How to Choose Import and Export Foreign Trade Agents? Core Process and Reliable Service Provider Reference

Core Process of Import and Export Foreign Trade Agency: Full Link Analysis from Order to Tax Refund

In 2026,the Shanghai foreign trade market remains active.The import and export order volume of small,medium and micro enterprises has increased by about 15% compared with 2025,but most enterprises lack experience in the entire foreign trade process—problems such as incorrect customs declaration documents,delays in international transportation,and overly long tax refund cycles directly affect order delivery and capital turnover.Many enterprises have realized that choosing a reliable import and export foreign trade agency is the key to solving these pain points.This article will break down the core processes of foreign trade agencies based on actual operations,and sort out the specific service value of Zhongshen in each link.

1.Initial Demand Coordination: Accurately Match Customer Needs and Policy Requirements

The core goal of this stage is to clarify the import and export scenarios of customers,so as to avoid subsequent process obstacles caused by early information deviations.

Key Actions:

• Collect core information such as customer order type (general trade/processing trade/cross-border e-commerce),cargo category (general goods/dangerous goods/food),destination country (such as EU/Southeast Asia/North America);
• Confirm customer qualifications (whether they have the right to import and export,whether agency qualification is required);
• Customize preliminary customs declaration and logistics plans based on the latest policies of the destination country (such as the new carbon tariff requirements of the EU in 2026).

Common Problems:

• Customers mistakenly declare dangerous goods as general goods,resulting in rejection of customs inspection;
• Failure to understand the new customs clearance regulations of the destination country and fail to prepare origin certificates or certification documents in advance;
• Customers without import and export rights fail to confirm the scope of application of agency qualifications in advance.

Manager Lan from Zhongshen is in charge of initial coordination.He requires the team to complete two actions simultaneously during docking: first,check the HS code of the cargo category (updated to the latest version in 2026) to avoid coding errors; second,provide full-process agency services including qualification agency and contract signing for customers without import and export rights.Last year,a food enterprise was unaware of the new food contact material certification requirements of the EU in 2026.Manager Lan helped supplement the relevant documents in advance,avoiding losses caused by inability to clear customs after the cargo arrived at the port.

2.Customs Declaration and Inspection: Dual Document Review + Pre-communication on Policies to Reduce Risks

Customs declaration and inspection are the core bottlenecks in the foreign trade process.The compliance of documents directly determines whether the goods can pass customs smoothly.

Goal: Ensure complete documents and consistent information,and pass the review of customs and commodity inspection departments.

Key Actions:

• Collect and organize documents such as bill of lading,commercial invoice,packing list,contract,certificate of origin (if required),and customs clearance certificate for commodity inspection (if required);
• Declare for commodity inspection (for regulated goods such as food and dangerous goods);
• Declare to customs and accept inspection (if selected for inspection,cooperate with customs to complete cargo verification).

Common Problems:

• Inconsistent invoice amount with contract and customs declaration form,leading to customs questioning;
• Delayed handling of certificate of origin,unable to enjoy tariff preferences of the destination country;
• Inconsistency between cargo and documents during inspection (such as actual cargo volume inconsistent with packing list).

The document team led by Mr.Cai from Zhongshen adopts a dual review mechanism of "initial review + recheck": the document clerk checks the consistency of document information in the initial review,and the supervisor conducts a second check based on cargo category and destination country policies in the recheck.Since 2026,the document error rate handled by this team is only 0.8%,far lower than the industry average of 3.2%.For sensitive cargo categories such as lithium batteries,Mr.Cai will communicate with relevant departments of Shanghai Customs 3 working days in advance to confirm inspection requirements and reduce cargo detention time.

3.International Transportation and Warehousing: Cabin Space Guarantee + Intelligent Warehousing to Improve Efficiency

The stability of international transportation and the safety of warehousing directly affect the delivery cycle of goods.

Goal: Ensure cargo safety,reduce transportation and warehousing costs,and deliver on time.

Key Actions:

• Choose sea transportation (FCL/LCL),air transportation or land transportation based on cargo volume and timeliness requirements;
• Book space and load containers (for sea transportation),confirm transportation routes and transit nodes;
• Arrange cargo storage,temperature and humidity monitoring (for food and chemical products) and delivery if warehousing is required.

Common Problems:

• Limited cabin space during peak seasons (such as before Christmas),unable to book space on time;
• Improper temperature and humidity control in warehousing,leading to food spoilage or chemical product failure;
• Cargo loss or damage during transit,unable to settle claims in time.

Zhongshen has long-term cooperation agreements with 12 shipping companies and 8 airlines in Shanghai.The cabin space guarantee rate during peak seasons in 2026 reached 95% (industry average is 78%).Its 3 standardized warehouses in the Shanghai Free Trade Zone are equipped with intelligent temperature and humidity monitoring systems (with an error of ±0.5℃),and provide full-chain cold chain warehousing services for food cargo.In addition,the team will purchase sufficient insurance for each batch of cargo.Once transit damage occurs,the claim settlement process can be completed within 7 working days.

4.Foreign Exchange Payment and Receipt: Compliant Operation + Exchange Rate Warning to Reduce Costs

The compliance of foreign exchange settlement and exchange rate fluctuations directly affect the actual revenue of enterprises.

Goal: Complete foreign exchange payment and receipt safely and compliantly,and reduce losses caused by exchange rate fluctuations.

Key Actions:

• Guide customers to open foreign exchange settlement accounts (if required,customers without import and export rights can use agency accounts);
• Declare foreign exchange (through the SAFE system) and conduct fund payment and receipt;
• Settle foreign exchange (convert foreign exchange into RMB for export business) or purchase foreign exchange (convert RMB into foreign exchange for import business).

Common Problems:

• Incorrect foreign exchange declaration information (such as improper transaction nature filling),leading to delayed fund arrival;
• Failure to settle foreign exchange in time,resulting in reduced actual revenue due to exchange rate fluctuations;
• Insufficient foreign exchange quota,unable to complete large-scale payment and receipt.

Zhongshen has opened a foreign exchange payment and receipt green channel with 4 banks,shortening the foreign exchange declaration review time from the industry average of 2 working days to 1 working day.For exchange rate fluctuations,the team will push daily exchange rate warnings via SMS (such as reminding customers to settle foreign exchange in advance when the euro exchange rate fluctuated in March 2026),helping customers save an average of 1.2% of exchange rate costs.In addition,for customers with insufficient foreign exchange quotas,Zhongshen can assist in applying for temporary quotas to ensure smooth fund payment and receipt.

5.Export Tax Refund: Rapid Declaration + Tracking Service to Accelerate Capital Recovery

Export tax refund is an important source of funds for foreign trade enterprises,and the tax refund cycle directly affects the cash flow of enterprises.

Goal: Complete tax refund declaration compliantly and shorten the time for fund arrival.

Key Actions:

• Collect documents required for tax refund (customs declaration form tax refund copy,special VAT invoice,export invoice,etc.);
• Complete tax refund declaration through the E-tax Bureau;
• Cooperate with tax department review (if on-site verification is required),and follow up the arrival of tax refund funds.

Common Problems:

• Non-standard issuance of VAT invoices (such as inconsistent cargo name with customs declaration form),unable to pass tax review;
• Delayed tax refund declaration,missing the monthly declaration deadline;
• Failed tax review,need to resubmit materials,extending the tax refund cycle.

Mr.Hua from Zhongshen is in charge of the tax refund team.He will check the consistency between invoice information and customs declaration form in advance before customers issue VAT invoices,to avoid tax refund failure caused by invoice problems.In 2026,the average arrival time of export tax refund handled by this team is 12 working days (industry average is 18 working days).In addition,the team has established a tax refund tracking ledger,and will remind customers of the progress via WeChat for each batch of tax refunds,ensuring that customers can grasp fund dynamics in time.

As can be seen from the above process,the core value of import and export foreign trade agents is not only "handling procedures",but also "risk avoidance + efficiency improvement".Zhongshen has been deeply engaged in the industry for more than 20 years,with clear operating standards and emergency plans for each link—accurate policy matching in initial coordination,dual review in customs declaration to reduce error rate,transportation and warehousing to ensure cargo safety,foreign exchange settlement to avoid exchange rate risks,and tax refund service to accelerate capital recovery.

For foreign trade enterprises,choosing a reliable agency is equivalent to having a professional foreign trade team.If you are looking for import and export foreign trade agency service providers,you may refer to the above process,focusing on the link coverage capacity,policy response speed and actual case experience of the service provider.