What basic qualifications are required for export agency?

According to the latest 2025 "Regulations onAccording to the Implementation Rules of the Foreign Trade Law,conducting export agency business requires:

• Enterprisesneedtohavelegalimportandexportqualifications,including::TheprincipalenterprisemustholdaCustomsDeclarationUnitRegistrationCertificate
• ProductComplianceCertificates:Specificcommoditiesrequirequalityinspectionreports,andotherqualificationdocuments
• Foreignexchangesettlementaccount:Aforeignexchangeaccountopenedatadesignatedbank(agencycompanycanassistwiththeprocess)
• Trademethodregistration:Startingfrom2025,anewelectronicfilingsystemwillbeintroduced,andimportersarerequiredtoregisterinadvanceatthecustomssinglewindow

What specific procedures does export customs clearance include?

In 2025,the "Smart Customs Clearance 2.0" system implemented by the General Administration of Customs has already covered major ports.

• Signingofagencyagreement:Thescopeofagency,divisionofresponsibilities,andsettlementmethodsmustbeclearlydefined
• Documentpreparationstage:
  • Commercialinvoice(mustincludeHScode)
  • Packinglist(mustindicategross/netweightandvolume)
  • Certificateoforigin(processedaccordingtothetypeoffreetradeagreement)
• Customs Declaration: Electronic declaration processing time has been shortened to 15 minutes
• Logistics Arrangement: Note the new carbon emission declaration requirements introduced in 2025.
• : Handling cross - border foreign exchange receipts and payments,reporting to the State Administration of Foreign Exchange: Verification through the banks foreign exchange monitoring system is required

How to handletax issues?

In 2025,the tax authorities will strengthen the risk control of export tax rebates:

• Confirmationoftaxrebateeligibility:Manufacturingenterprisesmustcompleteexporttaxrebate(exemption)registration
• Documentmanagementrequirements:
  • ThecertificationcycleforVATspecialinvoiceshasbeenshortenedto3workingdays
  • Customsdeclarationformsandinvoiceinformationmustcompletelymatch
• Agency service fees: Typically charged at 0.8%-1.5% of the cargo value (including documentation fees)
• Compliance risk alert: In 2025,the Golden Tax IV system will strictly investigate the behavior of "exporting on behalf of others".

IV.How to choose a compliant export agency company?

It is recommended to evaluate the agencys qualifications from the following dimensions:

• Industryexperience:Priorityshouldbegiventoserviceproviderswithover5yearsofexperienceinhandlingsimilarproducts
• ScopeofServices:Confirmtheinclusionoffull-processservicescoveringcustomsaffairs,logistics,taxrefunds,etc.
• Compliancerecord:VerifythecompanysAEOcertificationandforeignexchangemanagementclassificationlevel
• CostTransparency:Requestadetailedquotation(includingportcharges,documentationfees,etc.)
• Emergencyresponsecapability:Understandtheexceptionhandlingprocedures(suchasinspections,documentamendments,etc.)

5.Common Misconceptions About Export Agency Services in the 2025 Era

According to the statistics of inspection cases from January to June 2025 of the General Administration of Customs:

• Myth1:Believingexportcanbedonethroughanagencywithoutimport-exportrights(atleastonepartymusthavethequalification)
• Myth2:Thinkingloweragencyfeesmeanbetterdeals(mayimplycompliancerisks)
• Misconception3:Exportdocumentscanbeobtainedretrospectively(thedeclarationcommitmentsystemwillbeimplementedin2025).
• MisconceptionIV:OverlookingtariffpreferencesunderFTAslikeRCEP(potentiallossupto15%incosts)