Full Process Guide for Entrusted Export Agency

Market Background and Common Challenges of Electric Tool Export to the EU

In 2026,the EU’s demand for electric tools continues to rise,especially cordless lithium-ion products,with an annual growth rate staying above 8%.However,many local Shanghai enterprises have reported that they often get stuck in compliance review,customs clearance timeliness and tax refund cycles during the export process.For example,a hardware enterprise exported lithium drills to Germany last year,and was detained by EU customs due to non-compliant format of the CE Declaration of Conformity,delaying delivery by 12 days and directly affecting its cooperation with local dealers.

Core Service Value of Zhongshen for EU Export

As a customs union,the EU implements unified trade rules,but different member states have slightly different interpretations of product certification and tariff codes.Zhongshen has been deeply engaged in the industry for over 20 years,served more than 300 electric tool export enterprises,and can accurately meet the policy requirements of EU regulations such as the new General Product Safety Directive (GPSD) and RoHS 2.0.It provides whole-process connected services from document pre-audit to customs clearance completion,and then to tax refund declaration.

1.Document Preparation Module: EU-specific Compliance Requirements and Countermeasures

The EU’s review of export documents is more detailed than other regions,and the core requirements include:

• The CE Declaration of Conformity must be signed by an EU Authorized Representative (EC Representative),and must include 12 mandatory items such as product model,risk level,and manufacturer information;
• The RoHS 2.0 test report must cover 10 restricted substances (newly added DEHP,BBP,etc.),and the testing institution must hold NB (Notified Body) qualification recognized by the EU;
• The EU HS code must be accurate to 8 digits,and some member states have special provisions for tariff classification of electric tools (for example,Germany requires an additional note "removable lithium battery" for HS code 850810 of lithium electric drills).

Zhongshen’s solution: General Manager Cao led the establishment of a special EU document pre-audit team,which confirms product parameters with customers 10 working days in advance,coordinates with the EU authorized representative to complete the declaration signing,and matches test reports from NB institutions such as TÜV Germany to ensure documents 100% meet the requirements of the destination country.Last year,a customer’s declaration was rejected by French customs due to incorrect HS code,and Zhongshen completed code correction and re-declaration in only 2 working days,avoiding goods demurrage.

2.Customs Clearance Operation Module: Differentiated Processes and Risk Control at EU Ports

Customs clearance procedures differ among major EU ports (Hamburg,Rotterdam,Antwerp),and the EU rolled out the "Single Window" upgrade in 2026,which puts forward higher requirements for the accuracy of electronic data transmission.Common risk points include:

Zhongshen has established direct connection channels with customs brokers at the three major EU ports.Last year,the average customs clearance lead time for electric tool exports handled by Zhongshen was 3.2 days,1.8 days faster than the industry average.For example,Supervisor Pan once handled a shipment of lithium electric saws bound for the Netherlands.Due to system upgrade at Port of Rotterdam,electronic data transmission was delayed.Zhongshen directly coordinated with on-site port staff and completed customs clearance through the manual review channel,which only took 2 days.

3.Export Tax Refund Module: Declaration Optimization Under the China-EU Tax Treaty

The tax treaty between China and the EU was updated in 2026,and the tax refund policy for mechanical and electrical products exported to the EU has been adjusted slightly.The core requirements include:

• Export tax refund declaration requires the EU Customs Exit Certificate (ECD),and the cargo description on the ECD must be completely consistent with that on the customs declaration form;
• For enterprises adopting the "pay first,refund later" mechanism,the scanned copy of the deduction coupon of the special VAT invoice is required,and the invoice issuing date must be within 30 days before the cargo departs;
• Some member states (such as France) require a "final sales certificate" to confirm that the goods are not resold within the EU.

Zhongshen’s tax refund team has established a "green channel" with Shanghai tax authorities.When all documents are complete,the tax refund approval cycle can be shortened to 7-10 working days,compared with the industry average of 15-20 working days.Manager Yuan once handled a tax refund declaration where an extra letter was added to the product model on the ECD.Zhongshen contacted EU customs to correct and reissue the certificate on the same day,avoiding tax refund delay.

Key to Improving Efficiency of Entrusted Export

Based on 20 years of experience,Zhongshen concludes that the core of improving export efficiency lies in "pre-audit + data synchronization":

• Pre-audit: Complete comprehensive review of documents and certification before cargo packing,avoid demurrage at port due to document issues after arrival;
• Data synchronization: Share customs declaration,customs clearance and tax refund data in real time through internal system,connect all links seamlessly,reduce time wasted on repeated document submission.

Last year,a Shanghai enterprise exported electric tools to the EU via Zhongshen,the overall process was shortened from the original 25 days to 18 days,and the tax refund arrival time was shortened from 18 days to 9 days,directly improving the enterprise’s capital turnover efficiency.

Customized Services Adapt to Different Products and Destination Countries

Requirements vary greatly among different products (such as electric tools,household goods) and different EU member states (such as Germany,Spain).Zhongshen provides customized agency solutions according to customers’ specific needs:

• For enterprises exporting to the EU for the first time,we provide one-on-one counseling,full-process guidance from product certification to market access;
• For long-term cooperative enterprises,we provide quarterly compliance update service,and timely inform of EU policy changes such as the new restricted substances under RoHS 2.0 in 2026.

Whether you are exporting electric tools to Germany or household goods to Spain,Zhongshen can match the corresponding service modules according to the policy requirements of the destination country to ensure a smooth and efficient export process.