After the official implementation of Document No.28 of the General Administration of Customs in 2026,more than 60% of theThe company is acting as an agent forThere are compliance blind spots in the qualification process—either mistaking "filing" for "approval" or ignoring the new requirements for digital certification.This directly results in a 3-5 working day delay in customs declaration,and may even trigger customs inspections and early warnings.

The underlying logic of qualification compliance under the new regulations of 2026

The core change of the new regulations is to shift from "post-event supervision" to "dynamic compliance during the process",and to strengthen the synergistic effects of qualifications such as digital certificates and AEO certifications.Enterprises need to shift from "passive filing" to "active management" in order to avoid supply chain disruptions caused by incomplete qualifications.

Practical Guide to Compliance with Import and Export Agency Qualifications (2026 Edition)

Step 1: Check the basic qualifications (registration as a foreign trade operator)

Output:

• LoginGotothe"EnterpriseQualifications"-"ForeignTradeOperatorRegistration"module.
• Uploadthebusinesslicense(thescopeofbusinessmustinclude"importandexportofgoods"or"importandexportoftechnology"),andthescannedfrontandbacksidesofthelegalrepresentative’sIDcard(whichmustbestampedwithanelectronicsignature).
• Aftersubmission,within1-3workingdays,youcandownloadtheelectronicfilingformfromthe"FilingReceiptInquiry"(youneedtosavethePDFversionforsubsequentcustomsregistration).

Step 2: Customs registration and electronic port filing

Output:

• Inthe"RegistrationofDeclarantUnits"moduleoftheSingleWindow,fillinthebasicinformationoftheenterprise(consistentwiththefilinginformation),anduploadthefilingreceiptandthepowerofattorney(whichrequiresanelectronicsignature).
• Applyforthee-portdigitalcertificatesynchronously:Select"ICCardRetrieval"or"ElectronicCertificateApplication",andbindthelegalperson’sreal-namemobilephonenumber(anewrequirementaddedin2026).
• Ifthebusinessinvolvesbondedwarehousing/processing,anadditional"QualificationApplicationFormforBondedLogisticsEnterprises"(thetemplatecanbedownloadedfromtheofficialwebsiteoftheGeneralAdministrationofCustoms)mustbesubmitted.

Step 3: Selection and application for AEO certification (optional but highly valuable)

Output:

• Evaluatingtheenterprise’sscale:Withanannualimportandexportvolumeof≥5millionUSD,itisrecommendedtoapplyforAEOGeneralCertification(forAdvancedCertification,theannualimportandexportvolumemustbe≥20millionUSDandtheremustbenoviolationrecords).
• Preparethefollowingmaterials:CustomsInspectionReportsofthepastthreeyears(norecordofsmuggling),thepreviousyear’sauditreport,andtheSupplyChainSafetyManagementSystem(whichmustincludeprovisionsondatasecurityandproducttraceability).
• Submitthematerialsthroughthe"AEOCertificationApplication"moduleoftheSingleWindow,andthecustomswillcompletetheon-sitereviewwithin15workingdays(itisnecessarytopreparetheofficepremises,monitoringsystems,andotherhardwareforverificationinadvance).

Step 4: Dynamic Compliance Management (to avoid the expiration of qualifications)

Output:

• Everyquarter,logintothe"QualificationSelf-Check"functionoftheSingleWindowandcheckthefilinginformation(forexample,changestothelegalrepresentativeorbusinessscopemustbeupdatedwithin10workingdays).
• Theagencyisrequiredtoprovidemonthlyscreenshotsofits"singlewindow"qualifications(includingtheAEOlevelandthevalidityperiodofthedigitalcertificate)viatheonlineplatform.Verifytheauthenticity.
• Registerforthe"CustomsEnterpriseManagement"miniprogramandsetupareminderfortheexpirationofqualifications(forexample,thevalidityperiodofthefilingreceiptis3years,soyouneedtostarttheupdateprocess90daysinadvance).

Hidden risk point ignored by 90% of firms: Qualification linkage

Many companies mistakenly believe that "receiving the filing receipt equals compliance",but under the new regulations,the "qualification linkage effect" is the core risk.If the AEO level of the agent company is "general certification",while the client’s core supplier has "advanced certification",the inspection rate of the entire supply chain will be lowered to the level of "general certification".Practical recommendations: When signing the agency contract,require the other party to provide a screenshot of their "Single Window" qualification (which must include their AEO level and the validity period of their digital certificate),and verify its authenticity through the Customs Enterprise Management System (by entering the company’s customs code).

There are three qualification compliance actions that can be implemented today.

• Action1:LogintotheSingleWindow,exporttheenterprisequalificationfilingform,andcheckwhetherthebusinessscopeincludes"importandexportofgoods/technology"(completedin10minutes).
• Action2:ContacttheagencyandrequesttheirAEOcertificationstatusandthevalidityperiodofthedigitalcertificatefor2026(ascreenshotverificationisrequired).
• Action3:Registerthe"CustomsEnterpriseManagement"miniprogramandsetupareminderfortheexpirationofqualifications(forexample,thevalidityperiodofthefilingreceiptis3years,soitneedstobeupdated90daysinadvance).