What is import and export agency rights? What is the essential difference from self-operated import and export rights?

According to the Foreign Trade Law of the Peoples Republic of China and the latest interpretation by the General Administration of Customs in 2025,Import and export agency rightsRefers to qualified enterprises accepting commissions to handle the entire import/export process including customs clearance, foreign exchange verification, and tax declaration in their own name as legally authorized. The key differences from self-operated import/export rights are:

• Legal entity: The agent acts as the declarant and bears customs liabilities
• Business nature: Does not involve transfer of goods ownership
• Fund flow: The principal settles directly with overseas trading parties

What practical problems can choosing an agency service provider solve?

When serving Fortune 500 clients, we found enterprises choose import/export agency services mainly due to these pain points:

• Lack of qualifications: Newly established enterprises havent completed customs registration (as of 2025 the registration cycle still requires 20 working days)
• Document processing: 3 new elements added after the 2025 electronic port system upgradecustoms clearanceSingle element
• Risk of compliance: 13 latest trade control measures involved in cross-border transactions
• Cost ControlAnnual operating costs for in-house foreign trade teams exceed 800,000 yuan

What core modules does import and export agency service include?

Professional service providers should offer end-to-end solutions:

• Customs clearance services
  • HS code classification (2025 tariff adds 1,200 new subcategories)
  • Intelligent customs declaration pre-review system
• Tax management
  • Export tax refundExpress channel (2025 tax refund cycle reduced to 7 working days)
  • Cross-border tax planning
• Logistics supervision
  • Exclusive customs clearance benefits for AEO-certified enterprises
  • Logistics solutions for special supervision zones

How to determine whether a service provider has legal qualifications?

2025 latest inspection methods:

• Please check on the "China Customs Enterprise Import and Export Credit Information Publicity Platform".
• Verify the validity period of the Customs Declaration Unit Registration Certificate
• Inspect the registration in the Trade Foreign Exchange Receipts and Payments Enterprise Directory issued by SAFE
• Require presentation of proof of no administrative penalty records in the past three years

How does agency service ensure enterprise fund safety?

Prevent risks through three core mechanisms:

• Fund segregation system: Clients payment directly transferred to overseas customers
• Dual supervision account: Joint fund monitoring system by bank + customs
• Credit insurance coverage2025 new edition export credit insurance terms add exchange rate fluctuation protection

What are the typical charging models for import and export agency services?

Based on our experience serving 300+ enterprises, common fee structures include:

• Basic service fee: 0.8%-1.5% of cargo value (including customs declaration, inspection, and documentation)
• Value-added service fee: Special document preparation (e.g. certificate of origin) 200-500 RMB per document
• Risk deposit: 5%-10% of cargo value (negotiable to use bank guarantee as alternative)

What responsibilities does the agency bear in case of trade disputes?

Special attention should be paid to the liability boundaries stipulated in the contract:

• Agents typically bear procedural liabilities (such as demurrage caused by documentation errors)
• Substantive liabilities (such as quality disputes) remain with the principal
• Recommend purchasing professional liability insurance (2025 market introduces new customs declaration error insurance products)

What additional qualifications are required for special commodity import and export?

Key supervision areas in 2025:

• Medical devices: New edition Import Medical Device Registration Certificate electronic verification system
• Food category: Updated List of Registered Overseas Manufacturers by the General Administration of Customs
• Chemical products: 15 newly added restricted import substances by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment