I.German coffeeCore documents: Professional control from preparation to review

The customs clearance efficiency of imported German coffee depends 70% on the completeness and compliance of the documents.As a professionalAgent,In the document processing phase,we established a "three-level review system" to ensure that every document meets the dual requirements of Chinese customs and German exporters.

Essential document checklist(Failure to provide this may result in return shipments or goods being detained in port):

• CommercialInvoice:Itneedstoincludethedescriptionofthegoods(suchas"roastedArabicacoffeebeans,producedinBavaria,Germany"),theunitprice,thetotalamount(consistentwiththecontract),andbesignedbytheGermanexporter.
• PackingList:Itisnecessarytospecifytheweightofeachbox(grossweight/netweight),specifications(suchas25kg/bag),thetotalnumberofboxes,andstrictlycorrespondtothe"numberofpieces"onthebilloflading.
• BillofLading(B/L)orSingle(AWB):Notethatthe"CONSIGNEE"fieldmustbefilledinwiththenameoftheagentcompanyorthecustomsclearanceconsignee(toavoiddirectlydisclosingthefinalbuyer’sinformation),andthe"NOTIFYPARTY"fieldmustincludethecontactinformationofthedomesticparty.
• (C/OorFORME):IfthepreferentialtaxrateoftheChina-EUtradeagreementapplies,youneedtoapplyforaFORME(issuedbytheGermanChamberofCommerce).Otherwise,youneedtoprovideageneralcertificateoforigin.
• HealthCertificate:ItmustbeissuedbytheGermanFederalInstituteforRiskAssessment(BfR)oritsauthorizedagencies,anditmuststatethatit"complieswiththeEUFoodHygieneRegulation(EC852/2004)".
• CertificateofAnalysis(COA):Itmustincludekeyindicatorssuchascaffeinecontent(≥1.2%),moisturecontent(≤12%),andashcontent(≤5%),whichareissuedbyathird-partylaboratoryinGermany(suchasSGS);
• FreeSaleCertificate(FSC):ItcertifiesthatthebatchofcoffeeislegallycirculatingintheGermanmarketandisusuallyissuedbythefoodregulatoryauthorityofthestatewheretheexporterislocated.

Common documentary risks: There was once a client who failed to require the German exporter to mark the "batch number",which resulted in the customs being unable to trace the origin of the goods and was eventually required to conduct a sampling inspection,delaying the process by 15 days.Zhong Shen International Trade Co.Ltd.controls the non-compliance rate of documents to less than 0.5% through a three-step mechanism of "pre-audit - exporter confirmation - customs pre-review".

II.Full-chain logistics management: Optimal solutions from German factories to Chinese warehouses

The logistics of German coffee needs to balance cost and efficiency.Zhong Shen International Trade provides differentiated solutions based on the quantity of the goods (less than 200kg,200kg-20 tons,and more than 20 tons):

Selection of Transportation Modes

• Airfreight(suitableforsmallbatches/urgentorders):FromFrankfurtAirport(FRA)toShanghaiPudongAirport(PVG)directly,thewholejourneytakesabout3-5days.Itisnecessarytoensurethatthe"MAWB/HAWB"oftheairwaybill(AWB)andthecustomsclearancedocumentsareconsistentwitheachother.
• Seafreightfullcontainerload(FCL,suitableforshipmentsover20tons):Preferably,theshippingroutefromthePortofHamburg(HHX)totheShanghaiYangshanPort(SYG)takesabout30days.Pleaseconfirmthetypeofcontainerinadvance(ordinarydrycargocontainersaresufficient.Coffeeisnotatemperature-sensitivecargo,butitneedstobeprotectedfrommoisture).
• SeafreightLCL(suitablefor2-20tons):WhenshippingviaLCLfromthePortofBremen(BRE)tothePortofNingbo(NGB),itisnecessarytopayattentiontothequalificationsoftheLCLcompany’s"CFSwarehouse"(toavoidmixingwithgoodsthathaveunpleasantodors).

2.Key node control

• Bookingstage:Bookashippingslotwiththeshippingcompany/airline15daysinadvanceandconfirmthe"cut-offtime"(e.g.5daysbeforetheship’sdeparture)toavoidhavingthecontainersdischargedduetodelaysindocumentprocessing.
• Supervisionofship/aircraftloading:RequiretheGermanwarehousetoprovide"loadingphotos"(showingthecontainer’ssealnumberandthewaythegoodsarestacked)topreventdamageduringtransportation.
• Pre-arrivaldeclaration:Bysubmittingthe"ManifestPre-entry"throughthe"SingleWindow"oftheChineseCustoms,andsimultaneouslyuploadingthescannedcopiesofthedocuments,the"ReportuponArrival"canbeachieved,andtheaveragecustomsclearancetimeisshortenedto48hours(whichnormallytakes72hours).

Case Reference: A client imported 50 tons of German roasted coffee.Originally,it was planned to ship by sea in a LCL container.After calculation by Zhong Sheng International Trade Co.Ltd.it was decided to use two 20GP full containers (each containing 25 tons),which saved 30% of the logistics cost.Moreover,due to the direct shipping of the full containers,there were only two transfers instead of the original three,and the cargo loss rate was reduced from 5% to 0.8%.

III.International Trade Situation & Compliance Points: 2024 German Coffee Import Risk Warning

Currently,Sino-German trade continues to heat up (with a bilateral trade volume of 235.9 billion euros in 2023),but coffee,as a food product,faces stricter regulation.

1.New EU export regulations: From January 2024,the European Union will implement an upgraded version of the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF),requiring that food exported to non-EU countries must complete pre-declaration in the "EU Food Export System (EUES)".Otherwise,German customs will not release the goods.Zhong Shen International Trade has established cooperation with German customs brokers and can assist clients in uploading data to the EUES system to avoid export delays.

2.China’s import supervision has been upgraded: The Notice No.218 of 2023 issued by the General Administration of Customs requires that all overseas producers of imported food products must complete their registration in the "Registration and Management System for Overseas Producers of Imported Food Products (FAS)" (registration number format: DE + 6 digits).It is particularly important to note the following:The registration is applied for by the overseas production enterprises themselves.Zhong Shen International Trade Co.Ltd.does not provide certification servicesHowever,we can assist clients in verifying whether the production enterprises have been registered (through the "Imported Food Overseas Production Enterprises Information Inquiry" platform on the official website of the General Administration of Customs).

3.VTB’s re-export business to RussiaAdvantages: If the client involves transshipment through Russia (for example,from Germany via the Port of St.Petersburg to China),Zhongshen International Trade Co.Ltd.can assist in completing the foreign exchange settlement through VTB,Russia’s largest commercial bank.VTB enjoys the following advantages in cross-border payments between China and Russia:

• Supportreal-timeexchangebetweenmultiplecurrenciesincludingRMB,ruble,andeuro,reducingtheriskofexchangeratefluctuations;
• DirectlyconnectedtoChinaUnionPayandtheCross-BorderInterbankPaymentSystem(CIPS),thesettlementefficiencyhasbeenimprovedby40%;
• BefamiliarwiththerulesofdataexchangebetweenChineseandRussiancustoms,andbeabletoprovidethe"CertificateofRe-export"uponrequesttoavoidbeingidentifiedas"under-declaringprices".

IV.Full-process practical operation: controlling the 9 key stages from contract signing to delivery

Zhong Shen International Trade Co.Ltd.has refined the process of importing German coffee into China into nine key stages,with "risk alerts" and "customer cooperation items" provided for each stage:

• CustomerInquiry:Itisnecessarytospecifythetypeofcoffee(rawbeans/roastedbeans/instantcoffee),specifications(suchas25kg/bag),andtargetports(Shanghai/Qingdao/Guangzhou).Theagentwillinitiallycalculatethecomprehensivecost(valueofthegoods+seafreight+customsduties+value-addedtax+customsclearancefees).
• NegotiationandContractSigning:Thekeypointsofthereviewincludethe"qualityclauses"inthecontract(suchas"theproportionofdefectivebeansshallbenomorethan3%"),andthe"paymentmethods"(recommendedT/T30%prepayment+70%uponreceiptofthebillofladingcopy,orimmediatepayment).L/C),"DisputeResolution"(agreeingtoapplyChineselaw).
• Orders&Payment:TheagentplacesaPO(purchaseorder)withtheGermanexporteraccordingtothecontractandarrangespaymentsimultaneously(viaSWIFTbanktransfer,withtheremark"paymentforGermancoffeeimports").
• ProductionSupervision:Forcustomizedprocurement(suchasspecificroastingdegrees),agentscanentrustGermanthird-partyinstitutions(suchasTüV)toconducton-sitesupervisiontoensurecompliancewithindicatorssuchas"moisture≤12%"and"aflatoxin≤5μg/kg".
• LogisticsManagement:Asmentionedearlier,thekeypointsaretocontrolthebooking,loadingsupervision,andpre-declarationprocesses,andsimultaneouslysendthe"logisticstrackingform"(includingtheshipname/voyagenumberandestimatedarrivaltime)toclients.
• CustomsCompliance:Theagentisresponsiblefordeclaringtothecustoms(HScode:0901.2100forunroastedanddecaffeinatedcoffee;HScode:0901.2200forroastedordecaffeinatedcoffee),calculatingthecomprehensivetaxrate(8%MFNtariff+13%VAT,witha0%tariffapplicableifaFORMEisprovided),andpayingthetaxesonbehalfoftheclient.Afterpayingthetaxes,theagentwillapplyfora"taxinvoice"(whichtheclientcanusetooffsetVAT).
• DeliveryandDistribution:Aftercustomsclearanceiscompleted,theagentarrangesdomesticlogistics(suchasthroughJDLogistics/Sinotrans)andsupports"door-to-door"delivery(requiringthecustomertoprovidethedeliveryaddressandcontactinformation).
• QualityAssurance:Within7daysafterthecustomerreceivesthegoods,theagentwillassistincontactingathird-partyinspectioncompany(suchasCTI),andifanydamagetothegoodsorsubstandardqualityisfound,thecustomercanclaimcompensationfromtheinsurancecompany(suchasPICC)withthe"UnloadingReport".
• SummaryandFeedback:Theagentprovidesthe"FullProcessImportReport"(includingcostdetails,scannedcopiesofdocuments,andlogisticstrackinginformation).Aftertheclientconfirmsthattheinformationisaccurate,theclientpaystheremainingbalanceandthecooperationiscompleted.

5.Customer Notice: Certification Prompts and Service Boundaries

The import of coffee from Germany may involve the following certifications:Zhong Shen International Trade Co.Ltd.does not provide certification processing services.It is recommended to prepare 6 months in advance):

• EUOrganicCertification(EUOrganic):Ifit’sorganiccoffee,youneedtoprovideanorganiccertificateissuedbyorganizationssuchasECOCERT;
• KosherCertification:FortheJewishmarket,itrequirescertificationbyaJewishreligiousorganization(suchasOKKosher);
• FilingofLabelsforImportedFoodProductsinChina:PrepackagedcoffeemustcomplywiththeGeneralPrinciplesofLabelingforPrepackagedFoods(GB7718-2011)(whichrequireslabelinginformationsuchas"CountryofOrigin:Germany","DomesticAgent:XXX",and"ManufacturingDate:SeePackaging").

Special reminder: For pre-packaged coffee that has not completed the label registration,the customs will require rectification (affixing Chinese labels),which may result in demurrage fees (about 500 yuan/day/box).It is recommended that customers complete the label design and submit the registration before the goods arrive at the port.

Through the above-mentioned full-process professional control,Zhong Shen International Trade Co.Ltd.has assisted more than 120 clients in completing German coffee imports,with the average customs clearance time shortened to 5 working days (the industry average is 7-10 days).The return rate due to non-compliance with documentation requirements is 0%,truly achieving an "efficient,compliant,and worry-free" import agency service.