Practical Guide to Full Process of Import Customs Clearance Agency at Nanjing Airport

Analysis on Core Process of Import Customs Clearance Agency at Nanjing Airport

In 2026,the import scale of cross-border e-commerce in the Yangtze River Delta increased by 18% compared with 2025,and general trade import also maintained double-digit growth.As an important aviation hub in East China,Nanjing Lukou International Airport continues to see rising import cargo throughput.However,import customs clearance involves multiple links including document review,tax calculation,on-site inspection,etc.A slight negligence may lead to cargo detention,incur delayed declaration demurrage,and even affect the stability of enterprise supply chain.Many enterprises choose professional agency companies to handle Nanjing Airport import customs clearance business.Combining more than 20 years of practical experience of Zhongshen,this article systematically sorts out its core process and risk control points.

1.Preparatory Stage: Complete Documents are the Foundation of Customs Clearance

The core goal of this stage is to ensure that cargo qualification meets import requirements,and all documents are pre-audited in advance to avoid declaration delay caused by missing information.

Key actions include:

• Confirm the HS Code of the goods and regulatory conditions,for example,food needs to provide sanitary certificates,and electronic products need to provide 3C Certification;
• Collect and organize basic documents such as bill of lading,invoice,packing list,contract,etc.;
• Pre-audit special documents,such as endangered species permits,certificates of origin,etc.

Common problems: Some enterprises are not familiar with the latest regulatory policies in 2026,resulting in wrong HS Code classification,or special documents not processed in advance.Take a batch of imported cosmetics from an e-commerce enterprise in March 2026 as an example,the enterprise failed to notice the newly introduced ingredient testing requirements,resulting in non-compliant sanitary certificate,and the goods were detained in the airport warehouse for 3 days.

Role of Zhongshen at this stage: Supervisor Yuan leads document pre-audit,contacts customers 3 working days in advance to confirm all materials,provides professional suggestions for HS Code classification,and coordinates with relevant institutions to handle certificates in advance if special regulatory conditions are involved.Since 2026,it has helped more than 120 customers avoid customs clearance delay caused by document problems.

2.Pre-arrival Declaration Stage: Advance Declaration Improves Customs Clearance Efficiency

The goal of this stage is to complete electronic declaration before goods arrive at Nanjing Airport,and use the "advance declaration" policy to shorten the overall customs clearance time.

Key actions include:

• Enter customs declaration information based on manifest data and submit to the customs electronic declaration system;
• Confirm that manifest information is consistent with actual cargo information to avoid "discrepancy between declaration and cargo";
• Track declaration status and handle customs rejection feedback in time.

Common problems: Manifest information is not updated in time,resulting in inconsistency between declaration data and actual cargo weight and number of packages; some enterprises get their declarations rejected for modification due to non-standard filling of declaration data.

Role of Zhongshen at this stage: Supervisor Shi is responsible for contacting airlines to obtain the latest manifest information,completes electronic declaration 24 hours in advance,and coordinates with airlines to correct errors immediately once manifest error occurs.In the first half of 2026,the declaration rejection rate was only 1.2%,far lower than the industry average of 3.5%.

3.On-site Inspection and Release Stage: Efficient Cooperation Ensures Smooth Customs Clearance

The goal of this stage is to cooperate with customs inspection,accurately calculate and pay taxes in time to ensure rapid release of goods.

Key actions include:

• Arrange dedicated staff to the airport inspection site according to customs inspection instructions;
• Assist customs in unpacking inspection and check whether goods are consistent with declaration information;
• Calculate import tariff,value-added tax and consumption tax,and pay taxes through electronic payment system.

Common problems: Inconsistency between goods and declaration information is found during inspection,and goods are detained by customs; wrong tax calculation leads to overpayment or underpayment,which affects release progress.

Role of Zhongshen at this stage: Director Guan coordinates inspection matters on-site throughout the process,prepares required cargo list and samples in advance,and has established a system that automatically matches the latest 2026 tariff rates for tax calculation.Since 2026,there has been no tax calculation error,and the inspection cooperation pass rate reaches 98%.

4.Subsequent Delivery and Settlement Stage: Seamless Connection Ensures Cargo Delivery

The goal of this stage is to complete the delivery of goods from the airport warehouse to the customer’s designated location,and clearly calculate agency fees to avoid disputes.

Key actions include:

• Arrange warehousing or direct pickup according to customer needs,and the cooperative warehouse at Nanjing Airport can provide 24-hour warehousing service;
• Check all cost details,including customs declaration fee,inspection fee,warehousing fee,transportation fee,etc.;
• Complete settlement after confirming with the customer that all fees are correct.

Common problems: Poor connection between warehousing and transportation leads to delayed cargo delivery; unclear cost details cause customer doubts.

Role of Zhongshen at this stage: General Manager Ling is responsible for the connection of warehousing and transportation,confirms delivery time and location with customers in advance,all cost details are generated by the system and sent to customers for check in advance.Since 2026,customer satisfaction with cost transparency has reached 99%.

Import customs clearance at Nanjing Airport involves multiple links,and each link may have potential risks.The role of a professional agency is not only to complete process operations,but also to avoid risks and improve efficiency in advance.Zhongshen has been deeply engaged in the foreign trade agency industry for 20+ years,and has established a full-process management system from document pre-audit to subsequent delivery for Nanjing Airport import customs clearance business,with dedicated personnel in charge of each link to ensure fast customs clearance for customers’ goods.

If you have demand for Nanjing Airport import customs clearance,you can contact our professional team to avoid losses caused by improper operation.Zhongshen will provide you with customized agency solutions to help enterprises carry out import business smoothly.