Zhongshen Professional Import and Export Operation Right Agency, Shanghai Foreign Trade Agency

I.Preparations: Clarify Qualification Requirements and Material List

The Shanghai foreign trade market continues to release vitality in 2026,and many enterprises plan to expand their international business.However,the first step to carry out import and export trade - applying for import and export operation right,often discourages many enterprises due to complicated processes and cumbersome materials.Without import and export operation right,enterprises cannot conduct independent customs declaration,foreign exchange receipt and settlement,nor enjoy the export tax rebate policy,which directly affects the launch speed of foreign trade business.Based on more than 20 years of agency experience of Zhongshen,this article systematically sorts out the core process of professional import and export operation right agency,helping enterprises clarify key links and avoid pitfalls.

1.1 Objective: Confirm whether the enterprise meets the application conditions,and sort out necessary materials

Before applying for import and export operation right,enterprises need to first confirm whether they meet the basic qualification requirements,so as to avoid repeated submission of materials due to non-compliance with conditions.According to the 2026 application conditions in Shanghai,enterprises need to have basic certificates such as legal business license and tax registration certificate.Some industries (such as food,medical devices) also need to obtain industry permits in advance.

Supervisor Mao from Zhongshen will first communicate with the enterprise to understand its business scope and industry attributes,and help the enterprise check whether its qualifications meet the standards.If the enterprise lacks the industry permit,Supervisor Mao will inform the handling path in advance to avoid blockage in the subsequent process.

Key Actions:

• Check whether the business scope of the enterprise’s business license includes "goods import and export","technology import and export" and other related contents.If not,industrial and commercial alteration shall be handled first
• Sort out the basic certificates of the enterprise (copy of business license,tax registration certificate,organization code certificate,which are replaced by the unified social credit code certificate after the integration of three certificates)
• Confirm whether the enterprise has the industry permit corresponding to the import and export business (such as food business license,medical device business license)

Common Problems:

Enterprises often mistakenly think that they can apply as long as they have a business license,ignoring the requirements of business scope.For example,an electronic enterprise that wanted to export electronic products was rejected after submitting materials because its business license did not include "goods import and export",and it took 10 days to re-handle the industrial and commercial alteration.Zhongshen will help enterprises check the business scope in the early stage.If alteration is needed,we can assist in coordinating with the industrial and commercial department to shorten the handling time.

II.Material Submission and Department Coordination: Promote Multiple Links Collaboratively

2.1 Objective: Submit compliant materials at one time,and coordinate with multiple departments such as commerce authority and customs

The application for import and export operation right involves multiple departments such as the Commerce Commission,customs and foreign exchange administration.Each department has different material requirements.If the materials are incomplete or in wrong format,it will lead to repeated rework.Shanghai launched the "one-stop online service" in 2026,but some enterprises still fail to submit materials successfully because they are not familiar with the system operation.

Manager Wu from Zhongshen is responsible for material review and department coordination.He will first conduct 3 rounds of review on the materials submitted by the enterprise: the first round checks whether the basic certificates are complete,the second round checks whether the material format meets the requirements of each department,and the third round confirms whether the content is accurate.After passing the review,submit the materials through the "one-stop online service" system,and coordinate with the window of the Commerce Commission to follow up the review progress.

Key Actions:

• Submit the "Registration Form of Foreign Trade Operators" and relevant materials to the Commerce Commission
• Apply for the "Registration Certificate of Customs Declaration Unit" from the customs,and submit materials such as enterprise seal and legal person ID card
• Handle foreign exchange registration with the foreign exchange administration to obtain the quota of import and export foreign exchange receipt and payment

Common Problems:

Some enterprises are rejected when submitting materials to the customs due to blurred seal or expired legal person ID card.Zhongshen will check the clarity of the seal in advance and remind enterprises to update expired documents to avoid delays caused by minor problems.For example,in March 2026,a clothing enterprise had an expired legal person ID card,and Manager Wu reminded the enterprise to update it in advance,which only took 2 days to complete the document update and did not affect the overall process.

III.Process Comparison: Efficiency Difference Between Self-handling and Zhongshen Agency

Many enterprises try to handle the import and export operation right by themselves,but due to unfamiliarity with the process and lack of coordination experience,the processing cycle is long and the cost is high.The following is a comparison of core differences between self-handling and Zhongshen agency in the Shanghai market in 2026:

It can be seen from the table that Zhongshen agency can shorten the processing cycle by about 10 days,and avoid the trouble of material rework and department coordination.In May 2026,a new foreign trade enterprise in Shanghai was delayed for 12 days due to incorrect foreign exchange registration materials when handling by itself,while enterprises that chose Zhongshen agency obtained the full set of qualifications in an average of 22 days and successfully carried out their first export business.

IV.Qualification Collection and Follow-up Services: Ensure Smooth Launch of Business

4.1 Objective: Collect the full set of qualifications and provide follow-up business coordination services

After the processing is completed,enterprises need to collect qualification documents such as the "Registration Form of Foreign Trade Operators","Registration Certificate of Customs Declaration Unit" and "Foreign Exchange Registration Certificate".Some enterprises still cannot carry out business smoothly because they are not familiar with the use of these documents.

Ms.Pei from Zhongshen is responsible for qualification collection and follow-up services.After collecting the documents,she will sort all documents into a volume,mark the use scenarios of each document (for example,the registration certificate of customs declaration unit is required for customs declaration),and coordinate with customs brokers and freight forwarding companies for enterprises to help them complete the trial operation of the first import and export business.

Key Actions:

• Collect the full set of qualification documents and sort them into the "Import and Export Qualification Manual"
• Coordinate with customs brokers to explain the customs declaration process and precautions to enterprises
• Assist enterprises to complete the first foreign exchange receipt and payment operation to ensure smooth process

Common Problems:

After obtaining the qualifications,some enterprises delay customs clearance of goods because they are not familiar with the customs declaration process.Ms.Pei from Zhongshen will provide one-on-one customs declaration guidance for enterprises.For example,in April 2026,a machinery enterprise exported equipment for the first time,and Ms.Pei helped check the customs declaration materials in advance to ensure that the goods completed customs clearance within 3 days and avoided storage costs.

V.Core Values of Zhongshen Agency: Efficiency + Compliance + Worry-free

The process of applying for import and export operation right seems fixed,but each link may be delayed due to minor problems,and even affect the subsequent business of the enterprise due to compliance issues.Zhongshen has been deeply engaged in the foreign trade agency industry for more than 20 years,with a professional team (Supervisor Mao,Manager Wu,Ms.Pei and others all have more than 10 years of experience),which can help enterprises:

• Shorten the processing cycle: with rich experience in department coordination,shorten the average cycle from 30 days to 22 days
• Avoid compliance risks: update the changes of Shanghai foreign trade policies in real time to ensure that materials meet the latest requirements
• Save labor cost: no need for enterprise employees to go to service windows or sort out materials,so that they can focus on core business

Since 2026,Zhongshen has handled import and export operation right for more than 120 foreign trade enterprises in Shanghai,among which 95% of the enterprises obtained the qualifications within 25 days and successfully carried out international business.If you plan to expand your foreign trade business,you may choose a professional agency to make the application for import and export operation right more worry-free.