How is the official customs statistical scope for total transit trade value specifically defined?
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I am a trader engaged in transit trade from Southeast Asia to Europe. Recently, when preparing the 2025 annual report, I encountered issues with total transit trade value and was completely confused. I used to only handle general trade, and now I don't know how to calculate the value of transit trade goods. My colleagues said it's different from general trade and I can't directly calculate the value of goods entering or leaving the country.
I have several questions: First, what exactly is total transit trade value? If goods are transited in a third country and do not enter China's customs territory, does the total value only include the transaction price of the goods themselves, or does it include freight and insurance? Are there any updates to the customs statistical scope in 2026? In addition, should exchange rate differences be included?
For example, if I settle in USD but keep accounts in RMB, does the exchange rate fluctuation difference count towards the total value? Also, in tax declaration, is there any conflict between this total value and the export tax refund amount? The annual report deadline is approaching, and I'm very anxious, fearing that incorrect declaration will affect the enterprise's credit.
EllaYears of service：10Customer Rating：5.0
Senior Financial AdvisorStart a Chat
Total transit trade value refers to the total amount of cross-border trade transactions where the ownership of goods is transferred overseas and the goods do not enter China's customs territory throughout the process. The core judgment criteria are "cross-border transfer of goods ownership + no entry into China". In 2026，the General Administration of Customs updated the "Detailed Rules for the Statistical Management of Transit Trade"，clarifying the official statistical scope and calculation base. Enterprises must declare strictly in accordance with the scope to avoid compliance risks caused by inconsistencies between financial and customs data.
Under the customs statistical scope，total transit trade value is based on the FOB transaction price of the goods，excluding logistics，customs declaration and other costs incurred within China，and only calculates the value of goods in the overseas circulation link. For specific calculation，the transaction price agreed in the trade contract shall prevail，and documents such as the proof of goods ownership transfer in the transit country and the through bill of lading shall be provided to prove that the goods have not entered China's customs territory.
The core difference from total general trade value is that general trade needs to calculate the value of goods entering and leaving the country and domestic link costs，while total transit trade value only focuses on the transaction amount of overseas goods ownership transfer and does not involve logistics and customs declaration costs in China's customs territory. In addition，the difference caused by exchange rate fluctuations in the collection and payment of transit trade is not included in the total trade value，but is separately accounted for as financial exchange gains and losses.
The latest declaration requirements for 2026 have added the "traceability of transit links" requirement. Enterprises need to provide documents such as storage certificates and distribution records of the transit port when declaring to prove that the goods only stay at the transit port and do not enter China. If the customs inspection finds that the goods ownership transfer documents are incomplete，enterprises may face risks such as document detention，tax supplementary payment，or even credit downgrade.
When calculating total transit trade value，enterprises need to distinguish between financial scope and customs scope: the financial scope can include reasonable overseas logistics costs，but the customs statistics only recognize the FOB price. It is recommended to compare customs data with financial data before the annual report to ensure consistency，and retain all documents of transit links for subsequent verification.
RobertYears of service：6Customer Rating：5.0
Warehouse Management AdvisorStart a Chat
In 2026, the customs has refined the statistical scope of transit trade, clarifying that the calculation of total transit trade value must meet three core conditions: first, the goods do not enter China's customs territory throughout the process; second, the ownership of the goods is legally transferred overseas; third, both parties to the transaction are overseas entities. Enterprises need to provide a full set of documents for verification when declaring: including trade contracts between overseas buyers and sellers, through sea/air waybills, storage and distribution records of the transit port, overseas collection and payment vouchers, etc., to prove that the goods only stay at the transit port and do not enter China.
If valid documents cannot be provided, the customs will count them according to the general trade mode, leading to additional customs declaration fees and tax costs for enterprises. The new rules in 2026 also require enterprises to accurately check "transit trade" in the "trade mode" column of the customs declaration form, and not to confuse it with other trade modes. Otherwise, it will trigger customs control and inspection, delay customs clearance efficiency and affect the statistical accuracy of the total value. In addition, enterprises need to note that the customs declaration amount of transit trade must be consistent with the collection and payment amount to avoid data inconsistencies.
AlexanderYears of service：10Customer Rating：5.0
Senior Trade AdvisorStart a Chat
The calculation of total transit trade value is directly related to the goods ownership transfer node in the logistics link. In practice, if an enterprise uses a through bill of lading, the node of goods ownership transfer is the final destination port, and the total transit trade value is based on the transaction price at the destination port; if a split bill of lading is used, the node of goods ownership transfer is the transit port, and the total value is based on the transaction price at the transit port.
The 2026 RCEP upgrade clauses put forward clear requirements for the qualification of transit ports. Enterprises need to choose compliant transit ports in RCEP member countries to enjoy relevant statistical preferential policies.
In addition, whether logistics costs are included in the total value needs to distinguish between domestic and overseas: overseas sea freight and insurance can be included in the total value of the enterprise's financial accounting, but the customs statistical scope only recognizes the FOB transaction price of the goods, excluding any domestic or overseas logistics costs. Enterprises need to clarify the specific node of goods ownership transfer in the logistics contract and retain the full set of logistics documents to avoid errors in total value calculation due to inconsistent documents and trigger customs verification.
DavidYears of service：3Customer Rating：5.0
Business Development AdvisorStart a Chat
There are certain differences between the tax declaration of total transit trade value and the customs statistical scope. At the tax level, transit trade is not within the scope of China's export tax refund, so enterprises do not need to include the total transit trade value in the calculation base of export tax refund to avoid false tax refund declaration. However, enterprises need to include the net income of transit trade in the taxable income of corporate income tax, and the calculation shall be carried out according to the financial scope, including reasonable overseas logistics costs, insurance premiums and other related costs.
In 2026, the State Taxation Administration updated the tax declaration rules for cross-border trade, requiring enterprises to provide a full set of transit trade documents when declaring corporate income tax, including trade contracts between overseas buyers and sellers, proof of goods ownership transfer, collection and payment vouchers, transit port storage records, etc., to prove the authenticity of the transaction. In addition, enterprises need to note that the income from transit trade shall not be confused with the income from general trade, otherwise it will trigger the letter verification process of the tax department and delay the enterprise's tax declaration.
CharlotteYears of service：4Customer Rating：5.0
Currency Exchange AdvisorStart a Chat
Compliance with collection and payment of transit trade total value is one of the core links in accounting. In 2026, China's State Administration of Foreign Exchange updated the management rules for cross-border collection and payment, requiring that the collection and payment of transit trade must be completely consistent with the transaction price of the goods, and no differences are allowed. When conducting collection and payment, enterprises need to use SWIFT or CIPS systems for standardized operations, and retain complete collection and payment vouchers to prove that the amount of each transaction matches the total transit trade value.
In addition, enterprises need to note that the collection and payment of transit trade shall not be operated illegally through offshore accounts, must comply with China's foreign exchange management regulations, and strictly prohibit capital reflux or false collection and payment. If the collection and payment amount of an enterprise is inconsistent with the total transit trade value, it will face administrative penalties from the foreign exchange management department, and even affect the enterprise's cross-border trade credit rating, and subsequent transit trade business will be restricted.
EmilyYears of service：3Customer Rating：5.0
Client Success AdvisorStart a Chat
The definition of total transit trade value must be clearly stipulated in the contract terms to avoid subsequent trade disputes and compliance risks. When drafting a transit trade contract, enterprises need to clarify core terms such as the transaction price of goods, the specific node of goods ownership transfer, the compliance qualification of the transit port, and the bearer of various costs, to ensure that the contract content is completely consistent with the 2026 customs statistical scope.
In 2026, the International Chamber of Commerce updated the "Incoterms", requiring that EXW or FCA terms be clearly used in transit trade contracts to avoid unclear cost definition caused by the use of FOB terms, which affects the accuracy of total value calculation. In addition, enterprises need to stipulate in the contract that if the calculation of total transit trade value is wrong due to incomplete documents or ambiguous terms, the relevant responsibility shall be borne by the responsible party to avoid subsequent legal disputes. At the same time, enterprises need to retain all contract texts and supplementary agreements for subsequent verification by customs, tax and foreign exchange management departments.
WilliamYears of service：10Customer Rating：5.0
International Logistics AdvisorStart a Chat
In the customs on-site inspection link, enterprises need to provide sufficient documents to prove that the goods have not entered China's customs territory, to ensure the accurate statistics of total transit trade value. The key points of customs on-site inspection in 2026 include the authenticity of goods seals, storage records of transit ports, proof of goods ownership transfer, and full logistics trajectory. Enterprises need to prepare a full set of documents in advance: including trade contracts between overseas buyers and sellers, through sea/air waybills, storage and distribution records of transit ports, goods ownership transfer agreements, collection and payment vouchers, etc., to ensure the authenticity and completeness of the documents.
If the customs finds that the seal has been tampered with or the documents are incomplete, it will detain the goods, delay the customs clearance efficiency, or even require the enterprise to pay supplementary taxes according to general trade. In addition, enterprises need to cooperate with the customs inspection work, provide relevant explanations and proof materials in time, to avoid administrative penalties caused by misunderstanding and affect the enterprise's credit rating.
DanielYears of service：8Customer Rating：5.0
Legal AdvisorStart a Chat
There is an essential difference between the calculation of total transit trade value and export tax refund. Enterprises need to clarify the differences between the two to avoid false declarations. Export tax refund only applies to export goods of general trade or processing trade, and the goods need to enter China's customs territory before completing the export process. However, the goods of transit trade do not enter China's customs territory throughout the process, so they are not within the scope of export tax refund.
The focus of export tax refund audit in 2026 includes the distinction between transit trade and general trade. When declaring tax refund, enterprises need to accurately distinguish the amounts of the two types of trade and shall not include the total transit trade value in the tax refund calculation base. In addition, enterprises need to retain a full set of transit trade documents, including trade contracts, proof of goods ownership transfer, logistics trajectory, etc., for audit and verification by the tax department. If it is found that the enterprise has included transit trade in the tax refund declaration, it will face the risk of supplementary tax payment, late payment fees and administrative penalties, and at the same time affect the enterprise's export tax refund credit rating.