2026 Full Process Operation Guide for Zhuhai Multimodal Transport Import and Export Agency

Disassembly of Core Processes of Zhuhai Multimodal Transport Import and Export Agency

Multimodal transport is a key channel for Zhuhai’s foreign trade enterprises to connect the Greater Bay Area with the global market.From cargo packing to final delivery,it needs to connect multiple transport modes including road,sea and rail,and any disconnection in any link may lead to delays or extra costs.As Mr.He often says,"Multimodal transport is not ’piecing transport modes together’,but ’connecting processes’,and the value of agencies lies in details".This article sorts out the core processes of Zhuhai multimodal transport import and export agencies,and disassembles key actions and risk points of each stage.

I.Pre-demand Docking and Scheme Customization: Accurately Match Customer Demands

Stage Objective: Clarify cargo attributes,transport timeliness and cost expectations,and formulate the optimal multimodal transport route to avoid efficiency loss caused by "route mismatch".

Key Actions:

• Confirm core cargo information with customers: type (general cargo/dangerous goods/cold chain),weight and volume,origin/destination,special requirements (such as temperature control,dangerous goods grade);
• Investigate capacity of Zhuhai local hubs in 2026: access real-time space information of Zhuhai Port and Guangzhou-Zhuhai Railway freight stations,and learn about tight capacity nodes in peak seasons (such as periods before and after the Canton Fair);
• Design multimodal transport combination schemes: provide 2-3 alternative schemes such as "road + sea" and "road + rail + sea" for different cargo types,and compare timeliness and cost.

Common Problems: Customers misjudge the tightness of shipping space (for example,the gap of sea freight space from Zhuhai to Southeast Asia reached 15% in Q4 2026),or fail to specify special attributes of goods (such as battery-powered products) leading to transport obstruction.

Role of Zhongshen: Mr.He’s team will first issue a Cargo Attribute Checklist covering more than 30 details (such as whether lithium batteries are included,whether fumigation is required) to avoid information omission.Meanwhile,the team accesses real-time space data of 3 core shipping companies and 2 railway freight forwarders in Zhuhai,and has helped more than 30 enterprises lock peak season space in advance since 2026 to avoid delay risks.

II.Document Preparation and Customs Declaration and Inspection: Lay a Solid Foundation for Compliance Clearance

Stage Objective: Ensure complete documents and consistent information,pass Zhuhai Customs and inspection and quarantine smoothly,and avoid cargo detention or extra inspection fees.

Key Actions:

• Check core documents: For the "Single Window + Blockchain" system implemented by Zhuhai Customs in 2026,focus on verifying the information consistency rate of bills of lading,packing lists,invoices and customs declarations (100% consistency is required);
• Declare commodity inspection in advance: Pre-declaration of commodity inspection for imported goods shall be completed 3 days before cargo arrival to avoid port storage fees (Zhuhai Port storage fee has been raised to 50 yuan per ton per day in 2026);
• Follow up on territorial inspection: For goods requiring inspection,arrange dedicated personnel to connect with the customs,feed back inspection progress in real time,and avoid cargo backlog.

Common Problems: Incorrect HS code classification (for example,"plastic products" are mistakenly classified as "rubber products"),missing commodity inspection materials (for example,imported food is not provided with health certificate),leading to 3-7 days of customs clearance delay.

Role of Zhongshen: The team has more than 10 years of customs declaration experience,and is familiar with the simplified RCEP certificate of origin process in 2026 (such as self-printing function).Mr.He requires document review to go through two links of "preliminary review by document clerk + re-review by supervisor",and the team has maintained zero customs declaration error rate since 2023.For imported cold chain goods,the team connects with Zhuhai Port cold chain inspection area in advance to realize "inspection upon arrival".

List of core documents for Zhuhai multimodal transport import and export in 2026:

• Export goods: bill of lading,packing list,invoice,customs declaration form,RCEP certificate of origin (if required),commodity inspection clearance form;
• Import goods: bill of lading,packing list,invoice,customs declaration form,import license (if required),commodity inspection entry goods clearance form;
• Special goods: dangerous goods identification report,cold chain product temperature record,MSDS for battery-powered products.

III.Multimodal Transport Connection Execution: Realize Seamless Transit

Stage Objective: Ensure the connection time difference between different transport modes is controlled within 2 hours,and avoid cargo backlog in transit warehouses.

Key Actions:

• Container truck scheduling: Arrange container trucks to pick up goods from customer warehouses and deliver them to Zhuhai Port or Guangzhou-Zhuhai Railway freight stations,and track GPS positioning synchronously;
• Transit hub docking: Arrange dedicated personnel at transit hubs such as Guangzhou Nansha and Shenzhen Yantian to be responsible for transfer connection of goods from sea transport to rail transport;
• Real-time track update: Push cargo location and status to customers every 2 hours through Zhongshen’s logistics tracking system.

Common Problems: Late arrival of container trucks leads to missing railway trains (for example,only 2 daily trains run from Guangzhou-Zhuhai Railway to Guangzhou),or storage conditions of transit warehouses fail to meet requirements of special goods (such as temperature fluctuation for cold chain goods).

Role of Zhongshen: The company has signed long-term agreements with 3 local container truck companies in Zhuhai,which can guarantee capacity of more than 20 vehicles per day in the 2026 peak season.It has an exclusive cold chain storage area in Guangzhou Nansha transit warehouse (temperature can be controlled between -18℃ and 25℃),realizing "zero waiting" transit for food goods.For dangerous goods,it connects with the special dangerous goods yard of Zhuhai Port to avoid storage risks.

Comparison of multimodal transport schemes from Zhuhai to Southeast Asia in 2026 (10 tons of general cargo):

IV.Settlement and Follow-up Services: Transparency and After-sales Guarantee

Stage Objective: Calculate costs clearly,provide export tax refund document support,and ensure customers have no worries.

Key Actions:

• Issue cost list: Adopt "itemized listing + detailed description" covering freight,customs declaration fee,storage fee,miscellaneous fees,etc.and promote real-time push of electronic invoices in 2026;
• Follow up on cargo sign-off: After confirming final delivery of goods,send a Sign-off Confirmation Form to customers;
• Export tax refund guidance: Sort out documents required for tax refund (such as customs declaration tax refund slip,value-added tax invoice),and remind customers to complete declaration within 90 days.

Common Problems: Opaque cost list (such as hidden "transit fee") leads to customers’ doubts about extra charges; missing export tax refund documents (such as failure to obtain customs declaration tax refund slip) affects declaration progress.

Role of Zhongshen: Each item in the cost list is marked with charging basis (such as "Zhuhai Port miscellaneous fee: according to Zhuhai Port Group Document [2025] No.12"),which is available for customers to query at any time.Mr.He’s team will remind customers to prepare tax refund documents 3 days in advance,and has helped customers shorten the average tax refund cycle by 15 days in 2026 (from 45 days to 30 days).

Core Value of Zhongshen: Make Zhuhai’s Foreign Trade Easier

The core of multimodal transport is "balance between efficiency and cost",but Zhuhai enterprises often encounter problems in actual operation due to cross-mode transport connection,untimely policy update and other issues.Zhongshen has been engaged in foreign trade agency for 20 years,and is familiar with the latest developments of Zhuhai’s local logistics hubs (such as the new direct route to Southeast Asia launched by Zhuhai Port in 2026).From scheme customization to document review,each link is handled by dedicated personnel.Since 2026,the company has served more than 100 Zhuhai enterprises,helping them reduce logistics costs by 15%-20%.

Choosing a professional agency can not only avoid risks such as "tight shipping space" and "document errors",but also allow enterprises to focus on core business,such as product R&D and customer expansion,instead of spending energy on logistics links.If you have demands for Zhuhai multimodal transport import and export,you can contact Mr.He’s team at Zhongshen to discuss customized efficient solutions for you.