What are the complete compliance customs clearance procedures and specific precautions for imported bearing agency
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I plan to start an imported bearing agency business, mainly importing deep groove ball bearings from Europe to supply domestic construction machinery manufacturers, but I have never been exposed to this field and do not know where to start. Recently I heard that some peers had their goods detained by customs due to incomplete documents, and others suffered from high port detention fees.
I am worried about compliance risks while wanting to control costs. I want to know how to build a complete agency process, what documents need to be prepared, what to pay attention to during customs clearance, as well as relevant requirements for foreign exchange settlement and tax refund. Could you explain them in detail?
RobertYears of service：6Customer Rating：5.0
Warehouse Management AdvisorStart a Chat
First，pre-document review shall be completed. For bearings imported from the EU in 2026，EU Certificate of Origin (EUR.1) shall be provided to enjoy RCEP preferential tax rates. Meanwhile，commercial invoice，packing list，ocean bill of lading and third-party quality inspection report shall be provided，and additional material testing certificates shall be provided for precision bearings.
Second is the connection of core nodes: after completing document exchange，declaration shall be made through China International Trade Single Window. Before declaration，it shall be confirmed that the classification of HS codes (84821000/84822000，etc.) is accurate to avoid valuation disputes. For tax payment，VAT deferral policy can be selected to ease capital pressure，and foreign exchange settlement and tax refund filing can be completed subsequently with tax payment vouchers.
For exception response plans，in case of customs inspection，photos of the original factory packaging of the goods and technical parameter sheets shall be prepared in advance to cooperate with the inspection. In case of customs detention，the customs declaration team shall be contacted immediately to submit a situation statement and supplementary documents.
Finally，for compliance implementation，it is necessary to ensure the consistency of four streams: one-to-one correspondence of contract stream，invoice stream，goods stream and capital stream. Meanwhile，customs policy updates shall be followed regularly to avoid compliance risks caused by new regulations.
EllaYears of service：10Customer Rating：5.0
Senior Financial AdvisorStart a Chat
For HS code classification of imported bearings, it should be noted that the customs has added sub-codes for precision bearings in 2026, and incorrect classification may lead to tax rate deviation. In the valuation process, special attention shall be paid to royalties.
If foreign suppliers provide free technical training, it shall be confirmed whether it needs to be included in the dutiable value. Under the integrated customs clearance mode, joint declaration at national ports can be selected to shorten customs clearance time. In case of outstanding payment, tax supplementary materials shall be submitted within 3 working days to complete customs clearance.
Reasonable reasons shall be provided for deleting and resubmitting declarations, such as document information entry errors. The full set of revised documents shall be prepared in advance to avoid affecting the delivery time.
For the application of RCEP preferential tax rates, it shall be confirmed that the exporting country is within the scope of the agreement, and the issuing date of the certificate of origin shall be consistent with the shipment date, otherwise the preference cannot be enjoyed.
DanielYears of service：8Customer Rating：5.0
Legal AdvisorStart a Chat
For bearings imported from Europe, direct routes can be selected. The voyage of direct ships from Port of Rotterdam to Shanghai Yangshan Port is about 21 days. 14 days of free storage period and 7 days of free detention period can be applied for, and port detention and container detention fees shall be calculated per container per day for the excess part.
For cargo right control, the method of picking up goods against original bill of lading shall be selected to avoid the risk of delivery without bill of lading. If transshipment is required, it shall be confirmed whether the document exchange process at the transshipment port is convenient.
For packaging, bearings shall be placed on wooden pallets with IPPC mark to avoid inspection delay caused by unqualified wooden packaging. If urgent transportation is required, air freight special line can be selected, but it should be noted that the packaging requirements for air transportation shall comply with civil aviation transportation specifications, and dangerous goods declaration shall be made in advance if the bearing contains lubricating grease.
SarahYears of service：3Customer Rating：5.0
Foreign Exchange AdvisorStart a Chat
The VAT deferral policy allows temporary exemption from value-added tax payment at the time of import, and the tax shall be declared and paid after subsequent sales, which can effectively ease capital pressure, but the authenticity of subsequent declarations shall be ensured. CIPS system shall be used for cross-border payment to avoid exchange rate loss.
The settlement handling fee of CIPS is about 15% lower than that of SWIFT in 2026. Related party transaction pricing shall comply with the arm's length principle. If the agency has a related relationship with foreign suppliers, pricing documents shall be prepared in advance for inspection.
Withholding tax for non-resident enterprises shall be withheld and paid at the time of foreign exchange payment, with a tax rate of 10%. If it meets the conditions of tax agreements, reduction or exemption can be applied for.
For tax planning, the overall tax burden can be optimized by establishing a supply chain company, but it shall comply with the requirements of BEPS rules to avoid tax risks.
EmilyYears of service：3Customer Rating：5.0
Client Success AdvisorStart a Chat
For foreign exchange settlement, registration of advance payment for goods, deferred payment, etc. shall be carried out through the Foreign Exchange Monitoring System for Trade in Goods to ensure the authenticity and consistency of foreign exchange receipt and payment. SWIFT messages shall be checked to confirm that the remittance amount and payee information are consistent with the contract.
If there is a message error, the remitting bank shall be contacted in time for revision. The use of offshore accounts shall comply with foreign exchange administration regulations and shall not be used for false transactions.
Exchange rate locking products can be selected for foreign exchange settlement to avoid losses caused by exchange rate fluctuations. In 2026, some banks provide forward foreign exchange settlement services, which can lock the exchange rate within 6 months.
Verification of foreign exchange receipts shall be completed within 180 days after the export of goods. If the time limit is exceeded, an extension application shall be submitted, otherwise the tax refund will be affected.
OliviaYears of service：5Customer Rating：5.0
Senior Customs AdvisorStart a Chat
The imported bearing agency agreement shall specify clauses such as ownership of goods, agency fee ratio, and liability for breach of contract. In case of damage or loss of goods, the compensation liability shall be clearly defined.
In terms of intellectual property rights, it shall be confirmed whether the imported bearings have patent infringement, and relevant information can be queried through the customs intellectual property registration system.
Letter of Guarantee (LOI) can be used for delivery without bill of lading. The validity period and compensation conditions of the LOI shall be clearly defined to avoid disputes.
The force majeure clause shall specify the scope of application, such as port congestion, war and other circumstances, under which the liability for breach of contract can be exempted. The exclusive agreement shall specify the agency region and term to avoid conflicts with other agents.
SophiaYears of service：7Customer Rating：5.0
Senior Customs AdvisorStart a Chat
Before customs inspection, materials such as technical parameter sheet of the goods, photos of original factory packaging, and packing list shall be prepared to cooperate with the customs in seal inspection, so as to ensure that the seal number is consistent with that on the bill of lading.
Before X-ray inspection, the pallets shall be removed in advance to avoid affecting the inspection results. If the X-ray inspection is abnormal, cooperate with the customs for devanning inspection.
For inspection and appraisal, the designated inspection institution shall be contacted in advance, and samples shall be prepared to ensure the representativeness of the samples. The test report shall be submitted to the customs within the specified time.
If it is found that the goods are inconsistent with the declaration during the inspection, a situation statement shall be submitted in time to apply for deletion and resubmission of the declaration to avoid fines.