How to Apply for Export Agency Certificate in 2026? Full Analysis of Core Process

I.Background and Challenges of Mechanical and Electrical Products Export to Vietnam in 2026

According to Vietnam Customs data for the first quarter of 2026,the total value of mechanical and electrical products imported from China reached US$1.23 billion,a year-on-year increase of 18.7%,with small household appliances and construction machinery accounting for more than 60%.However,with Vietnam Customs’ detailed implementation of the Rules of Origin of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and the upgrade of the export agency certificate declaration system,many Chinese export enterprises have encountered new problems: some enterprises have their declarations rejected due to inconsistent document information with the Vietnam Customs database,the "agency qualification filing" link of export agency certificate is delayed by 3-5 working days due to incomplete materials,and even some small enterprises are charged an additional 5% environmental protection tax because they are not familiar with Vietnam’s latest "green tariff" policy.

II.Core Value of Zhongshen’s Export Agency Certificate Service

In response to the above challenges in the Vietnamese market,Zhongshen has established a full-process service system of "policy early warning - document pre-audit - on-site follow-up" based on more than 20 years of foreign trade agency experience.Before the General Administration of Vietnam Customs updated the export agency certificate declaration system at the end of 2025,Supervisor Su of Zhongshen organized the team to complete the testing and connection of the new system,ensuring that clients’ declaration business would not be affected after January 2026; meanwhile,Zhongshen has local liaison specialists in Ho Chi Minh City,Vietnam,who can handle the document verification requirements of customs on site at the first time,which is one of the core reasons why many clients choose Zhongshen.

III.Core Module Breakdown of Export Agency Certificate Application

1.Document Preparation: Vietnam-specific Policy Requirements and Countermeasures

Vietnam Customs has two key changes to the document requirements for export agency certificates in 2026: first,a "notarized certificate of agency relationship" is required (which needs to be certified by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) plus dual certification by the Embassy of Vietnam in China); second,the certificate of origin must be marked as "non-preferential certificate of origin" for some products that enjoy most-favored-nation tariff rates.Many enterprises have their documents returned for reprocessing due to neglecting the "dual certification" link,extending the cycle by 7 working days.

Manager Tao of Zhongshen introduced that the team will conduct "three rounds of verification" before clients submit materials:

• First,check whether the terms of the agency agreement comply with the requirements of Vietnam’s Foreign Trade Agency Law,and clarify core information such as agency authority and product scope;
• Second,confirm whether the type of certificate of origin matches Vietnam’s tariff policy,to avoid a 3%-5% tariff increase due to type error;
• Finally,coordinate with the CCPIT certification window in advance,prioritize the expedited channel for "dual certification",and compress the certification cycle from the conventional 7 working days to 3 working days.

2.System Declaration: Operation Barriers of Vietnam’s New System and Countermeasures

The "VNCS" declaration system launched by Vietnam Customs in 2026 requires that the declaration information of export agency certificates must be completely consistent with the enterprise’s "Foreign Trade Registration Number" (TIN) in Vietnam,and an electronic scanned copy of the agency notarization certificate (with a resolution of no less than 300DPI) must be uploaded.Some enterprises fail to declare due to untimely update of TIN or blurred scanned copies that do not meet the requirements.

Zhongshen completed the permission activation and operation training of the VNCS system in advance.Manager Lu of the team will confirm the validity of the client’s TIN before declaration and provide a scanning format template that meets the requirements; after declaration,he will monitor system feedback in real time,and once there is a rejection (such as missing information),he can complete the correction and resubmit within 1 hour,reducing the declaration cycle from the conventional 5 working days to 2 working days.

3.Customs Clearance Coordination: On-site Inspection Risks at Vietnamese Ports and Countermeasures

Major ports such as Vietnam’s Haiphong Port and Ho Chi Minh Port have increased on-site inspection of export agency certificates in 2026,randomly inspecting 10% of goods and requiring original copies of agency notarization certificates and certificates of origin.Some enterprises have goods detained at the port due to unprepared original documents or inconsistent information between original documents and electronic information,resulting in container detention fees of US$100-150 per day.

Zhongshen’s liaison specialists in Vietnam will communicate with port customs 3 days in advance about the inspection plan,and synchronize all scanned copies of original documents to the client’s back-end system; in case of on-site inspection,the specialist will bring the original documents to the site to cooperate,ensuring that the goods complete customs clearance and release within 24 hours and avoiding the loss of container detention fees.

4.Tax Rebate Coordination: Foreign Exchange Control Connection between Vietnam and China

The State Bank of Vietnam adjusted its foreign exchange settlement policy in 2026,requiring that foreign exchange income from agency exports must be directly remitted to the account of the Chinese agency enterprise,and a matching certificate of "export agency certificate + foreign exchange slip + bill of lading" must be provided.Some enterprises have their tax rebate declarations rejected by the Chinese tax authorities due to incorrect foreign exchange paths.

Manager Gu of Zhongshen is in charge of foreign exchange and tax rebate coordination.He will confirm in advance whether the client’s foreign exchange account supports Vietnamese dong settlement,and establish a "document matching ledger" to ensure that the information of the export agency certificate,foreign exchange slip and bill of lading are completely consistent; during tax rebate declaration,he synchronizes with the "paperless review system" of Chinese tax authorities,reducing the tax rebate cycle from the conventional 15 working days to 10 working days.

IV.How Zhongshen’s Agency Service Improves Customs Clearance Efficiency and Tax Rebate Speed

Based on practice in the Vietnamese market,Zhongshen has achieved two key improvements through "pre-audit + local follow-up + system synchronization":

• Customs clearance efficiency: The document review pass rate increased from the industry average of 85% to 98%,and the customs clearance cycle was shortened from the conventional 7 working days to 3 working days;
• Tax rebate speed: With 100% document matching accuracy,the tax rebate declaration pass rate is 100%,and the cycle is compressed from 15 working days to 10 working days.

In March 2026,a Shanghai-based household appliance enterprise entrusted Zhongshen to handle the export agency certificate for its products exported to Vietnam.Thanks to Zhongshen’s completion of dual certification and TIN audit in advance,the application passed the VNCS system review on the same day of submission,and the goods completed customs clearance in Ho Chi Minh Port in only 24 hours,4 days earlier than the client expected,avoiding the penalty for delayed delivery.

V.Customized Services: Matching Requirements of Different Products and Destination Countries

In addition to the Vietnamese market,Zhongshen also has targeted service solutions for export agency certificate application in other Southeast Asian countries (such as Thailand,Malaysia) and European countries (such as Germany,the Netherlands):

• For Thailand’s "export tax rebate certificate" requirements,pre-coordinate with the Thai tax authorities’ pre-audit system;
• For Germany’s requirement for linking "CE certification" with export agency certificates,provide one-stop review of certification and documents;
• For special products such as chemical products and agricultural products,we assign industry-specific document consultants who are familiar with the regulatory rules.

Clients can contact Zhongshen’s team to develop a customized plan according to their own product type and destination country,ensuring that the entire process of export agency certificate application is compliant and efficient.

In 2026,policy changes and intensified competition in the foreign trade market have put forward higher requirements for the efficiency and compliance of export agency certificate application.Relying on more than 20 years of industry experience and localized service network,Zhongshen can help clients avoid policy barriers and improve customs clearance and tax rebate speed.If you have demand for export agency certificate application,you can choose Zhongshen’s customized agency service according to your own situation to ensure the smooth development of your foreign trade business.