With the full implementation of the RCEP,The annual transaction volume exceeded 15 trillion yuan,and the import and export of goods reached a new high.The demand for this has shifted from traditional to more modern forms of entertainment.The enterprise rapidly penetrated into small and medium-sized brands and cross-border sellers.However,in 2026,the General Administration of Customs issued Document No.28,which imposed stricter requirements on the qualification review and document compliance of agency enterprises.With the workshop-style model of "connections + customs declaration",90% of the companies will trigger regulatory alerts on their first order.

First,the three underlying logics of establishing an agency company (qualifications × risk control × profit model)

II.5 Steps to Building a Compliant and Profitable I/E Agency

Step 1: Obtain qualifications and licenses (to be completed within 30 days)

Output:

• Registeracompany:Thebusinessscopemustinclude"importandexportofgoods"and"importandexportoftechnology".Itisrecommendedtochoosea"limitedliabilitycompany"toreducerisks.
• CustomsRegistration:Logintothe"Internet+Customs"platform,submittheapplicationforthe"RegistrationCertificateforDeclaringUnits",andapplyforitatthesametime.DeclarationUnitRegistrationCode.
• Foreignexchangeaccount:OpenedatabankForeignexchangesettlementaccountItisnecessarytoprovidethecustomsfilingreceipt,businesslicense,etc.(somebanksrequirethelegalrepresentativetobepresentinperson).
• Taxregistration:Gotothetaxbureautohandletheregistrationformalities.For"QualificationIdentification",pleasenotetodistinguishbetweenthetaxrebatepoliciesfor"production-oriented"and"foreigntrade-oriented"enterprises.

Step 2: Building a risk control system (the key step to avoid pitfalls)

Output:

• CustomerDueDiligence:RequirethecustomertoprovideNocreditdefaultcertificate.Thekeypointstobecheckedinclude"abnormalbusinessoperations"and"taxviolations".
• Documentverification:DeployOCRrecognitiontools(suchasAlibabaCloudOCR)toautomaticallychecktheconsistencyofcustomsdeclarationforms,invoices,andpackinglists.Themanualreviewrateshallbenolessthan30%.
• Foreignexchangeriskcontrol:Requireclientstopaya30%depositinadvance(forcross-bordere-commerceclients,thiscanbeshortenedto15%),toavoidtheriskofforeignexchangecontrolarisingfrom"cashondelivery"payments.

Step 3: Service Product Design (from "Price Difference Model" to "Value Model")

Output:

Traditional agents charge 1-3% of the goods value,with low profit margins and intense competition.It is recommended to design three types of service packages:

• BasicPackage(CompliantCustomsClearance):Includescustomsdeclaration,inspection,andlogistics,withafeeof0.8%ofthegoodsvalue.Suitableforsmallandmedium-sizedclients.
• Value-addedpackage(supplychainfinance):Offers"exportcreditinsurance+taxrefundfinancing",withafeeof2%ofthegoodsvalueplusafundingusagefee(annualizedrateof8-12%).
• Customizedpackage(cross-bordercompliance):ForcustomersfromRCEPmembercountries,weprovideCustomsclearanceandtariffplanning,withafeeof500-2,000yuanpershipment.

Step 4: Technical Tool Selection (efficiency increased by 300%)

Output:

• DeclarationSystem:Itisrecommendedtousethestandardversionof"SingleWindow"(free)or"JichingDocumentation"(suitableforcomplexoperations,withanannualfeeof20,000to50,000yuan).
• CustomerManagement:UseOr,localSaaS(suchas"ForeignTradeBull")managescustomergradingandserviceprogress.
• Financialandtaxationtools:Theexporttaxrebatemoduleof"TaxFriend"or"Hangxin"canautomaticallygeneratetaxrebatedeclarationdata.

Step 5: Compliance and Tax Planning (Invisible Sources of Profit)

Output:

90% of agency companies have seen their profits shrink due to improper tax planning.

• Taxrefundplanning:Foreigntradeagentscanchoose"tax-freerefund",whileproduction-orientedenterprises(iftheyhavecooperativefactories)canapplyfor"tax-free,offsetandrefund".Thelatteroptionoffershigherprofits.
• TaxHavens:RegisteringabranchcompanyinfreetradeportssuchasHainanandHengqinallowscompaniestoenjoyrebatesonvalue-addedtaxandcorporateincometax(withamaximumrebateof80%ofthelocalretainedportion).
• Foreignexchangecompliance:Avoidexchangeraterisksthrough"cross-borderRMBsettlement",andatthesametime,preventthe"ant-moving"-stylesplittingoffunds(fundssourceexplanationrequiredforsingletransactionsover50,000).

III.Hidden Risk Points: 90% of Agencies Stumble in These 3 Links

1.Foreign exchange settlement: Some clients request "receiving foreign exchange into personal accounts".If the amount exceeds $50,000 and there is no proof of its legal source,this will trigger an investigation.Anti-money laundering investigationThis led to the account being frozen.

2.Tax Compliance: Confusing the "agency" and "self-operated" models.If the client’s goods are included in the company’s inventory accounting,they will be deemed as "sales transactions",and the company will be required to pay a 13% value-added tax (while the agency model only requires a 6% service fee value-added tax).

3.Supply chain finance: Blindly providing advance financing for clients’ tax refunds,and if the clients provide false documents (such as forged customs declarations),the agent shall bear all legal responsibilities (refer to the case of a Guangzhou-based agency being fined 5 million yuan for providing false documents in 2023).

4.Three actions that can be initiated today

• 1.PolicyResearch:LoginGeneralAdministrationofCustomsofficialwebsiteDownloadthe"ManagementNormsforImportandExportAgents"andmarktheprovisionsthatconflictwithyourownbusinessoperations.
• 2.CompetitorAnalysis:Researchtheservicepackagesofthetopthreelocalagencies(withafocusonthepricingof"value-addedservices")andcreateacomparisontable.
• 3.Companynameverification:Usethe"NationalEnterpriseCreditInformationPublicitySystem"tochecktheintendedcompanynametoensurethattherearenoduplicateorsimilarnames(itisrecommendedtopreparethreealternativenames).