Zhongshen: Summary of Compliance Key Points for US Cargo Import Customs Declaration

US Cargo Import Customs Declaration: Current Market Background and Common Difficulties

Since 2026,trade exchanges between China and the United States in high-end manufacturing,agricultural products,biomedicine and other fields have maintained steady growth.Many enterprises in Shanghai and surrounding areas choose to import chips,medical devices,organic agricultural products and other products from the US,but they often encounter risks of document delay,inspection detention and even cargo return due to unfamiliarity with US export controls and Chinese quarantine standards during customs clearance.

Take the experience of Mr.Jiang from an electronic trading company as an example: Last year,he imported a batch of industrial chips from the US.As he failed to confirm the export control code of the chips in advance,the customs required supplementary export license documents from the US Department of Commerce after the cargo arrived at the port,resulting in 10 days of port detention,and only the storage fee cost nearly 20,000 RMB more.Similar problems are also common in the import of food,wood and other categories -- US organic agricultural products need to provide organic certification issued by USDA,and wooden packaging needs to be affixed with IPPC marks.If these details are missed,it will directly affect the customs clearance progress.

Core Service Value of Zhongshen in US Cargo Imports

Zhongshen has been deeply engaged in foreign trade agency for over 20 years,and has formed a set of "pre-review + dynamic tracking + compliance guarantee" service system for US import business.Unlike ordinary agencies that only handle document submission,Zhongshen intervenes before cargo shipment,and customizes customs clearance solutions for different cargo categories based on the latest 2026 China-US trade policies and the inspection priorities of Chinese Customs for US cargo.

For example,for electronic products imported from the US,Zhongshen will check the validity of FCC certification in advance; for food products,it will confirm whether the format of the US health certificate meets the requirements of Chinese Customs.Last year,Ms.Qian from a food trading company imported blueberries from the US.As the health certificate provided by the US supplier lacked "origin quarantine batch number",General Manager Yan of Zhongshen detected the problem in advance and coordinated the US party to resend the document,avoiding the problem that the cargo could not be declared after arriving at the port.

1.Pre-shipment Document Pre-review: Avoid Dual Compliance Risks of US Export and Chinese Import

Document requirements for US cargo imports are more complex than those of ordinary countries,and need to meet the dual standards of US export control and Chinese import quarantine at the same time.Zhongshen’s document pre-review process focuses on the following contents:

• US export side: High-tech products such as chips need to provide EAR export license issued by the US Department of Commerce (if involved in the control list),FCC ID (electronic products),FDA 510(k) certification (medical devices);
• Chinese import side: Need to confirm the accuracy of tariff code (HS code) (some US agricultural product tariff codes were adjusted in 2026),animal and plant quarantine permit (agricultural products),IPPC marking certificate for wooden packaging;
• Other required documents: Commercial invoice,packing list,bill of lading (confirmation is required in advance for telex release),certificate of origin (eligible for tariff preference).

In March 2026,Mr.Hu from a biomedicine company imported a batch of diagnostic reagents from the US.Zhongshen found that the FDA certification number of the reagents had expired during pre-review,and immediately notified the US party to update the certification document.The goods passed inspection smoothly after arriving at the port,and completed customs clearance 3 days earlier than originally planned.

2.Port Customs Declaration: Inspection Priorities and Rapid Response for US Cargo

In recent years,the inspection rate of Chinese Customs for US imported goods has remained at around 12%,which is higher than the average level of other countries.The inspection focuses on:

Zhongshen has fixed dedicated contact personnel at all ports in Shanghai.If US cargo is inspected,staff can arrive at the site within 1 hour to assist unpacking inspection and prepare supplementary documents.Last year,Supervisor Xie from a furniture trading company imported solid wood furniture from the US.The cargo was inspected because the IPPC marking on the wooden packaging was blurred.Zhongshen’s on-site staff immediately coordinated the warehouse to re-apply a clear marking,and completed inspection and release in only 2 hours,avoiding port detention fees.

3.Commodity Inspection and Follow-up Links: Ensure US Cargo Meets Chinese Quarantine Standards

The following special requirements should be noted in the commodity inspection process for US imported goods:

• Food products: Need to provide health certificate issued by US FDA,and the certificate must include information such as "product name,origin,production batch,quarantine date".Starting from 2026,the certificate is required to be signed and sealed by the official US quarantine agency;
• Cosmetics: Need to provide cosmetic safety report from US FDA,some categories require port sampling testing;
• Animal and plant products: Need to apply for Chinese animal and plant quarantine permit in advance,and US exporters need to file with Chinese Customs before export.

Zhongshen will communicate with Chinese commodity inspection authorities in advance before commodity inspection to confirm testing standards.If US cargo requires sampling testing,it will arrange testing institutions in advance to reduce waiting time.In May 2026,Mr.Jiang from a cosmetics company imported a batch of skincare products from the US.Zhongshen confirmed in advance that the FDA report of the product met Chinese commodity inspection requirements,and the sampling testing only took 2 days to get the result,which is 4 days shorter than the conventional testing time.

Conclusion: Professional Agency Enables Efficient and Compliant US Cargo Imports

Importing goods from the United States involves policy differences between the two countries and the complexity of document requirements.Self-operation by enterprises is prone to risks caused by missing details.With 20 years of industry experience,Zhongshen provides end-to-end services from document pre-review to commodity inspection release,targeting the unique difficulties of US imports.It not only improves customs clearance efficiency (3-5 days faster on average than self-operation by enterprises),but also effectively avoids risks such as cargo return and port detention.

As Mr.Jiang who imported chips from the US last year said: "I often encountered problems when handling customs clearance by myself before.After choosing Zhongshen,Supervisor Xie checked all documents for us in advance,and this time the chip customs clearance passed at the first attempt,saving a lot of time and money." For enterprises that need to import goods from the US,choosing a professional agency is the key to reducing compliance risks and improving import efficiency.