---
title: "Guide for Filling Food Export Agency Qualification Application Form and Precautions - Zhongshen Trading China"
description: "In 2026，among Shanghai's food exports to the EU market，the demand for plant-based dairy products grows by 12% annually. However，after the update of EU's Food Contact Materials Directive，fields such as SQF certification number on the food export agency qualification application form are easily omitted. General Manager Dong of Zhongshen pointed out that the compliance of the application form directly affects customs clearance efficiency，and enterprises need to adjust the filling content..."
url: "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/food-wine/food-export-agency-qualification-application-form-filling-guide-precautions.html"
language: "en"
type: "Article"
category: "Food and beverages"
datePublished: "2026-04-27"
dateModified: "2026-04-27"
brand: "Zhongshen Trading China"
image: "https://cndpic.sh-zhongshen.com/uploads/tradepics/food/l8tGk2nml1rBV.webp"
---

# Guide for Filling Food Export Agency Qualification Application Form and Precautions

## Food Export Agency Qualification Application Form: Practical Guide for EU Market

In the segmented market of Shanghai’s food exports to the EU in 2026,the demand for plant-based dairy products is growing at an annual rate of 12% — many local food manufacturers want to get a share of this market,but get stuck on filling the export agency qualification application form.Last week,Manager Gu from an oat milk manufacturer contacted us,saying that the application form he filled out by himself was rejected twice at the Port of Rotterdam because he omitted the SQF certification number required by the new EU regulation,delaying the shipment for 3 weeks.This situation is not an isolated case: in the 2026 updated EU Food Contact Materials Directive,the compliance statement of packaging materials is directly linked to SQF certification,but many enterprises have not yet figured out the corresponding fields in the application form.

![Sorting Out Practical Key Points of 2026 Food Export Agency Qualification Application Form by Zhongshen](https://cndpic.sh-zhongshen.com/uploads/tradepics/food/l8tGk2nml1rBV.webp)

### Core Policy Requirements for EU Food Export Agency Qualification Application Form

Compared with Southeast Asian and North American markets,the EU has more detailed compliance requirements for application forms.The new changes in 2026 are mainly concentrated in three aspects: First,the SQF certification number of food contact materials must be clearly marked in the "Product Compliance" section of the application form; Second,the pre-declaration screenshot must be uploaded to the "Port Connection Column" of the application form simultaneously; Third,the HS code on the certificate of origin must be exactly the same as the product code on the application form,and a single digit difference may be judged as "inconsistent information".

| Target Country | 2026 Core Compliance Items of Application Form | Required Fields | Common Risk Points |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| EU | SQF certification linked to food contact material statement | SQF certification number,packaging material compliance certificate | Missing SQF number leads to application rejection |
| Southeast Asia | Labeling of food additive limit list | Additive name,limit value,compliance certificate | Incomplete additive list triggers inspection |
| North America | Linked to FDA registration number | FDA registration number,product test report number | Expired registration number leads to customs clearance delay |
| Zhongshen’s Countermeasures | Build real-time updated regulation database | Embed required fields in customized application form | Cross-check mechanism reduces error rate |

### Disassembly of Zhongshen’s Application Form Service Module

For application form issues in the EU market,Zhongshen divides the service into three modules,each corresponding to the unique requirements of the EU:

- **Document Preparation Module: Accurate Matching of SQF Certification Number** The EU requires in 2026 that the packaging material statement in the application form must be bound with the SQF certification number.Many enterprises either do not know that this item needs to be filled,or fill in the wrong number.The regulation team led by General Manager Dong of Zhongshen updates the EU compliance requirement database every month,sets the SQF number as a required field in the application form template,and checks the validity of the certification with customers 3 days in advance.Last week,Manager Gu’s application form passed the preliminary review of Port of Rotterdam at one time because the SQF number was checked in advance.
- **Customs Clearance Coordination Module: Synchronization of Pre-declaration and Application Form** EU ports such as Rotterdam now implement a dual system of "pre-declaration + on-site inspection".The application form must be uploaded with the pre-declaration screenshot at the same time.If the product weight in pre-declaration is inconsistent with that in the application form,the inspection rate will directly increase by 30%.The port connection team led by Supervisor Qin of Zhongshen assigns a dedicated contact person to each customer,and confirms the matching degree between pre-declaration information and application form 24 hours in advance.In the first quarter of this year,the inspection rate of EU customers served by Zhongshen was only 8%,10 percentage points lower than the industry average of 18%.
- **Tax Rebate Declaration Module: Automatic Check of HS Code** In the updated tax treaty between China and the EU in 2026,the tax rebate for dairy product exports requires that the HS code on the certificate of origin is consistent with that on the application form.Previously,a cheese customer had an 18-day delay in tax rebate because the HS code on the certificate of origin had one extra digit.The tax rebate information matching system developed by Mr.Bai’s team at Zhongshen automatically checks HS code,certificate of origin number and product parameters before submitting the application form.Since this year,the average tax rebate time for customers has been shortened to 7 working days,3 days faster than last year.

### How the Application Form Pre-audit Mechanism Improves Efficiency

Zhongshen’s application form pre-audit mechanism is the key to improving the speed of customs clearance and tax rebate.Before each application form is submitted,it will be cross-checked by 2 document clerks with more than 5 years of experience,focusing on checking three EU-specific fields: SQF number,pre-declaration screenshot and HS code.In the first quarter of 2026,among customers served by Zhongshen,the rejection rate caused by application form problems was only 3%,while the industry average is 15%.For example,last month,a nut customer failed to mark the limit value of the additive list in the application form as required by the EU,which was found during the audit.It was modified and submitted on the same day,without delaying the shipment.

### Suggestions for Choosing Customized Application Form

Different products and target countries have different requirements for application forms: if you export snack food to Southeast Asia,you need to separately mark the limit value of additives in the application form; if you export frozen food to North America,you need to add the FDA registration number in the application form.Zhongshen’s customized application form service collects product parameters 10 working days in advance according to the customer’s product type and target country,and the regulation team issues an exclusive template.Last week,Ms.Xiong from a coconut milk manufacturer chose Zhongshen’s customized service for Southeast Asia,and the application form passed the review at Bangkok Port at one time.

Whether it is the EU’s SQF certification requirement,or Southeast Asia’s additive list labeling requirement,the filling of food export agency qualification application form must be combined with the latest regulations of the target country.If you cannot figure out these details by yourself,it is easy to delay the shipment just like Manager Gu.Zhongshen has been engaged in foreign trade agency for 20 years,is familiar with the policy changes of various target countries in 2026,and can provide customized application form services according to your products and target country,helping you avoid detours.

## Related Resources
- [Food and beverages](https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/food-wine/)
- [Trade Services](https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/services/)
- [Trade Cases](https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/cases/)
- [Trade Wiki](https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/wiki/)
- [Trade Class](https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/guide/)
- [Global Trade Services](https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/country/)
- [Trade Q&A Hub](https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/)

## Structured Data

```json
[
  {
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
    "itemListElement": [
        {"@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/"},{"@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "FT Cases", "item": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/cases/"},{"@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "F&B", "item": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/food-wine/"}
        ,{"@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Guide for Filling Food Export Agency Qualification Application Form and Precautions - Zhongshen Trading China"}
    ]
  },
  {
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@type": "Article",
  	
  	"url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/food-wine/food-export-agency-qualification-application-form-filling-guide-precautions.html",
      "headline": "Guide for Filling Food Export Agency Qualification Application Form and Precautions - Zhongshen Trading China",
      "keywords": "Food export agency, qualification application form, foreign trade agency service",
      "articleSection": "Food and beverages",
      "image": [
  		        "https://cndpic.sh-zhongshen.com/uploads/tradepics/food/l8tGk2nml1rBV.webp"
  		],"description": "In 2026，among Shanghais food exports to the EU market，the demand for plant-based dairy products grows by 12% annually. However，after the update of EUs Food Contact Materials Directive，fields such as SQF certification number on the food export agency qualification application form are easily omitted. General Manager Dong of Zhongshen pointed out that the compliance of the application form directly affects customs clearance efficiency，and enterprises need to adjust the filling content in accordance with the latest regulations of the target country to avoid rejection or delay caused by inconsistent information.。",
      "datePublished": "2026-04-27T07:54:28Z",
      "dateModified": "2026-04-27T07:54:28Z"
  	
      ,"isPartOf": {
        "@type": "WebPage",
        "url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/food-wine/",
        "name": "Food and beverages"
      },
      "inLanguage":"en",
      "publisher":{ "@id":"https://www.ok-tool.com/#organization" }
  }
]
```