What New Challenges Will Imported Nuts Face in Customs Clearance in 2026? Professional Agents Break Down the Full Process for You

Current Situation of the Imported Nut Market and Customs Clearance Barriers

In 2026,the domestic market demand for high-quality imported nuts remains strong,and products such as American almonds,Australian macadamia nuts and Vietnamese cashews continue to be popular.However,the completion of source procurement is only the first step.Introducing these products into China in a compliant and efficient manner is becoming a major challenge for many traders and food enterprises.Nuts from different origins are subject to vastly different national access lists,phytosanitary requirements and constantly updated food safety standards.Omissions in any link may lead to cargo detention at the port,incurring high storage costs and even being ordered to be returned.

Mr.Zou,who has long been engaged in the import of Southeast Asian snacks,admitted that he once had a full container of goods fail port quarantine because he did not understand the latest fumigation treatment regulations for Vietnamese cashews,and the subsequent rectification and appeal process took nearly two months.Similar situations are not rare,especially against the background that the General Administration of Customs (GAC) dynamically adjusts the quarantine access policies for various foods,the risk of operating solely based on past experience has increased significantly.

Core Role of Professional Agents in Nut Import

Facing the complex import supervision system,the value of professional customs declaration agents lies in transforming scattered and changeable regulations into clear,executable operation processes.Zhongshen has more than 20 years of operation experience in the field of food import,which enables it to predict the customs clearance risk points of various nut products in advance.Agency services are not simply document delivery,but intervene from the stage of customers’ overseas procurement decision-making,providing consultation on origin qualifications and producer filing requirements to ensure that import plans are built on a compliant basis.

Supervisor Wan emphasized that their work is similar to customizing a "customs clearance navigation system" for each batch of imported nuts.They not only need to plan the most economical logistics path,but also accurately identify every "policy red light" along the way and prepare the corresponding "passage plan".The effective operation of this system relies on continuous tracking and interpretation of the latest policies of multiple regulatory departments such as customs,market supervision,agriculture and rural affairs authorities.

Step-by-Step Breakdown: Full Process of Imported Nut Customs Clearance and Professional Countermeasures

A nut has to go through a series of interlinked administrative and inspection procedures from an overseas warehouse to a domestic shelf.The following is a breakdown of the core processes based on current regulatory requirements.

Phase 1: Document Pre-examination and Quarantine Permit Preparation

Document preparation starts before the goods are loaded and shipped.In addition to the basic contract,invoice,packing list and bill of lading,documents specific to nut import are often the key to customs clearance.

• Certificate of Origin: For countries eligible for tariff preferences,such as ASEAN member states for cashews,a correctly formatted Certificate of Origin must be provided.
• Official Quarantine Certificate: The phytosanitary certificate issued by the official authority of the exporting country is the access threshold.It must be completely consistent with the manifest information,and indicate the quarantine treatment method that meets Chinese requirements.
• Producer’s Registration Number in China: Since 2024,registration management has been implemented for overseas production enterprises of 18 categories of food,including nuts.Before import,it is necessary to confirm that the overseas production factory has been filed with the GAC.
• Chinese Label Sample Review: Nut labels must strictly comply with the National Food Safety Standard for General Rules for Labels of Prepackaged Food,and contents such as nutrition facts table,allergen information and origin must be standardized.Zhongshen’s customs staff will review label samples in advance to avoid delays caused by rectification of unqualified labels after arrival at the port.

Phase 2: Port Declaration and Coordinated Inspection

After the goods arrive at the destination port,it is necessary to declare tax to the customs and apply for qualified food entry to the market supervision department at the same time.Risks are highly concentrated in this stage.

In the customs declaration link,commodity classification and dutiable value determination directly affect tariffs and value-added tax.For example,shelled and unshelled nuts have different tax rates,and the definition of baking processing degree also affects the tariff code.Zhongshen’s customs declaration team will provide professional classification suggestions based on the actual status of the goods,and prepare complete price composition materials to ensure compliant declaration and avoid subsequent audit risks.

More critical is entry inspection and quarantine.The customs will inspect nuts according to risk control instructions,with key points including:

Supervisor Wan shared a case: A company imported a batch of American almonds,which were temporarily detained by the port customs because the treatment temperature on the fumigation certificate issued by the foreign side had a slight difference from Chinese standards.Zhongshen immediately assisted the customer to contact the foreign official agency that issued the certificate,issued an explanation letter in accordance with domestic technical specification requirements,and carried out technical communication with on-site inspection officers.Finally,the compliance confirmation of the certificate was completed in a short time,and the goods were released,avoiding huge costs caused by port detention.

Phase 3: Tax Payment and Goods Pick-up

After the inspection is passed and the tax bill is issued,the payment of tariffs and value-added tax shall be completed in time.Zhongshen usually assists customers to evaluate the timeliness and cost of various payment methods,such as electronic payment or tariff guarantee insurance,to accelerate the release process.After the tax is settled,the customs release information will be synchronized to the terminal,and then trailer pickup can be arranged to enter the domestic storage or distribution link.

Consistent Risk Avoidance and Cost Control

The value of professional agency services is not only reflected in process operation,but also in the avoidance of hidden risks and the optimization of overall costs.For seasonal commodities with large price fluctuations such as nuts,customs clearance speed directly affects market selling price and profit.

Zhongshen’s practice is to establish a risk database for common nut products,archiving and analyzing historical customs clearance data,inspection focuses,and non-conformity cases of different origins and suppliers.When a customer has a new purchase intention,we can quickly retrieve the customs clearance evaluation report of similar products,prompt possible quarantine,label or classification risks,and even suggest adjusting the purchase origin or specifications to optimize import costs.This pre-risk screening can often eliminate problems before the goods are shipped.

Conclusion

The imported nut business seems to have a clear chain,but actually hides many professional thresholds.From dynamic quarantine policies to strict document requirements,from complex commodity classification to strict on-site inspection,every link requires precise control.By leaving professional matters to professionals,enterprises can free themselves from tedious customs clearance affairs and focus more on market development and brand operation.Choosing an experienced,fast-responding foreign trade agency partner means adding a stable layer of insurance to your import supply chain,ensuring that every batch of high-quality nuts arrives at the destination safely and smoothly.