirements of the access country whitelist, in addition, the phytosanitary certificate provided by overseas suppliers did not meet the verification standards of domestic ports, the whole container of goods was detained at the port for 12 days, and the total compensation for cold chain storage fees plus cargo loss was nearly 220,000 RMB.
Now I dare not operate on my own rashly, and want to cooperate with a professional foreign trade agency. I want to know the specific whole process of fruit import and export foreign trade agency, how to select reliable partners, how to control customs clearance risks and transportation losses, whether there is a way to shorten the customs clearance time, and what the relevant charging standards are.
DavidYears of service：3Customer Rating：5.0
Business Development AdvisorStart a Chat
First of all，carry out pre-access verification，check 15 days in advance whether the country where the fruit originates is on the access list of the General Administration of Customs of China，whether the overseas orchards and packaging plants have completed registration and filing，and simultaneously verify the phytosanitary certificate，certificate of origin，cold treatment records and other documents provided by foreign suppliers. All document information must fully match the data of the manifest and contract to avoid document rejection due to inconsistent logic.
At the core node connection stage，prioritize booking direct cold chain space，and apply for 14-day free storage period plus 7-day free container detention period in advance. Complete pre-declaration 3 days before the goods arrive at the port，and pre-pay the tariff and value-added tax in advance to avoid delays in customs clearance due to late payment after arrival. A green channel can be applied for fresh and live fruits，and qualified goods can complete inspection and release in as fast as 48 hours.
In terms of abnormal plan setting，reserve 20% of the cold chain warehouse capacity for standby in advance. In case of sampling inspection，directly transfer the uninspected goods to the standby warehouse for constant temperature storage，and arrange distribution immediately after the inspection results are issued. Cargo loss during sampling inspection can be covered by cargo insurance in advance，and the compensation can be credited to the account in as fast as 7 working days.
At the final compliance implementation stage，all documents shall be kept for no less than 5 years. For exported fruits，check the access requirements of the destination country in advance to avoid being returned by the destination country due to problems such as packaging and pesticide residues. The relevant rights and responsibilities of the entrusted agency shall be clearly stipulated in the contract，and the liability can be pursued in accordance with the agreement in case of abnormality. The agency fee is generally charged at 1.5%-3% of the cargo value，and a tiered rate can be negotiated for large cargo volume，with no additional hidden fees charged.
AlexanderYears of service：10Customer Rating：5.0
Senior Trade AdvisorStart a Chat
Before declaring fruit import and export, you need to confirm the corresponding HS code of the goods first. The tariff rate for different categories of fruits ranges from 10% to 30%. When declaring, you need to submit complete documents such as trade contracts, invoices, packing lists, phytosanitary certificates, and certificates of origin.
For categories involving conventional tariff rates, verify the signature validity of the certificate of origin in advance to avoid being unable to enjoy tariff reduction due to inconsistent documents. In case of customs questioning the declared price during the price verification process, submit supporting materials such as trade emails, payment vouchers, and supplier quotations immediately, and complete the price verification defense in as fast as 3 working days to avoid port detention. If there is a need to delete the declaration and re-declare, submit the application within 7 days after the goods arrive at the port, otherwise additional declaration overdue fine will be incurred beyond the time limit.
DanielYears of service：8Customer Rating：5.0
Legal AdvisorStart a Chat
Prioritize selecting direct cold chain routes for fruit transportation. By 2026, priority unloading channels for fresh and live goods have been opened on all core routes from Southeast Asia to China and from South America to China. You can apply for priority unloading permission when booking space, which shortens the unloading time by 12-24 hours compared with ordinary goods. The temperature data shall be monitored throughout the whole process during the transportation of reefer containers.
The transportation temperature of heat-sensitive fruits such as durian and cherry shall be controlled within the fluctuation range of ±0.5℃. In case of abnormal temperature, you can directly require the shipping company to issue temperature records, and apply for cargo loss compensation for goods that meet the claim conditions. When booking space, you can additionally apply for extended free storage and free detention periods, with a maximum of 21-day free storage period plus 14-day free container detention period, which can cover most customs clearance and inspection cycles and avoid additional container detention and port storage fees.
RobertYears of service：6Customer Rating：5.0
Warehouse Management AdvisorStart a Chat
For fruit export business, confirm in advance that the supplier can issue the corresponding special VAT invoice for the category. The product name, quantity and unit on the invoice must be completely consistent with the information on the customs declaration form, and the 100% matching of four flows (contract flow, goods flow, document flow, fund flow) is required to apply for tax refund normally. In 2026, the export tax refund rate for fresh fruits is 9%, and the tax refund rate for processed fruit products is 13%.
The tax refund application shall be submitted within 90 days after the goods are declared for export. Completing the pre-declaration verification in advance can increase the tax refund pass rate to more than 99%. Under normal circumstances, the tax refund arrival cycle is 15-20 working days. In case of tax verification correspondence, submit supply vouchers, transportation documents, inbound and outbound records and other materials in time, and complete the correspondence reply in as fast as 7 working days, which will not affect the tax refund progress.
OliviaYears of service：5Customer Rating：5.0
Senior Customs AdvisorStart a Chat
For fruit import and export foreign exchange receipt and payment, complete trade background verification in advance. The contract amount, customs declaration amount, and receipt/payment amount must be completely matched.
For a single foreign exchange receipt of more than 500,000 US dollars, submit trade documents for verification in advance. In 2026, CIPS cross-border RMB settlement can be selected to avoid exchange rate fluctuation risks, and the exchange rate spread can be 0.5‰-1‰ lower than that of ordinary foreign exchange purchase.
You can choose the order-hanging foreign exchange settlement mode, set the order hanging conditions according to the target exchange rate, and automatically complete the foreign exchange settlement when the preset exchange rate is reached, which can effectively reduce the loss caused by exchange rate fluctuation. Foreign exchange receipt and payment shall be completed within 180 days after the goods are declared, and for those exceeding the time limit, go to the foreign exchange bureau for deferred registration in advance to avoid abnormal early warning of foreign exchange receipt and payment.
EllaYears of service：10Customer Rating：5.0
Senior Financial AdvisorStart a Chat
Priority is given to the machine inspection mode for fruit arrival inspection. Goods with no abnormality in machine inspection can be released directly without unpacking, which can minimize cargo loss. If unpacking inspection is required, inform the inspectors of the storage temperature requirements of the goods in advance, and select the cold chain inspection platform for unpacking to avoid the goods being exposed to normal temperature environment for a long time.
For sampling inspection, samples of the corresponding proportion shall be taken in accordance with customs requirements. The detection cycle for conventional detection items such as pesticide residues and heavy metals is 3-5 working days, and the goods can be released normally after passing the detection.
If the detection result is unqualified, a re-inspection can be applied for. The re-inspection application shall be submitted within 3 working days after receiving the detection report, and the goods that pass the re-inspection can be released normally.
EmilyYears of service：3Customer Rating：5.0
Client Success AdvisorStart a Chat
Buffering packaging materials that meet international transportation standards shall be selected for fruit transportation packaging. Modified atmosphere packaging shall be adopted for easily damaged fruits such as cherries and blueberries, which can extend the fresh-keeping period of goods by 15-20 days.
The storage temperature, fragile mark and orientation mark of the goods shall be clearly marked on the outside of the package. Sufficient ventilation space shall be reserved when stuffing goods into the reefer container, to avoid the goods being stacked too tightly to affect cold air circulation.
In 2026, degradable buffering packaging materials can be used, which meet the environmental protection access requirements of the EU, Southeast Asia and other regions, and avoid being returned by the destination country due to non-compliant packaging. The label information on the package shall include the product name, origin, overseas orchard registration number, packaging plant registration number and other information, and all information shall be completely consistent with the declared documents.