Compliance Operation Guide for Core Lao Gan Ma Export Agency Business and Key Risk Prevention Points

Destination Port Import Certification Requirements

I previously coordinated with Manager Tang based in Guangzhou,who received a 20ft container Lao Gan Ma export order to Malaysia.He chose a small unqualified agent to handle the shipment,and the cargo was detained directly after arrival because the required local Halal Certificate was not obtained.This incident generated more than 38,000 RMB of demurrage fee and warehouse storage charges,and he finally had to abandon the cargo,losing all payment for goods.

Lao Gan Ma is classified as pre-packaged seasoning food,and import certification requirements vary greatly among different destination countries.Matching relevant requirements in advance can avoid losses caused by port detention.The sorted requirements of mainstream export markets in 2026 are listed as follows:

Zhongshitong is headquartered in Shanghai.Relying on its global agency network,we can coordinate the latest certification requirements of destination countries in advance,and review all documents in advance to avoid mistakes,omissions or missing applications.Remote declaration is supported at any port across China,with no restriction on the place of shipment.

Anti-dumping and Trade Barrier Early Warning

In 2026,some regions in Europe and the United States launched a new round of anti-dumping sampling verification for processed Chinese seasoning foods.Many clients I have met were imposed with extra anti-dumping duties of over 20% due to incorrect HS Code classification,and they had to bear the extra costs themselves.

Lao Gan Ma is a chili seasoning sauce,and the correct HS Code is 210390.Some agents classify it into other chapters for convenience,which directly triggers customs anti-dumping alerts.Not only do clients need to pay supplementary taxes,their enterprises will also be added to the customs verification list.The current common risk points are as follows:

• The maximum residue limit of pesticides for chili products in the European Union and Japan is more than 3 times stricter than domestic standards.Targeted test by a third-party institution must be completed before shipment,and unqualified goods will be returned directly
• The United States imposes additional tariffs on some Chinese seasoning foods.Applying for a Certificate of Origin in compliance can exclude the products from the scope of additional tariffs,saving clients more than 15% of tariff costs
• Trade barriers against China in some Latin American countries have been continuously upgraded in recent years.All commercial invoices must be certified by the consulate in advance,and goods cannot clear customs without the certification

Practical Operation of Export Tax Refund Optimization

Earlier,Director Jia based in Zhejiang handled Lao Gan Ma export on his own.Due to incomplete brand authorization information filled in the declaration elements,he received the tax bureau verification letter,and waited for 6 months to get the tax refund,which occupied a large amount of working capital.

When we handle the business,we will check the brand authorization documents in advance,make precise HS Code classification,ensure that the declaration elements are completely consistent with the actual goods,and eliminate the risk of tax bureau verification letter in advance.Our Shanghai headquarters coordinates with tax bureaus and ports across the country,so the probability of verification letter can be controlled even for remote declaration.Normally,the tax refund can be obtained within 15 to 20 days.

Many clients do not know that even for transactions under EXW terms,the seller can still apply for export tax refund normally as long as the regulatory requirements are met.We will help clients sort out the transaction contract clauses to match tax refund requirements,avoiding missed or incorrect tax refund.Many clients have obtained extra more than 100,000 RMB of tax refund through this service.

Foreign Exchange Collection Security and Hidden Fee Risk Control

In 2026,the global exchange rate fluctuation range continues to widen.Many small traders use third-party private accounts to collect foreign exchange for convenience,which is judged as abnormal foreign exchange collection by SAFE (State Administration of Foreign Exchange),directly affecting export tax refund,and in serious cases,their tax refund qualification will be suspended.

We will review the foreign exchange collection account information in advance,verify the consistency of the contract,bill of lading and foreign exchange collection entity to eliminate abnormal account risks.We can also provide clients with suggestions on foreign exchange conversion timing according to the exchange rate trend,to reduce unnecessary exchange loss.

Here is a risk warning for you: many informal freight forwarders and agents charge hidden fees at the destination port,where exchange handling fee and demurrage fee are 2 to 3 times higher than the market price.Clients have no choice but to pay after the goods arrive at the port.Our global agency network directly cooperates with shipping lines and destination port agents,all fees are fully disclosed and locked before shipment,without any hidden charges.In addition,for peak port congestion periods such as Ramadan in Southeast Asia and Christmas season in Europe and America,we will reserve shipping space in advance and complete declaration ahead of schedule,to avoid extra demurrage fees caused by congestion.

The core difficulties of Lao Gan Ma’s global expansion are essentially problems related to detailed compliance.As long as you check the requirements of each link in advance,you can avoid most of the pitfalls.Zhongshitong provides frontline foreign trade agency services in Shanghai,all operations are handled by practitioners with more than 10 years of working experience.The whole process information is fully transparent,and problems will be solved immediately once they occur,no shifting of responsibilities to clients.