Full Process Breakdown of Import and Export Agency: Core Links From Preliminary Connection to Tax Refund Arrival

In Shanghai’s foreign trade market in 2026,more than 70% of small and medium-sized foreign trade enterprises rely on professional agencies to complete import and export business — the compliance of customs declaration and inspection,space locking for international transportation,and the capital recovery speed of export tax refund directly determine an enterprise’s order fulfillment rate and capital turnover efficiency.Many business owners have experienced delays due to unfamiliarity with procedures: for example,Mr.Yang’s electronics order was inspected by customs due to incorrect HS code entry,leading to a 12-day delivery delay; Mr.Zhu’s clothing export had funds tied up for nearly two months due to missing tax refund documents.This article systematically sorts out the core process of import and export agency based on 2026 market conditions,and analyzes the specific role of Zhongshen in each link.

1.Preliminary Connection and Document Audit Stage: The Key to Avoiding Inherent Defects

Stage Objective: Confirm customer needs,organize compliance documents,and clear obstacles for subsequent links.

Key Actions:

• Collectandcheckbasicdocumentsincludingcustomer’simportandexportcontracts,invoices,packinglists;
• VerifycommodityHScode,inspectionrequirements,andcertificateoforiginapplicationrequirements;
• Confirmtransportationmode(sea/air/land)andportofdestinationinformation.

Common Problems: The Regulations on Import Commodity Inspection and Quarantine implemented by Shanghai Customs in 2026 added a new requirement of "pre-declaration for special commodities".Some customers are not familiar with the declaration details of food and medical devices; some enterprises cannot provide valid documents during customs clearance due to incorrect estimation of the certificate of origin processing cycle.

Role of Zhongshen: Manager Qu’s team provides the 2026 Quick Reference Guide for New Commodity Inspection Regulations during connection,and completes pre-inspection declaration for special commodities in advance; for certificate of origin applications,they connect to the green channel of the Shanghai Council for the Promotion of International Trade,and complete processing within 1 working day at the fastest,avoiding delays to subsequent links caused by document issues.

2.Core Implementation Stage of Customs Declaration and Inspection: The Bottleneck of Customs Clearance Efficiency

Stage Objective: Ensure goods pass customs inspection smoothly and complete customs clearance quickly.

Key Actions:

• Declareelectronicdatatocustoms(customsdeclaration,manifestinformation);
• Cooperatewithcustomsinspection(ifrequired);
• Paytariffsandvalue-addedtax(ifrequired).

Common Problems: Shanghai Customs’ 2026 "Smart Inspection" system has higher requirements for declaration data accuracy.A data deviation rate exceeding 0.5% will trigger inspection; some customers confuse the declaration modes of "general trade" and "processing trade",leading to incorrect tariff calculation.

Role of Zhongshen: Manager Pei’s team has an exclusive customs declaration pre-audit system that automatically verifies the matching between HS codes and commodity descriptions.The first-time pass rate of customs declarations in the first half of 2026 reached 98%; for processing trade customers,the team connects with customs manual verification specialists in advance to avoid fines caused by expired manuals.

3.International Transportation and Warehousing Connection Stage: The Defense Line of Cargo Safety

Stage Objective: Ensure cargo is delivered to the port of destination safely and on time.

Key Actions:

• Selecttheoptimaltransportationroutebasedoncommoditycharacteristics(e.g.coldchaincommoditiesareprioritizedfordirectShanghai-Singaporecoldchainshipping);
• Arrangewarehousestorage(ifrequired)andcompletepackingreinforcement;
• Trackcargotransportationtrajectoryandprovidereal-timefeedbacktocustomers.

Common Problems: When global shipping space is tight in 2026,some customers cannot lock space leading to delivery delays; cold chain commodities deteriorate due to improper temperature control.

Role of Zhongshen: Zhongshen has long-term cooperation agreements with 12 shipping companies at Shanghai Port and Yangshan Port,and the space locking rate reached 100% in the first half of 2026; for cold chain commodities,it provides temperature-controlled warehouses (adjustable from -18℃ to 25℃) with real-time temperature monitoring systems,keeping the deterioration rate below 0.1%.

4.Foreign Exchange Settlement and Export Tax Refund Stage: The Core of Capital Recovery

Stage Objective: Complete foreign exchange arrival and tax refund capital recovery quickly.

Key Actions:

• Assistcustomerstoopenforeignexchangeaccounts(ifrequired);
• Auditforeignexchangecollectioncertificatesandcompleteforeignexchangedeclaration;
• Organizetaxrefunddocuments(customsdeclaration,VATinvoice,etc.)anddeclaretaxrefundtotaxauthorities.

Common Problems: Some customers miss filling the "trade mode" field in foreign exchange declaration,leading to delayed foreign exchange settlement; the commodity name on the VAT invoice does not match that on the customs declaration in tax refund documents,resulting in rejection by tax authorities.

Role of Zhongshen: Foreign exchange specialists guide customers to fill out declaration forms in advance,and the average arrival time of foreign exchange settlement in 2026 is 2 working days; Zhongshen has established a three-step process of "document pre-audit - tax system declaration - progress tracking",and the pass rate of tax refund declarations in the first half of 2026 is 99%,with zero rejection cases.

Clarification of Common Misconceptions: 3 Reminders to Avoid Pitfalls

• Misconception1:Agenciesonlyhandlecustomsdeclarationanddonotparticipateinotherlinks—Zhongshenprovidesfull-processservices,noneedforcustomerstoconnectwiththirdparties;
• Misconception2:Smallordersdonotneedanagency,self-operationismorecost-effective—theinspectionrateforsmallordersincreasedto30%in2026,agenciescanhelpavoiddelaypenalties;
• Misconception3:Taxrefundcanonlybedeclaredaftergoodsareexported—Zhongshenconductspre-auditinadvanceandsubmitstheapplicationimmediatelyafterdeparture,shorteningthecapitalrecoverycycle.

In 2026,competition in the foreign trade market is intensifying,and import and export agency is no longer an auxiliary tool,but a core link for enterprises to improve competitiveness.Zhongshen has been deeply engaged in the industry for over 20 years,and can provide customers with accurate solutions at every stage — from interpretation of new regulations in document audit,to pre-audit system for customs declaration,and rapid tax refund declaration,helping customers reduce compliance risks by 30% and shorten process cycles by 40%.If you are looking for a professional agency,feel free to contact Zhongshen,let our experienced team escort your foreign trade business.