---
title: "3 Common Problems in Railway Import Customs Clearance? How Agencies Break Through - Zhongshen Trading China"
description: "In 2026，the number of China-Europe Railway Express trains in operation exceeded 18,000，and the proportion of railway imported goods increased by 12% year on year. However，problems such as incorrect or missing customs documents and complex quarantine requirements have given many enterprises a headache. Mr. Ling from a foreign trade agency pointed out that railway import customs clearance should focus on two core aspects: document pre-check and port coordination. Professional agents can help enter..."
url: "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/customs-declaration-knowledge/railway-import-customs-clearance-agent-common-problems-solution.html"
language: "en"
type: "Article"
category: "Customs Declaration Basics"
datePublished: "2026-08-30"
dateModified: "2026-08-30"
brand: "Zhongshen Trading China"
image: "https://cndpic.sh-zhongshen.com/uploads/tradepics/Qc77fRJ5CBJuJ.webp"
---

# 3 Common Problems in Railway Import Customs Clearance? How Agencies Break Through

## Industry Background and Common Pain Points of Railway Import Customs Clearance

In the first half of 2026,the China-Europe Railway Express operated a total of 9,200 trains,a year-on-year increase of 18%; the Central Asia Railway Express operated 3,100 trains,with cargo volume exceeding 2.8 million tons.Railway import has become the preferred channel for many manufacturing enterprises in Shanghai to import machinery parts,chemical raw materials and agricultural products,thanks to its advantages of large cargo capacity,stable delivery time and low cost.However,in actual operation,many enterprises stumble at the customs clearance link: an auto parts enterprise imported steering gears from Germany,but was required by the port customs to return the goods because it failed to provide the SVHC test report under the EU REACH Regulation; a food trader imported sunflower seed oil from Kazakhstan,which was detained at Khorgos Port for more than 10 days due to the expiration of the animal and plant quarantine permit,resulting in deterioration of part of the goods.

![2026 Railway Import Customs Clearance: How Much Time Cost Can Agents Save](https://cndpic.sh-zhongshen.com/uploads/tradepics/Qc77fRJ5CBJuJ.webp)

The core of these problems lies in three major difficulties involved in railway import customs clearance: cross-border document differences,special port supervision requirements,and quarantine process coordination.The certificate formats and customs commodity code classification rules of different countries are different.The requirements of "manifest consolidation" and "transit transport" at railway ports are different from those of sea transportation.Coupled with the fluctuation of the sampling cycle in the quarantine link,enterprises without experience are very likely to encounter pitfalls.

## Core Role of Zhongshen in Railway Import Customs Clearance

Zhongshen has been deeply engaged in foreign trade agency for more than 20 years.In view of the characteristics of railway import,it has established a dedicated customs clearance team.The team members have an average of more than 8 years of experience in operating at core railway ports such as Alashankou,Khorgos and Erenhot,and are familiar with the supervision rules of these ports.Its core role is reflected in three aspects: first,avoid the risk of incorrect or missing documents in advance; second,coordinate the connection of all links at the port; third,respond quickly to emergencies.

For example,in 2025,a shield tunneling machine manufacturer imported core components from Japan and chose railway transportation to Manzhouli Port.When the enterprise declared on its own,it failed to notice the Manzhouli Customs’ requirements for "size declaration of large mechanical parts",resulting in the waybill not matching the declared size.Director Guo of Zhongshen found this problem during the pre-check,immediately contacted the foreign supplier to supplement the size measurement report,and communicated with Manzhouli Customs in advance,finally avoiding goods detention.

## Full Process Breakdown and Compliance Key Points of Railway Import Customs Clearance

### 1.Document Pre-check: Avoid Cross-border Difference Risks in Advance

The document requirements for railway import are more detailed than those for sea transportation,especially for unique documents such as "railway waybill" and "manifest consolidation list".Taking three common railway imported products: machinery parts,chemical raw materials and agricultural products as examples,the core compliance requirements are as follows:

![Railway Import of a Machinery Enterprise: How Agents Resolve Clearance Delays](https://cndpic.sh-zhongshen.com/uploads/tradepics/QcItJOOr6IXHq.webp)

| Imported Product Type | Core Document Requirements | Unique Compliance Points |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Machinery Parts (such as shield tunneling machine components) | Certificate of Origin,CE Certification (EU) / GOST Certification (Central Asia),Railway Waybill,Packing List,Invoice | Required to provide component technical parameter list (consistent with the requirements under customs commodity code 9018-9024) and pre-shipment inspection and quarantine certificate |
| Chemical Raw Materials (such as polyethylene particles) | Dangerous characteristics classification appraisal report,MSDS (16th edition),Certificate of Origin,Railway Waybill | Required to declare UN number,comply with the special requirements for railway transportation in the Regulations on the Safety Management of Hazardous Chemicals |
| Agricultural Products (such as Kazakhstan sunflower seed oil) | Animal and Plant Quarantine Permit,Health Certificate,Certificate of Origin,Railway Waybill | Required to provide genetically modified test report (if applicable),and packaging materials comply with China’s food contact standards |

Director Guo’s team of Zhongshen will complete the document pre-check 7-10 days before the goods are shipped: first,check the validity of the certificate (for example,CE certification must be within the validity period,and the original or certified copy must be provided); second,confirm the accuracy of the customs commodity code classification (for example,an enterprise mistakenly classified "hydraulic pump" as 8413,but the actual code should be 8479.Director Guo’s team corrected it in advance to avoid incorrect tariff rates); third,check whether the "consignee information" and "destination information" on the railway waybill are consistent with the customs declaration form.

### 2.Port Customs Declaration: Coordinate Manifest Consolidation and Transit Connection

Railway ports implement the "manifest consolidation" system - goods of the same batch and same destination can be declared jointly,which can save customs clearance time,but has extremely high requirements for document consistency.In addition,some goods need to be transferred from border ports to inland areas (such as Shanghai),and a "transit transport declaration form" needs to be handled.

Take a chemical enterprise importing polyethylene particles from Germany in 2026 as an example: the goods were transported to Alashankou Port via China-Europe Railway Express and need to be transferred to Shanghai Yangshan Port.Manager Lan of Zhongshen coordinated with Alashankou Customs in advance and uploaded electronic manifest data; when declaring at the port,Manager Lan checked the consistency of the "container number on the railway waybill" and "container number on the packing list" on-site - found that the container number of one container was input incorrectly by the foreign freight forwarder.Manager Lan immediately contacted the freight forwarder to correct it and coordinated the on-site review by the customs.It only took 2 hours to complete the manifest consolidation and transit declaration,saving 5 days compared with the enterprise’s self-declaration.

The unique compliance requirements for railway import customs clearance also include:

- Provide a copy of the railway waybill (stamped with the official seal of the carrier),and the "goods description" on the waybill must be completely consistent with the customs declaration form;
- Transit goods must indicate "railway transportation mode" on the "transit transport declaration form" and provide the supervision site information of the inland customs;
- If the goods are subject to customs inspection,coordinate the "inspection site" with the railway department in advance (the inspection sites at railway ports are mostly different from those at sea ports,and need to be carried out in designated railway supervision warehouses).

### 3.Commodity Inspection (Quarantine): Coordinate Sampling and Release Process

The quarantine requirements for railway import vary according to product types,among which the quarantine process for agricultural products and machinery parts is the most complex.Take sunflower seed oil imported from Kazakhstan as an example: "sensory inspection","acid value test" and "peroxide value test" need to be carried out at the port,and it takes 3-5 days to get the results after sampling; if the inspection fails,re-inspection is required,and the re-inspection cycle is 7 days.

In March 2026,a food trader imported 120 tons of sunflower seed oil from Kazakhstan,which entered the country via Khorgos Port.Ms.Lai of Zhongshen applied for the "animal and plant quarantine permit" for the enterprise in advance,and communicated with the Khorgos Commodity Inspection Bureau before the goods arrived at the port to book the sampling time.After sampling,Ms.Lai tracked the test progress,found that the peroxide value of one batch was slightly higher than the standard limit,immediately contacted the foreign supplier to provide "test reports from other ports of the same batch",and coordinated the commodity inspection bureau for re-inspection - finally the re-inspection passed,and the goods were only detained at the port for 8 days,4 days shorter than the conventional cycle.

The key assistance points of Zhongshen in the commodity inspection link include:

- Apply for quarantine permit in advance (agricultural products need to apply 30 days before the goods are shipped);
- Coordinate the sampling time of commodity inspection (avoid conflict with the port customs declaration time);
- Track the test progress,and provide supplementary materials in time if the inspection fails (such as the supplier’s quality certificate,test reports of the same batch).

## Actual Case: Speed Up Customs Clearance for Shield Tunneling Machine Parts Import

In October 2025,a shield tunneling machine manufacturer in Shanghai imported 12 core hydraulic components from Germany,which were planned to be used in the Shanghai Metro Line 19 project.The goods were transported to Alashankou Port via China-Europe Railway Express.The original planned customs clearance cycle was 15 days,but the project schedule was tight,and the enterprise hoped to shorten it to within 10 days.

Director Guo’s team of Zhongshen found two problems during the document pre-check: first,the CE certification copy was not stamped with the supplier’s official seal; second,the "destination information" on the railway waybill was written as "Urumqi Station",but the actual should be "Alashankou Station transferred to Shanghai".Director Guo immediately contacted the German supplier to send the original CE certification stamped with the official seal again and asked the freight forwarder to correct the destination information on the waybill - all corrections were completed 3 days before the goods were shipped.

After the goods arrived at the port,Manager Lan coordinated with Alashankou Customs to review the electronic data in advance.During the manifest consolidation,it was found that the "seal number" of one container did not match the customs declaration form.Manager Lan immediately contacted the railway department to verify,confirmed that it was an "input error of the seal number",and completed the customs declaration in only 3 hours after on-site correction.In the commodity inspection link,Ms.Lai booked the sampling time in advance,and the test results were obtained in 3 days - finally the entire customs clearance cycle took only 7 days,8 days shorter than the original plan,ensuring the project started on time.

## Summary of Zhongshen’s Value

The core of railway import customs clearance is the balance between "compliance" and "timeliness" - enterprises operating on their own not only need to spend a lot of time learning the supervision rules of different ports,but may also face return or detention due to incorrect or missing documents.With 20 years of industry experience,Zhongshen can help enterprises:

First,avoid compliance risks in advance: avoid returns caused by expired certificates or incorrect codes through document pre-check;

Second,improve customs clearance efficiency: coordinate the connection of all links at the port,shorten the waiting time for manifest consolidation and commodity inspection sampling;

Third,reduce costs: avoid storage fees,detention fees caused by goods detention,and transportation cost losses caused by returns.

For foreign trade enterprises in Shanghai,choosing a professional railway import customs clearance agent can not only solve the immediate customs clearance problems,but also provide guarantee for the long-term stability of cross-border supply chains.

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