Xiamen Customs Import Broker, Solve Core Import Customs Clearance Difficulties

Background and Common Difficulties of Southeast Asian Tropical Fruit Import to Xiamen

In 2026,as a core port on the southeast coast of China,Xiamen saw an 18% year-on-year increase in the import volume of Southeast Asian tropical fruits,among which varieties such as Thai Monthong Durian and Vietnamese red-heart dragon fruit account for over 60%.However,many local Xiamen trading enterprises often encounter the following problems when importing such fresh and perishable products:

• Documents do not meet quarantine requirements: Some phytosanitary certificates provided by suppliers lack key information such as production area batch and cold treatment parameters,leading to port customs detention;
• Poor connection of quarantine procedures: Fresh products require rapid customs clearance,but enterprises are not familiar with the newly implemented 2026 requirement for "Tropical Fruit Irradiation Treatment Certificate",which adds extra inspection time;
• Low port customs clearance efficiency: When self-declaring,enterprises do not understand the latest adjustment of commodity codes on customs declaration forms,leading to multiple returns and modifications,which extends cargo detention time.

Ms.Yang from a Xiamen-based trading company encountered a similar situation: At the end of 2025,she imported 8 containers of Thai durian.Since the quarantine certificate did not mark the specific parameter of "-18℃ cold treatment for 48 hours",the cargo was detained at Xiamen Dongdu Port for 3 days.It not only generated a storage fee of 200 RMB per container per day,but also caused partial durian deterioration,with a total loss exceeding 20,000 RMB.

Core Role of Zhongshen in Tropical Fruit Import Business

Targeting the pain points of importing such fresh and perishable products,Zhongshen,as a service provider focusing on import agency,its core role is reflected in "risk avoidance in advance + precise process connection":

On one hand,we intervene in document review in advance to avoid customs detention caused by incomplete information; on the other hand,we communicate with Xiamen commodity inspection and customs authorities in advance for the special quarantine requirements of tropical fruits,ensuring rapid completion of inspection and release after cargo arrival.When Ms.Yang imported 12 containers of durian again in March 2026,she chose Zhongshen,and the final customs clearance time was shortened from the previous 5 days to 2 days,with no deterioration or customs detention issues at all.

Tropical Fruit Import Process Breakdown and Service Support from Zhongshen

1.Document Pre-Review Stage: Avoid Core Risks in Advance

2026 Document Compliance Requirements for Tropical Fruit Import:

• Official phytosanitary certificate of the exporting country (must mark: origin,variety,cold treatment temperature/time,harmful organism monitoring result);
• Import animal and plant quarantine approval (for approval-required varieties such as durian and mangosteen);
• Commercial invoice (must clearly indicate commodity code,unit price,total amount);
• Irradiation treatment certificate (new requirement for some Southeast Asian production areas in 2026,applicable to varieties such as durian).

Assistance Provided by Zhongshen:

10 days before the import of Ms.Yang’s durian shipment,Supervisor Lu from Zhongshen’s document department coordinated with Ms.Yang on all documents.During review,it was found that the irradiation treatment certificate provided by the Thai supplier lacked "testing institution qualification number",we immediately contacted the supplier for supplement,and simultaneously checked whether the cold treatment parameters on the phytosanitary certificate meet the latest 2026 standards of Xiamen Commodity Inspection.Supervisor Lu also reminded Ms.Yang that the commodity code of durian was adjusted from 080810 to 08081010 in 2026,which must be accurately filled in the invoice to avoid customs declaration errors.

2.Port Customs Declaration Stage: Precisely Meet Customs Requirements

Special Requirements for Tropical Fruit Customs Declaration in 2026:

• Electronic customs declaration must be completed 48 hours before cargo arrival at the port;
• Fresh products must mark "fresh and perishable" in the remark column of the customs declaration form to apply for priority review;
• Commodity codes must strictly correspond to the latest 2026 tariff schedule (e.g.dragon fruit has different codes for fresh products and frozen products).

Assistance Provided by Zhongshen:

Manager Wu from Zhongshen’s customs declaration department obtained the cargo bill of lading information 3 days in advance,and completed electronic declaration 48 hours before cargo arrival at the port.Since the commodity code was checked in advance,we received the "electronic release" receipt from customs within 1 hour after declaration.Meanwhile,Manager Wu applied for priority inspection for fresh products through the green channel established between Zhongshen and Xiamen Customs,avoiding queuing for regular inspection.

3.Port Quarantine Stage: Complete Inspection and Release Rapidly

Core Requirements for Tropical Fruit Quarantine in 2026:

• On-site quarantine to check for harmful organisms such as fruit flies and scale insects;
• On-site verification records of cold treatment/irradiation treatment (e.g.thermometer calibration certificate) are required;
• Some varieties require sampling for laboratory testing (testing usually takes 1-2 days,and fresh products can apply for expedited processing).

Assistance Provided by Zhongshen:

Before cargo arrival at the port,Ms.Yu,the quarantine liaison specialist of Zhongshen,reserved the quarantine time with Xiamen Commodity Inspection Department in advance.Within 2 hours after cargo arrival,Ms.Yu accompanied the quarantine officers to complete on-site quarantine,and provided the pre-prepared irradiation treatment verification record and thermometer calibration certificate.Due to complete documentation,the commodity inspection department did not require sampling testing,and issued the "quarantine release note" on the same day,and the cargo was directly transported to the cold chain warehouse in Xiamen.

Comparison between Self-Operation and Agency Operation

Value Summary of Zhongshen’s Professional Agency Service

For import enterprises in Xiamen,the core value of choosing a professional customs import agency is not only "handling procedures on behalf of clients",but also "avoiding risks in advance + improving efficiency".For fresh and perishable products such as tropical fruits,Zhongshen achieves this through:

• Intervening in document review 10 days in advance to ensure all documents meet the latest 2026 compliance requirements;
• The green channel established with commodity inspection and customs authorities shortens the quarantine and inspection time for fresh products;
• The professional team masters real-time updates of commodity codes and tariff schedules to avoid declaration errors.

Ultimately,it helps enterprises reduce cargo detention time,cut down storage fees and loss costs,and avoid customs detention risks caused by non-compliant documents and unqualified quarantine.As Ms.Yang said: "I used to handle customs declaration by myself,and worried about cargo detention every day.Now I hand it over to Zhongshen,I only need to coordinate once,and don’t have to worry about the rest.The efficiency is more than doubled compared to before."