
Foreign trade agencyExport tax refundWhat is the Basic Process of...?
AgentlyExport tax refundInvolving tripartite collaboration, the standard process includes the following 6 key steps:
- Step 1: Sign agency agreement - Clearly define the division of rights and responsibilities between the agent and the principal, including core clauses such as product details and tax rebate obligation attribution
- Step 2:Export customs clearancedeclare - The agency company uses its own qualifications for customs declaration, ensuring accurate declaration elements such as HS codes and trade terms
- Step 3: Foreign exchange verification - The received amount must match the customs declaration amount, and the bank receipt must indicate the corresponding customs declaration number
- Step 4: VAT special invoice authentication - The input invoices issued by the principal must complete authentication through the invoice platform
- Step 5: Submit tax rebate documents - Complete full document filing within 90 days after export (specific deadline subject to 2025 latest regulations)
- Step 6: Tax authority review - The tax department will verify document consistency and business authenticity, with full electronic review implemented in 2025
What core documents are required for agency export tax rebate in 2025?
According to the requirements of State Taxation Administration Announcement No. 3 of 2025, the essential document checklist includes:
- Basic trade documents
- Export customs declaration form (electronic version requires printed signature)
- Commercial Invoice and packing list
- Original bill of lading/air waybill or electronic release document
- Fund transaction records
- Bank receipt (must show export foreign exchange verification information)
- Agency service fee payment voucher
- Tax-specific documents
- VAT special invoice (deduction copy must complete authentication)
- Export tax rebate application form (latest version must use electronic tax bureau template)
- Agency agreement (requires notarization by a notary office)
How long does the agency export tax rebate cycle take? What factors affect the timeline?
The tax refund cycle in 2025 has been significantly shortened compared to previous years, but is still affected by multiple factors:
- Standard processing cycle: Audit completion within 15 working days from the declaration date (excluding special commodities)
- Expedited channel: Category A taxpayer enterprises can shorten to 7 working days
- Main delay risk points:
- Inconsistent document information (e.g. customs declaration amount differs from foreign exchange receipt amount by more than 5%)
- Cross-departmental data synchronization delays (customs and tax system interface time)
- Commodities involving sensitive categories (e.g. chips, lithium batteries requiring special review)
What are the important changes in the 2025 export tax rebate policy?
This years policy adjustments focus on three key aspects:
- Dynamic adjustment mechanism for refund rates: Quarterly updates of refund rates for 218 HS code items (requires attention to MOF quarterly announcements)
- Digital supervision upgrade:
- Full implementation of blockchain customs declaration verification
- Electronic retention period for export tax refund filing documents extended to 10 years
- New risk control regulations:
- Establishment of export enterprise credit scoring system (CRS score below 60 will trigger manual review)
- Added cross-border fund flow traceability verification requirements
How to avoid common risks in agency export tax rebate?
Based on 20 years of agency experience, we recommend focusing on the following risk control points:
- Four-flow consistency verification: Goods flow, capital flow, document flow, and information flow must completely correspond
- VAT invoice management:
- Ensure suppliers have genuine production capacity
- Input invoice product names must exactly match customs declaration forms
- Foreign exchange management red lines:
- No third-party collection of payments allowed
- Foreign exchange currency must match customs declaration form
- Special business processing:
- Sample exports require separate declaration and cannot be mixed with normal customs declarations
- Returned goods must complete procedures within 12 months after export