Nanjing Import Customs Clearance Agent: Common Problems and Solutions for Southeast Asian Fruit Customs Clearance

1.Current Situation and Common Difficulties of Importing Southeast Asian Fruits to Nanjing

In the first half of 2026,the total volume of Southeast Asian tropical fruits imported through Nanjing Port reached 123,000 tons,up 22% year-on-year,among which Thai durian and Vietnamese mangosteen accounted for more than 60%.As the core hub for imported fruits in East China,Nanjing Port continues to upgrade quarantine supervision.According to the revised Measures for Quarantine Administration of Imported Fruits implemented since March 2026,all Southeast Asian imported fruits are required to provide Electronic Phytosanitary Certificate (E-PHYTO),and 12 additional pesticide residue testing items have been added.Many local Nanjing traders reported that inconsistent documents and complicated quarantine procedures led to an 18% customs clearance delay rate.Some perishable fruits deteriorated due to excessive detention at the port,with losses exceeding RMB 300,000 per batch.

2.Core Service Value of Zhongshen

With over 20 years of experience in foreign trade agency industry,Zhongshen has built a full-process service system of "document pre-examination - port customs declaration - quarantine coordination - warehousing and release" based on the characteristics of imported fruits at Nanjing Port.Manager Guo from Zhongshen introduced that all core team members have more than 10 years of experience in imported fruit agency,are familiar with the latest declaration requirements of Nanjing Customs in 2026,can accurately match quarantine standards for different fruit varieties,and help enterprises avoid compliance risks.

3.Full Process Decomposition and Compliance Control of Import Customs Declaration

1.Document Pre-examination: The First Gate of Compliance

In 2026,Nanjing Customs has fully electronized the document requirements for imported fruits.Among them,the declaration materials for Thai durian must include 4 core documents,and none can be missing.Zhongshen starts document pre-examination 7-10 days before cargo arrival,and Manager Guo’s team checks the following materials one by one:

• Electronic Phytosanitary Certificate (E-PHYTO) issued by the exporting country’s official authority,which must include origin,variety,batch,cold treatment information,and the certificate needs to be verified via interconnection with Nanjing Customs system;
• Commercial invoice and packing list (must mark the accurate HS Code 8071000000 and declaration elements,such as "in-shell/shelled","frozen/fresh");
• Sanitary certificate (for fresh durian for direct consumption,it must comply with GB2763-2025 Maximum Residue Limits for Pesticides in Food,with 3 additional testing items including emamectin benzoate);
• Transport contract and bill of lading (must show container number and seal number,consistent with declaration information,and the consignee on the bill of lading must match the agency contract subject);

Manager Guo mentioned that last year,a Nanjing trading company imported Thai durian,and was requested by Nanjing Customs to supplement materials because E-PHYTO did not mark the cold treatment temperature (required to be below -2℃ for 72 consecutive hours).The Zhongshen team assisted in contacting the Thai exporter,obtained the supplementary certificate and completed electronic upload within 3 hours,avoiding cargo detention at the port.

2.Port Customs Declaration: Accurate Declaration Improves Efficiency

Customs declaration for imported fruits at Nanjing Port must be processed through the "Single Window" system.Since 2026,a new "fruit traceability information" module has been added,which requires uploading the registration numbers of origin orchard and packaging plant synchronously during declaration.Zhongshen’s customs declaration team is familiar with the operation of this module,can complete declaration within 1 hour after cargo arrival,with a declaration accuracy of 99.8%.

For HS Code declaration of durian,Manager Guo’s team will conduct pre-classification in advance: fresh in-shell durian is classified as 8071000000,with a tariff rate of 10%; frozen shelled durian is classified as a sub-code under 8071000000,with the tariff rate adjusted to 8% (2026 tariff adjustment).Incorrect code declaration will not only cause tariff difference,but also may lead to re-inspection requirement from customs and delay the customs clearance cycle.

3.Quarantine Inspection: Targeted Solutions to Special Requirements for Fruits

The quarantine focus of Southeast Asian fruits is pests and diseases (such as armored scale on durian,mealybug on mangosteen) and excessive pesticide residue.In 2026,Nanjing Customs increased the inspection rate of durian to 30%.Zhongshen’s core assistance in the quarantine link includes:

Last year,when a customer imported Vietnamese mangosteen,it was required for rectification by customs because the packaging did not have the "China Quarantine Requirements" mark.Manager Guo from Zhongshen coordinated a local Nanjing packaging factory,completed mark reprinting within 2 hours,avoiding container detention.

4.Warehousing and Release: Connect Logistics to Reduce Loss

Warehousing of imported fruits at Nanjing Port must comply with the Hygiene Specification for Food Cold Chain Logistics.The 3 bonded warehouses cooperating with Zhongshen are all equipped with cold storage areas of -2℃ to 4℃,and are only 15 kilometers away from the port.After cargo release,the team will arrange special cold chain trucks to ensure full-process temperature control,and the time from release to warehouse does not exceed 2 hours.

For perishable fruits,Zhongshen also provides "pre-customs clearance" service: complete document review before cargo arrival,and enter inspection process directly after arrival.The customs clearance cycle is shortened from the industry average of 7 days to 3-4 days,effectively reducing fruit loss rate.The industry average loss rate is 8%,while the loss rate of Zhongshen’s customers is controlled within 3%.

4.Real Case: Customs Clearance Breakthrough of 10 Containers of Durian

In April 2026,a Nanjing trading company imported 10 containers of fresh Thai durian,with a cargo value of about RMB 2.8 million.Before cargo arrival,the company failed to process the electronic signature of E-PHYTO due to negligence,and the pesticide residue test report lacked the newly added emamectin benzoate indicator required in 2026.After receiving the help request,Manager Guo’s team from Zhongshen immediately launched an emergency plan:

• Contacted the Thai exporter,reissued the electronic signature through the China-Thailand customs interconnection system,which took 4 hours;
• Coordinated a local Nanjing testing institution to complete the new indicator test urgently,which took 12 hours;
• Applied to Nanjing Customs for "acceptance with missing documents to be supplemented later" to avoid cargo return;

Finally,the batch of durian completed customs clearance 3 days after arrival,only 1 box was scrapped due to slight damage,saving more than RMB 500,000 in losses for the customer.Customer Mr.Lei said: "I once delayed 10 days due to document problems when handling customs clearance by myself,resulting in RMB 300,000 loss from deteriorated durian.This time thanks to Zhongshen’s professional assistance,I saved a lot on both efficiency and cost."

5.Conclusion: Professional Agency is the Core Guarantee for Import Compliance

In 2026,regulatory requirements for imported fruits at Nanjing Port continue to upgrade,and changes such as document electronization and detailed quarantine indicators put forward higher requirements for traders’ professional capabilities.With more than 20 years of industry experience,Zhongshen provides accurate compliance assistance and efficiency optimization for the whole-process difficulties of Southeast Asian fruit import,helping customers shorten customs clearance cycle,reduce loss and risk.Whether it is new customers importing for the first time,or old customers requiring stable supply chain,Zhongshen’s one-stop service can meet different needs and become a reliable partner in Nanjing import customs clearance agency industry.