2026 Latest Basic Import Agency Process, General Operation Guide for General Cargo and Special Cargo Across All Ports

Last month,we cooperated with Mr.Ran’s team,who imported a batch of industrial valves from Germany.When they declared by themselves,the customs clearance was delayed for 21 days due to HS code classification deviation,and the demurrage fee alone cost 18,000 yuan.Many enterprises engaging in import for the first time have encountered similar pitfalls.The seemingly simple process hides many regulatory requirements and hidden risks,and choosing agency service can directly avoid more than 90% of unnecessary losses.

I.Preparatory Stage for Import Agency

The preparation work before formal declaration directly determines the customs clearance efficiency.In 2026,the customs updated more than 1,200 HS code classification rules,especially the classification judgment standards for mechanical and electrical products and chemical products have been further refined.Once classification is wrong,the minor consequence is application rejection and re-submission,while the serious consequence will trigger audit and supplementary tax payment.

• Basic document collection: Overseas suppliers shall provide Certificate of Origin,packing list,commercial invoice,trade contract and transport documents.For goods involving RCEP member states,the signature and seal specifications of the Certificate of Origin shall be confirmed in advance,and tariff concession can be enjoyed only when they meet the requirements
• Supervision qualification prediction: Check the cargo supervision conditions in advance.For products involving CCC certification,apply for CCC exemption certificate in advance; for products involving animal and plant inspection,apply for entry animal and plant quarantine approval in advance; for goods involving license,complete the import license handling in advance
• Enterprise qualification confirmation: Complete import and export right filing and customs paperless signing in advance.Enterprises without import and export right can declare directly under the agent’s qualification header,without handling separate qualification

II.Core Operation Process of Import Agency

Under different trade terms,the division of rights and responsibilities between the agent and the client varies greatly.The following is the comparison of rights and responsibilities under mainstream trade terms:

The handling of core operation nodes directly affects customs clearance efficiency.First,pre-inspection of commodity inspection shall be carried out.In 2026,Shanghai Port opened a 72-hour advance commodity inspection pre-inspection channel.Submitting documents for review in advance can reduce the inspection sampling rate by 80%.During operation,we will check in advance whether the brand,model,material,specification of the declaration elements are consistent with the physical photos.Previously,a client declared stainless steel valves as carbon steel valves,which directly led to cargo detention for rectification,delaying 14 days in total.

After passing the pre-inspection,the customs declaration will be formally submitted.Our headquarters is located in Shanghai,supporting remote declaration at any port across the country,so clients do not need to find a local agent for coordination separately.After declaration,it enters the customs price verification link.If there is any objection to the declared price,materials such as foreign exchange payment voucher,original factory invoice and import price reference of the same category shall be prepared in advance to avoid customs valuation and supplementary tax.After passing the price verification,tax is paid through the new generation electronic payment,and the payment confirmation can be completed within 10 minutes at the fastest,without going to offline windows.

If targeted inspection is selected,we have on-site staff at core ports such as Shanghai,Shenzhen,Ningbo and Qingdao,who can arrive at the site within 2 hours to cooperate with customs for unpacking verification.Under the condition that the cargo and documents are confirmed to be consistent,the inspection and release can be completed on the same day.

III.Final Process of Import Customs Clearance

After the cargo is released,domestic trunk transportation and intra-city delivery can be arranged according to the client’s needs,and the cargo can be directly delivered to the designated warehouse.If agency foreign exchange payment is required,we can provide exchange rate locking service based on the real-time exchange rate.In 2026,the two-way fluctuation range of RMB exchange rate has increased.Last month,we helped a client from Zhejiang lock the 3-month Euro exchange rate in advance,directly avoiding 47,000 yuan of exchange loss.

All customs clearance documents will be sorted and archived uniformly,kept for 3 years for future reference,which fully meets the requirements of customs audit,and clients do not need to sort and keep them separately.If a general taxpayer enterprise needs to deduct input tax,we will simultaneously push the Special Customs Payment Form for Import VAT,which can be directly used for deduction declaration.

IV.Common Risk Warning for Import Agency

• Bill of lading exchange fee trap: Overseas designated freight forwarders often charge high bill of lading exchange fees and operation fees.We will coordinate with overseas agents in advance to confirm all fee details,so as to avoid hidden charges after the cargo arrives at the port.Previously,a client encountered that the bill of lading exchange fee charged by the designated freight forwarder was 3 times the market price,and he spent more than 7,000 yuan extra on this item alone
• Demurrage risk: In 2026,port congestion in Europe,America and Southeast Asia still occurs repeatedly,and port operation efficiency will drop by more than 30% around holidays.We will predict the arrival time in advance,pre-inspect all documents 7 days in advance,and submit the declaration on the day of arrival,so as to minimize the customs clearance time and avoid demurrage and container rental
• Anti-dumping duty risk: Before import,check whether the goods are in the anti-dumping and countervailing duty list in advance to avoid high extra taxes and fees.Previously,a client imported aluminum profiles from the United States,and did not check the anti-dumping tax rate in advance.He only found that he had to pay 217% anti-dumping duty during customs clearance,which directly caused a loss of 320,000 yuan

Whether it is general cargo import or cargo import with special qualification requirements,you can coordinate to confirm the access requirements in advance,plan the full process operation nodes in advance,so as to minimize compliance risks and unnecessary cost expenditure.