What is an entrusted agency export?

Entrusted agency exportIt refers to the situation where a production enterprise delegates its export operation rights to a qualifiedqualificationsThe company,with the agent responsible for customs declaration and tax rebates,A service model involving the entire process of operations.According to the latest customs data for 2025,approximately 38% of China’s small and medium-sized enterprises adopt this model to conduct cross-border trade.

Why choose export agency instead of self-operated export?

Three core advantages of choosing agency export:

• Lowerqualificationthreshold：Noneedtohandlequalificationssuchasimport-exportrightsorcustomsregistrationindependently.
• Morecost-effective:Reducefixedcostinvestmentssuchasdocumentationteamsandcustomsdeclarationsystems.
• Riskcontrollability:Professionalcompanyhandlingforeignexchangeverificationandcancellation,andothercomplexprocesses

What is the specific process for entrusting an agent to handle export procedures?

The standard business process is divided into five stages:

• Confirmthemetalcompositiontestreport(NeedstoincludeASTM/EN/JISstandardparameters)
  • Pleaseconfirmthetermsoftheagencyagreement.
  • Specifythepaymentsettlementmethod
• Document preparation stage
  • Theagentpreparescustomsdeclarationdocuments.
  • Prepareforeignexchangereceiptandpaymentvoucher
• Customs clearance and transportation phase
  • Agencycompanyhandlingcustomsdeclarationandinspection.
  • :Theagentneedstoarrangeanappropriatemodeoftransportationtoshipthebearingstothecustomerslocation.Whenarrangingtransportation,theagentneedstoconsiderfactorssuchastransportationcost,transportationtime,andtransportationsafety.
• Receipt of foreign exchangeStage
  • Foreignexchangereceiptsupervision
  • RMBsettlementandpayment
• Tax refund declaration stage
  • Theagenthandlesthetaxrefundprocedures.
  • Taxrefundtransferauthorization

How are agency export fees calculated?

The market situation of agency service fees in 2025 is as follows:

• Basicservicefee:0.8%-1.5%ofthecontractamount(includingcustomsclearanceanddocumentationservices)
• • PresentationofL/Cdocuments:800-1500yuanperorder
  • Agencyforexporttaxrebate:5%-8%ofthetaxrebateamount
  :
  • Taxrefundfinancing:0.3%-0.5%pertransaction
  • Documentsubmission:USD80-150persubmission
• Hidden cost warnings: Be wary of ultra-low quotes below 0.5%,as they may carry risks such as transferring terminal fees or amendment charges.

How to choose a reliable export agency company?

It is recommended to evaluate from five dimensions:

• Qualificationreview:VerifytheCustomsAEOcertificationandforeignexchangemanagementclassificationlevel.
• Businessmatchingdegree:Areyoufamiliarwiththecustomsclearancerequirementsofthetargetmarket(suchasEUCEcertification,USFDAregistration)?
• FundSafety:Verifythebankcreditlineandhistoricalperformancerecords.
• :WhetheritsupportsdirectconnectionanddeclarationwiththeElectronicTaxBureau:DoesitsupportdirectERPdataconnectionforcustomsdeclaration?
• EmergencyResponsePlan:Handlingmechanismsforsuddensituationssuchasasuddensurgeininspectionratesandexchangeratefluctuations

Does acting as an export agent affect a company’s tax refund rights?

According to the No.17 Announcement of the State Taxation Administration in 2025,the use of a compliance agent for exports does not affect the right to tax rebates,but the following points should be noted:

• Awrittenagencyagreementmustbesignedandfiledwiththecustoms.
• Thevalue-addedtaxinvoicemustindicatethewords"exportonbehalfof".
• Thecollectionaccountmustbeestablishedasasupervisedaccountundertheagent’soversight.

How to Ensure Payment Security Under an Export Agency Model?

At the contract level:

• Fundsupervision:Paymentandcollectionthroughajointbankaccount.
• Processcontrol:Requesttheagenttoprovidereal-timelogisticstrackingdata.
• Riskhedging:PurchaseExportCreditInsurance(ECI)tocoverbaddebtrisks

What are the restrictions on the agency export of special commodities?

The following products require special qualifications:

• :Theagentisrequiredtoholda"MedicalDeviceBusinessLicense."
• Chemicalproducts:Theagentisrequiredtopossesshazardouschemicalsoperationqualifications.
• FoodCategory:Theagencyisrequiredtocompletehealthregistrationintheimportingcountry(e.g.U.S.FDA,EUEFSA).

Does agency export affect a companys credit accumulation?

According to the 2025 Customs Credit Management Measures,the consignor can accumulate credit in the following ways:

• Requesttheagenttoindicatetheactualcargoowner’sinformationinthe"Remarks"columnofthecustomsdeclarationform.
• Submitperiodicsummaryreportsonexportagencybusinesstocustoms.
• Participateinthe"ChainCredit"programandlinktotheAEOcertificationleveloftheassociatedagent.

What should be considered when transitioning from agency export to self-operated export?

It is recommended to transition in three steps:

• Qualificationtransitionperiod(3-6months):
  • Applyforimportandexportoperationrightssimultaneously.
  • Establishanelectronicportoperatorteam
• Parallel operation period(6-12 months):
  • Newcustomersadopttheself-operatedmodel.
  • Existingcustomersaregraduallytransitioning.
• System transition period:
  • CompletetheintegrationbetweenERPandSingleWindow
  • Establishaforeignexchangeriskmanagementsystem