What is the Export Agency Process? A Full Guide to All Steps

What is the Export Agency Process?Full Process Breakdown and Practical Operation Guide

In 2026,Shanghai’s foreign trade export structure continues to optimize,with small,medium and micro enterprises accounting for over 60% of total exports.However,many enterprises lack foreign trade experience and have only partial understanding of the export agency process.Every link from order confirmation to cargo shipment,foreign exchange settlement and tax refund may lead to pitfalls.Manager Tian from Zhongshen has contacted many clients whose cargo was detained at ports due to process errors.For example,in 2025,a clothing enterprise filled in incorrect declaration elements on the customs declaration form,leading to 7 days of cargo detention at Yangshan Port and direct losses of over RMB 20,000.It can be seen that clear sorting of the export agency process is the premise for efficient export of enterprises.

I.Preparatory Stage: Confirm Agency Cooperation and Qualification Review (Objective: Clarify rights and responsibilities,avoid qualification risks)

The core of this stage is for both parties to confirm the cooperation mode and review necessary qualifications to avoid subsequent disputes.In 2026,Shanghai Customs has stricter qualification review for agency enterprises,so relevant materials should be sorted out in advance.

Key Actions:

• The enterprise signs an agency agreement with Zhongshen,clarifying the agency scope (customs declaration,transportation,tax refund,etc.),fee standards and division of rights and responsibilities;
• The enterprise provides business license and tax registration certificate.Enterprises without import and export rights need to supplement the filing form for foreign trade operators,which Zhongshen can assist in handling;
• Zhongshen reviews product qualifications,and reminds enterprises to supplement the latest 2026 test reports,CCC certification and other documents for special products such as food and cosmetics.

Common Questions:

• Q: Can enterprises without import and export rights hire an agency?
• A: Yes.Zhongshen provides agency services for enterprises without import and export rights,but enterprises need to supplement product commodity inspection materials.Some light industrial products are exempt from CCC certification in 2026,and enterprises can consult Manager Tian in advance for confirmation.

Role of Zhongshen: Sort out the qualification list in advance to avoid enterprises missing required materials; remind enterprises to supplement the latest test reports in time according to 2026 commodity inspection policy updates,saving an average of 3 days of data preparation time.

II.Order and Stock Preparation: Connect Production and Logistics (Objective: Ensure goods meet standards and are delivered on time)

This stage requires connection between production and logistics to avoid space waste caused by stock preparation delay.In 2026,shipping space from Shanghai to Europe is tight during the peak Christmas season,so confirmation should be made in advance.

Key Actions:

• The enterprise signs an export contract with foreign merchants,and Zhongshen assists in reviewing terms such as FOB/CIF trade terms and payment methods;
• The enterprise prepares goods,and Zhongshen reminds that cargo packaging should meet international transportation requirements,such as 21-ton weight limit for shipping containers and buffer packaging for fragile goods;
• Zhongshen confirms shipping space with logistics providers,and reserves shipping space from Shanghai to Hamburg 15 days in advance during peak seasons.

Common Questions:

• Q: What will happen if cargo packaging does not meet requirements?
• A: It may lead to port inspection delay,or even require repackaging.Zhongshen will provide a packaging specification list in advance,and new anti-impact packaging requirements for lithium battery goods were added in 2026.

Role of Zhongshen: Reserves over 1000 shipping spaces in 2026 peak season to help enterprises avoid space shortage; assists in reviewing soft clauses in contracts.For example,an electronic enterprise once faced risks due to the clause "payment after qualified inspection upon arrival" in the contract,and Zhongshen suggested revising it to "payment after confirmation of bill of lading copy".

III.Customs Declaration and Inspection: Core Link of Compliant Customs Clearance (Objective: Achieve fast customs clearance,avoid inspection delay)

In 2026,Shanghai Customs launched the smart customs declaration system.Enterprises with a declaration element error rate exceeding 5% will be subject to key inspection,making this link the core risk point of export agency.

Key Actions:

• Customs declarers of Zhongshen enter the customs declaration form information and submit it to the customs smart declaration system;
• In the commodity inspection link,Zhongshen assists enterprises in making inspection appointments,and provides test reports,packing lists and other materials;
• If inspection is required,Zhongshen arranges special personnel to accompany the inspection,and prepares cargo descriptions,certificates of origin and other materials to avoid cargo detention exceeding 72 hours.

Role of Zhongshen: The customs declaration system has been connected to the new customs platform,with a 2026 declaration pass rate of 98%; has an exclusive coordination mechanism for inspection,and once helped a toy enterprise pass inspection quickly to avoid shipment delay.

IV.International Transportation: Ensure Safe Arrival of Goods (Objective: Deliver goods on time,reduce cargo damage risk)

In 2026,cold chain transportation demand at Shanghai Port increased by 30%,and appropriate transportation methods should be selected according to cargo types in this link.

Key Actions:

• Zhongshen selects transportation methods (sea freight,air freight,railway) according to cargo types (general cargo,dangerous goods,cold chain);
• Arrange domestic transportation (container trucks) from the enterprise warehouse to the port/airport.The priority channel for container trucks at Shanghai Port requires advance reservation in 2026;
• Track transportation trajectory,and feed back cargo location to enterprises in real time through the Zhongshen system,such as trajectory nodes for sea freight to Singapore.

Common Questions:

• Q: What are the precautions for cold chain cargo transportation?
• A: In 2026,Shanghai Customs requires cold chain cargo to provide full-process temperature monitoring records (below -18℃).Zhongshen will connect with cold chain logistics providers in advance to ensure temperature meets requirements.

Role of Zhongshen: Has long-term cooperation with multiple logistics providers at Shanghai Port and Yangshan Port,and can obtain priority loading rights in peak seasons; provides one-stop services such as dangerous goods packaging certificate handling and dangerous goods declaration for dangerous goods,and has helped over 50 chemical enterprises complete dangerous goods export in 2026.

V.Foreign Exchange Receipt,Payment and Settlement: Handle Funds Compliantly (Objective: Receive foreign exchange safely,settle foreign exchange quickly)

In 2026,foreign exchange policies are relaxed,and enterprises can independently choose the time for foreign exchange settlement,but need to comply with foreign exchange declaration requirements.

Key Actions:

• Foreign merchants remit payment to the foreign exchange account of Zhongshen.For letter of credit settlement,Zhongshen reviews the letter of credit terms;
• Zhongshen settles foreign exchange into RMB according to the enterprise’s instructions (at the daily exchange rate,real-time settlement is supported in 2026);
• Provide foreign exchange receipt and payment vouchers,and assist enterprises in completing foreign exchange declaration (declaration needs to be completed within 7 working days).

Common Questions:

• Q: What materials are required for foreign exchange settlement?
• A: Export contract,invoice,packing list and customs declaration form are required.Zhongshen will sort out the full set of materials to avoid repeated submission by enterprises.

Role of Zhongshen: Implements T+1 foreign exchange settlement in 2026,compared with T+3 for ordinary enterprises,helping enterprises recover funds quickly; reviews soft clauses for letter of credit settlement to avoid payment refusal due to clause issues,and helped a machinery enterprise avoid RMB 1 million of payment refusal risk in 2025.

VI.Export Tax Refund: Obtain Tax Refund Quickly (Objective: Shorten tax refund cycle,improve capital turnover rate)

In 2026,the tax refund cycle of Shanghai Tax Bureau is 7-10 working days,and Zhongshen can shorten it to 5 working days due to high credit rating.

Core materials required for export tax refund in 2026:

• Export customs declaration form (special copy for export tax refund)
• Special VAT invoice (deduction copy,needs to be certified within 30 days after issuance)
• Export invoice (needs to be consistent with the customs declaration form)
• Foreign exchange receipt voucher (electronic vouchers are supported in 2026)

Key Actions:

• The enterprise submits tax refund materials to Zhongshen;
• Zhongshen reviews the completeness of materials and enters information into the tax refund system (connected to the new system of the Tax Bureau in 2026);
• Track the tax refund progress,and feed back the arrival status to enterprises in time,for example,a clothing enterprise received tax refund within 5 working days in 2026.

Common Questions:

• Q: How long is the general tax refund cycle?
• A: The average tax refund cycle of Shanghai Tax Bureau is 7-10 working days in 2026,while the average arrival time for Zhongshen clients is 5 working days,2 days faster than ordinary enterprises.

Role of Zhongshen: Remind enterprises to prepare tax refund materials in advance to avoid delay due to incomplete materials; provide personalized guidance according to different tax refund policies for production enterprises and foreign trade enterprises (exemption,credit and refund for production enterprises,exemption and refund for foreign trade enterprises),and has helped over 100 enterprises complete tax refund declaration in 2026.

Core Value of Zhongshen in the Export Agency Process

Zhongshen has been deeply engaged in the industry for 20 years,and can help enterprises avoid risks and improve efficiency in every link:

• Qualification review link: Avoid cooperation delay caused by incomplete materials,saving an average of 3 days;
• Customs declaration and inspection link: 98% declaration pass rate in 2026,inspection time shortened by 40%;
• Foreign exchange settlement link: T+1 settlement,2 days faster than ordinary enterprises;
• Tax refund link: Fund arrival within 5 working days,improving enterprise capital turnover rate by 15%.

Many Shanghai enterprises reported that after choosing Zhongshen,the export process was shortened from 15 days to 10 days,and the tax refund cycle was shortened from 10 days to 5 days.If you have questions about the export agency process,you can contact Manager Tian from Zhongshen for further consultation.