I. What is an Entrusted Agency Export Certificate?

The Power of Attorney for Export Agency is a document signed between an export enterprise and a foreign trade agency company.Legal validity document, primarily used to certify the genuine export relationship of goods and the division of rights and responsibilities. According to Announcement No. 38 of the General Administration of Customs in 2025, this certification must include the following elements:

• Complete enterprise information of the principal and the trustee
• Item Details (Product Name, Specifications, Quantity, Amount)
• Export customs clearanceDivision of responsibilities
• Methods for Receiving Payment and Handling Tax Refunds

II. How to Properly Apply for an Entrusted Export Agency Certificate?

The application process is completed in three steps:

• Document preparation phase:
  • Copies of both parties' business licenses and import/export qualifications
  • Sales and Purchase Contract / Production Certification Documents
  • Proforma Invoice and Packing List
• Document signing phase:
  • To be signed by the legal representative or sealed by the authorized representative.
  • Requirements for affixing the chop across the edges (at least 3 locations)
• Filing and Registration Stage:
  • Submit the electronic version through the International Trade Single Window.
  • The paper original shall be retained by the enterprise for future reference (for at least 5 years).

III. What are the common risks in the use of supporting documents?

The 2025 audit cases reveal that the primary risks are concentrated in:

• Dispute over ownership of goods: A certain electromechanical enterprise incurred a loss of 370,000 yuan due to the failure to clearly specify the allocation ratio of logistics costs.
• Tax Refund Liability Dispute: The agency's incomplete qualifications resulted inExport tax refundThe number of failure cases increased by 15% year-on-year.
• Customs inspection response: The new regulation in 2025 requires the submission of complete original supporting documents within 10 minutes during inspection.

4. Are electronic certificates equally valid as paper versions?

According to the revised version of the Electronic Signature Law implemented in March 2025:

• Certified electronic signatures have the same legal effect as physical seals.
• However, the following situations still require the original paper document:
  • Documents presentation under the letter of credit
  • Specific country customs clearance requirements (such as some countries in the Middle East)
  • On-site verification by the Foreign Exchange Administration

5. What is the validity period of the supporting documents?

The validity period varies depending on the type of business:

• General trade: from the date of signingwithin 180 days
• Processing trade: Consistent with the manual validity period
• Cross-border e-commerce: The "one order, one document" principle applies.

Special Notice: In 2025, customs authorities have uncovered multiple cases involving the use of expired certificates, with the maximum penalty reaching up to 30% of the cargo value.

6. How to Verify the Authenticity of an Agency's Qualifications?

It is recommended to verify through three official channels:

• China Customs Enterprise Credit Information Publicity Platform (Real-time Updates)
• State Taxation AdministrationExport tax refundClassification Management Query System
• State Administration of Foreign Exchange Trade in Goods Foreign Exchange Monitoring System

In 2025, a textile exporter failed to verify the agent's qualifications, resulting in the freezing of 1.28 million yuan in export payments. This serves as a cautionary tale.

7. What should I do if the supporting documents are lost?

Remedial measures are divided into emergency handling and formal reapplication:

• Emergency handling:
  • Submit a statement of circumstances to Customs (notarization required).
  • Provide bank receipts and payment records as supporting evidence.
• Official reissuance.:
  • Announcement of invalidation in newspapers (provincial-level or above publications)
  • Re-sign the supporting documents (indicating the reason for reissuance)

8. What additional considerations should be taken for special trade methods?

The following businesses require additional special clauses:

• Market procurement trade: The supervision method 1039 must be indicated.
• Cross-border e-commerce retail export: Clarify overseas warehouse filing information
• Bonded maintenance business: agreed responsibility for the disposal of used parts

The newly added transshipment trade policy for the Hainan Free Trade Port in 2025 requires that supporting documents must include an offshore delivery clause.

IX. What are the key indicators for selecting an agency company?

Recommended assessment from five dimensions:

• Customs credit rating (priority given to AEO Advanced Certification enterprises)
• Industry service experience (at least 3 years of export records for similar products)
• Risk control system (the latest annual audit report shall be provided)
• Emergency response capability (customs inspection response time does not exceed 2 hours)
• Cost transparency (request for a detailed quotation)