Zhongshitong Shanghai Export Agency Process: Full Breakdown from Customs Declaration to Tax Refund

I.Breakdown of Core Export Agency Business Process

I once encountered such a case: a machinery company failed to confirm HS code classification in advance when entrusting an export agency,resulting in inconsistency between the customs declaration form and the actual product model,which caused inspection delay at the destination port.The solution adopted by Zhongshitong is: first check product parameters such as material,function and application,then refer to the specific sub-item notes of Chapter 84 and Chapter 85 of the 2026 Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System,and finally confirm that the product is "industrial robot (84251100)" instead of "mechanical arm (84863090)",avoiding 30% of tariff difference loss.

The core process of export agency is divided into 5 modules,and each link requires dedicated personnel for pre-review:

• Order Compliance Pre-review: Check the Export Contract,Commercial Invoice and Packing List provided by the client,focus on confirming trade terms (for example,FOB requires clear specification of domestic port and overseas port,CIF requires inclusion of insurance clauses),and product description (brand,model and specification must be consistent with the subsequent customs declaration form).
• Port Customs Declaration Preparation: Shanghai Port covers Waigaoqiao Port Area,Yangshan Port Area,Pudong Airport and other zones,with significant differences in inspection rates across different ports.For example,dangerous goods should be prioritized to the dangerous goods storage yard at Yangshan Port,while general goods can be prioritized to Waigaoqiao Port (with 30% lower inspection rate).The agency shall submit the electronic customs declaration form 3 working days in advance,and prepare the Entrustment Letter for Customs Declaration and Exit Goods Inspection Release Form (for statutory inspection commodities) simultaneously.
• Logistics Transport Coordination: Shipping booking shall lock the vessel space in advance,especially in peak seasons such as the 2 months before the Christmas season in Europe and the United States.Zhongshitong’s partners including COSCO Shipping and Maersk can provide "priority vessel space agreement",which can lock 20ft / 40ft standard container positions in advance when space is tight on some routes in 2026.
• Document and Declaration: Certificate of Origin (FORM A/R) shall be applied within 3 working days after customs declaration,and tariff reduction (up to 10%) is available for RCEP member states.The new self-service printing function for Certificate of Origin on the "Single Window" platform is launched in 2026.The agency shall ensure that the "export commodity name" in the system is completely consistent with that on the customs declaration form,otherwise the preferential tariff cannot be enjoyed.
• Foreign Exchange Collection and Tax Refund Closed Loop: Foreign exchange collection shall be matched with the customs declaration number,and the USD account and RMB account shall be separated.For example,a clothing enterprise was required by the bank to pay an extra 3‰ "intermediary bank fee" during foreign exchange collection,and Zhongshitong assisted in switching to "cross-border RMB settlement",saving about RMB 12,000 per shipment.

II.Destination Port Certification and Customs Clearance Risk Prevention and Control

Destination port customs clearance delay is a common pain point in export agency services.A chemical customer encountered goods detention after arrival at the port when exporting to the EU,as it failed to review the REACH Regulation (EU Registration,Evaluation,Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals) in advance.The measures taken by Zhongshitong are:

• Contact the destination port agency (such as the designated agency at Port of Hamburg,Germany) 7 working days in advance to confirm the specific requirements of local customs for "plastic additives" (the 12th item "environmental hazard statement" in the MSDS report is required);
• Via Zhongshitong’s global agency network,urgently retrieve the "72-hour pre-inspection list before import" of German customs,find that the "CAS No.68439-41-4" on the customs declaration form is not filed in the EU EINECS database,and immediately contact the supplier to fill in the supplementary statement;
• The goods were released after 48 hours of port detention,avoiding about RMB 150,000 of port demurrage.

New risk point in 2026: During the Ramadan in the Middle East (Ramadan 2026 is from March 12 to April 10),destination port customs clearance efficiency drops by 40%.It is recommended to complete document pre-review 1 month in advance to reserve sufficient release time.

III.Anti-Dumping Early Warning and Compliance Response

Anti-dumping duty is a cost that export agencies need to focus on avoiding.Take a hardware tool enterprise as an example,the United States imposed an additional 19.8% anti-dumping duty on Chinese wrenches (HS code 82060000) in 2026.Zhongshitong solved the problem through 3 steps:

• Verify the "production process" of the product,confirm that the wrench is "hand-forged" (not machine-forged),which meets the "non-dumping process" standard of the US Department of Commerce,and apply for review;
• Retrieve the Certificate of Origin,prove that the product is "fully manufactured in China" via FORM E (China-US FTA Certificate of Origin),and avoid the suspicion of third-country transshipment;
• Coordinate with the US importer for cooperation,submit the Non-Dumping Statement,and finally successfully reduce and exempt the anti-dumping duty,saving about RMB 80,000 of tariff per shipment.

It is recommended that agency enterprises establish a "dynamic anti-dumping duty tracking table" and update it weekly with information from the official website of the Ministry of Commerce’s Bureau of Fair Trade for Imports and Exports (dzsf.mofcom.gov.cn),the US Department of Commerce (DOC) anti-dumping investigation announcements,and the European Commission Anti-Dumping Bulletin.

IV.Export Tax Refund Optimization and Practical Operation

Tax refund delay is one of the most concerned issues for enterprises.An auto parts manufacturer had its tax refund delayed for 3 months because the interval between the "invoice issuance date" and "certification date" of the input VAT invoice exceeded 90 days.Zhongshitong’s solution is:

• Complete "three-documents matching" (export customs declaration form,special VAT invoice,export invoice) before customs declaration;
• Input invoice information into the "Electronic Taxation Bureau" 5 working days in advance to complete certification comparison;
• When applying for "exemption,credit and refund" declaration,focus on verifying whether the "quantity","unit" and "specification model" on the export goods customs declaration form and the VAT invoice are completely consistent,to avoid being rejected due to even a 1-digit difference after the decimal point.

Policy change in 2026: Paperless declaration covers 95% of enterprises.Agencies shall ensure that the version of the "Export Tax Refund Declaration System" is V2.0 or above,to avoid data upload failure caused by overly low system version.

V.Foreign Exchange Collection Security Guarantee and Risk Control

The most common trap in the foreign exchange collection link is "fast foreign exchange settlement via offshore account".A textile enterprise had its capital frozen by the bank after collecting foreign exchange via offshore account,as the account was suspected of being involved in a "third-party capital pool",leading to production line shutdown.Zhongshitong’s processing method is:

• Verify account qualification: require the cooperating bank to provide "offshore account filing certificate",confirm that the account belongs to "non-resident enterprise" with clear capital source;
• Set up "stepwise foreign exchange collection": for large amount (over 500,000 USD),adopt "batch foreign exchange settlement" to spread capital risks;
• Against the background of exchange rate fluctuations in 2026,it is recommended to adopt "forward foreign exchange settlement and sale" to lock the exchange rate.For example,a clothing enterprise locked the EUR exchange rate 3 months in advance,avoiding about 12% of loss caused by exchange rate fluctuations.

Key points of exchange loss control: Prioritize the SWIFT system (no intermediary bank fee),avoid paths with too many Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication correspondent banks; for RMB settlement,adopt the Cross-border Interbank Payment System (CIPS),whose handling fee is 50% lower than that of SWIFT.

VI.Export Agency Risk Avoidance Checklist

Finally,the 2026 export agency risk avoidance checklist is sorted out for peer reference:

• 【Document Trap】: Inconsistency between the mark on the bill of lading and the invoice will lead to a daily increase of RMB 1,500 in destination port demurrage;
• 【Inspection Risk】: Falsely declaring general goods as dangerous goods will increase the inspection rate by 8 times;
• 【Tax Refund Delay】: Overdue certification of input invoice will cause about 0.04% loss of tax refund interest per day;
• 【Foreign Exchange Collection Security】: Offshore account being frozen will delay capital turnover for 1 to 3 months.

Verified by Zhongshitong’s 20 years of experience: The core competitiveness of export agency lies in "full-link risk prediction",rather than simple process operation.Each module above needs to be combined with the latest 2026 policies such as RCEP tariff reduction updates and EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism new rules,to truly achieve cost reduction and efficiency improvement.