Comprehensive Analysis of Beijing Import Trade Customs Declaration Process and Sorting of Compliance Key Points

Core Processes and Compliance Key Points for Beijing Customs Declaration of Imported European Food

In the first half of 2026,the value of imported European dairy products and prepackaged food through Beijing ports increased by 18% year-on-year.However,many local Beijing-based trading enterprises reported that over 30% of customs clearance delays were caused by inconsistent certificate of origin and deviations in quarantine label details when declaring customs for imported European food.Last week,Mr.Qi from a Beijing food trading company encountered trouble: the baby food imported from Germany was temporarily stored at the port because "the labeling format of the nutrition facts table did not meet the 2026 new regulations of the Beijing Commodity Inspection and Quarantine Bureau.As the delivery deadline was approaching,Mr.Qi was in a panic.

After contacting Director Zuo from Zhongshen,the team assisted him in completing label rectification and document review in only 2 working days,and finally cleared customs smoothly.Behind this is a standardized service system developed by Zhongshen,which has been engaged in import agency for more than 20 years and has mastered the special requirements of customs declaration at Beijing ports.

1.Document Pre-review: Avoid Hidden Compliance Risks in Advance

The document requirements for customs declaration of imported European food are more complicated than ordinary goods.In 2026,the Beijing Commodity Inspection and Quarantine Bureau has added two special requirements for EU food: Organic products must be marked with the EU organic certification code (EC-834/2007 and The nutrition facts table of prepackaged food must comply with the latest bold formatting requirements of GB 28050-2026.Many enterprises,unaware of these regional requirements,only find document issues after the goods arrive at the port,leading to delays.

Zhongshen’s document pre-review service covers the entire chain from the supplier to the port:

• After receiving the bill of lading,invoice and packing list provided by the customer,first check whether the product name matches the HS code (European dairy products often have HS code deviations due to different fermentation methods; Zhongshen’s database can accurately match the 2026 latest tariff schedule);
• For organic food,request the supplier to supplement the EU organic certification certificate and code,and connect to the Beijing Commodity Inspection and Quarantine Bureau’s pre-review system to confirm the validity of the documents;
• Conduct a "double check" on the labels of prepackaged food: check whether the Chinese labels comply with national standards,and verify whether the format and unit of the nutrition facts table meet the 2026 new regulations.

2.Port Customs Declaration: Practical Details of Beijing Customs’ "Local Declaration,Port Release Model

In 2026,the "Local Declaration and Port Release" model implemented by Beijing Customs allows enterprises to declare at their local location (Beijing) and have their goods released at ports such as Tianjin Port and Qingdao Port.However,some imported European food involve "cold chain supervision,and two core details need attention: The real-time cold chain temperature monitoring data must be uploaded to the Beijing Customs system synchronously and The temporary storage warehouse at the port must have the "special food cold chain qualification recognized by the Beijing Commodity Inspection and Quarantine Bureau.

Zhongshen’s customs declaration team maintains regular communication with multiple business divisions of Beijing Customs.The practical customs declaration operations for imported European food are as follows:

• 3 days before the goods arrive at the port,submit the local declaration through the Beijing Customs "Single Window,and upload the cold chain temperature monitoring data.Zhongshen has cooperated with multiple cold chain enterprises to provide real-time data export services;
• If the goods need to be temporarily stored at the port,confirm the warehouse qualification in advance to avoid the goods being transferred due to non-compliant warehouses;
• For high-risk foods (such as baby food),arrange a dedicated person to connect with the customs inspection post,and prepare the "product instructions and test reports required for sample inspection in advance to shorten the inspection time.

3.Commodity Inspection Release: Rapid Customs Clearance Skills under the "Classification Supervision" of Beijing Commodity Inspection and Quarantine Bureau

In 2026,the Beijing Commodity Inspection and Quarantine Bureau implements "classification supervision" for imported food,which is divided into three categories: A,B and C according to the enterprise credit rating and product risk level.European organic food has a relatively low risk level.If the enterprise’s credit rating is Class A,it can enjoy "release first and then inspection; if it is Class B,it needs "release after inspection passes.

The key actions for Zhongshen to help enterprises improve commodity inspection efficiency are as follows:

• Assist customers in completing the "Beijing Commodity Inspection and Quarantine Bureau enterprise credit filing in advance.In 2026,more than 85% of the customers served by Zhongshen have reached Class A credit rating;
• For products that require inspection,connect to the testing institutions recognized by the Beijing Commodity Inspection and Quarantine Bureau in advance,provide sample pre-inspection services to reduce the risk of unqualified sampling;
• If minor problems are found in the sampling inspection (such as deviation of label placement,assist the enterprise to rectify on-site at the port to avoid goods being returned.

Actual Case: Mr.Qi’s Customs Clearance Experience for Imported European Baby Food

Mr.Qi’s company mainly imports European organic food.In May 2026,he imported a batch of baby food from Germany with a value of about 1.2 million yuan.Before the goods arrived at the port,there were two problems in the documents prepared by Mr.Qi himself:

• Although the certificate of origin was issued by the German Chamber of Commerce,it did not mark the "EU organic certification code" (new requirement of Beijing Commodity Inspection and Quarantine Bureau in 2026);
• The "per 100g content column of the nutrition facts table was not bolded as required by China’s national standard GB28050-2026.

After receiving the documents,Director Zuo took action immediately:

• Assist Mr.Qi to contact the German supplier to supplement the organic certification code,and obtained the updated certificate of origin within 3 days through Zhongshen’s international certification connection channel;
• Guide Mr.Qi to adjust the format of the nutrition facts table,connect to the Beijing Commodity Inspection and Quarantine Bureau’s pre-review window,and confirm that the rectified documents meet the requirements;
• After the goods arrived at the port,arrange a dedicated person to follow up the customs inspection,complete customs declaration and commodity inspection in only 1 day,deliver 3 days earlier than the original plan,and avoid a loss of 100,000 yuan in liquidated damages.

Core Value of Zhongshen: From "Passive Response to Active Risk Avoidance

In 2026,the core competition of Beijing import trade has shifted from "price" to "compliance efficiency.The customs declaration of special categories such as European food is a test of the regional service capabilities of agency companies.Zhongshen has formed three core advantages based on more than 20 years of industry accumulation:

• Accurate Regional Policy Interpretation: Establish a policy update database for Beijing Customs and Commodity Inspection and Quarantine Bureau,update more than 10 special requirements for imported food every month;
• Full-chain Resource Connection: Establish long-term cooperation with 12 compliant cold chain warehouses and 8 commodity inspection recognized testing institutions at Beijing ports to shorten resource connection time;
• Pre-positioned Risk Control: Complete document pre-review 7 days before the goods arrive at the port,detect more than 90% of compliance issues in advance to avoid customs clearance delays.

As Mr.Qi said: "In the past,it took at least 7 days to declare customs by myself.Now with the assistance of Zhongshen,it only takes 3 days to clear customs,which not only saves storage and cold chain costs,but also maintains the cooperative trust with chain supermarkets.