Chengdu Lithium Battery Export Agent, Core Customs Clearance Service for EU Market

Chengdu Lithium Battery Export to EU: Coexistence of Market Demand and Policy Barriers

In 2026,Chengdu’s lithium battery industry ushers in a new round of growth,with 42% of Southwest China’s total lithium battery capacity concentrated here.The export volume of lithium iron phosphate and ternary lithium batteries increased by 18% compared with 2025,and the EU market accounts for 35% of the total export.Driven by the production expansion of new energy vehicles in Germany,the Netherlands and other EU countries,the demand for lithium batteries continues to rise,but the export process is not smooth.General Manager Guan of a Chengdu lithium battery enterprise once encountered such a problem: a batch of lithium batteries shipped to Germany was detained by EU customs for 10 days because the UN38.3 test report was not updated to the 2025 version,which directly affected the customer’s production line scheduling.

EU’s regulatory policies on lithium batteries were revised in 2025 and entered the stage of strict implementation in 2026.The core barriers are concentrated in three dimensions: certification compliance,document requirements and customs inspection.Many Chengdu enterprises are not familiar with overseas policies,so they either rework repeatedly in the document preparation process,or get inspected due to marking errors during customs clearance,which greatly reduces export efficiency.

Zhongshen: Customized Agency Service for EU Policies

As an enterprise with more than 20 years of experience in foreign trade agency,Zhongshen has launched a full-process customized service targeting the pain points of Chengdu lithium battery export to the EU.Different from the standardized process of traditional agency,Zhongshen adjusts service details according to battery types (ternary lithium/lithium iron phosphate) and target countries (Germany/Netherlands,etc.).For example,in response to the thermal stability requirements of lithium iron phosphate batteries,the packaging scheme is optimized in advance; for the strict traceability requirements of German customs,additional production batch records are supplemented.

Core Service Module: Full-process Response from Document to Tax Refund

The core links of Chengdu lithium battery export to the EU are document preparation,customs clearance operation and export tax refund.Each link has EU-specific policy requirements,and Zhongshen’s solutions have different focuses.

1.Document Preparation: Meet the Latest EU Certification Requirements

EU’s document requirements for lithium batteries cover four categories,and many enterprises get documents returned due to untimely update:

• UN38.3 Test Report: It needs to meet the 2025 revised requirements,focus on verification of test data such as battery short circuit and overcharge,with a validity period of 3 years.30% of enterprises need to update the report in 2026
• REACH SVHC List: It is required to submit the test report of 168 substances of very high concern (SVHC),and some enterprises fail to report cobalt in lithium cobalt oxide
• CE Certification: It needs to comply with the revised Battery Directive 2013/56/EU,marked with battery capacity,cycle life and recycling mark
• Dangerous Goods Declaration (DG Declaration): It is required to clearly indicate the battery UN number (UN3480/UN3090) and packaging category (Class II/Class III)

Zhongshen’s response is to establish a "policy update mechanism": synchronize EU official bulletin every month,organize enterprise training every quarter; at the same time,cooperate with EU-recognized third-party laboratories,and can complete report update within 7 working days.General Manager Liu of a Chengdu lithium battery enterprise once feedback that it used to take 15 days to update the report by finding a laboratory by himself,but it only took 9 days after Zhongshen intervened,avoiding the risk of report expiration.

2.Customs Clearance Operation: Reduce EU Customs Inspection Rate

In 2026,the inspection rate of lithium batteries by EU customs increased from 18% to 22%,focusing on three aspects: whether the packaging meets the 2024 amendment to the IMDG Code,whether the battery marking is clear,and whether the declared data is consistent with the actual goods.Common problems of Chengdu enterprises are: blurry printing of UN number on packaging,and inconsistency between marked battery capacity and actual capacity.

Zhongshen’s customs clearance team has more than 10 years of experience in the EU market,and adopts the "pre-declaration + on-site verification" mode: before the goods are delivered from Chengdu,the electronic version of documents is submitted to the EU agent for pre-audit; before loading at Shanghai Port,on-site staff check the packaging and marking again to ensure consistency with the declaration.Supervisor Zuo introduced that among the Chengdu lithium battery export to EU agencies handled by Zhongshen last year,the inspection rate was only 9%,far lower than the industry average,and the average customs clearance time is 3 days,4 days faster than traditional agencies.

3.Export Tax Refund: Electronic Process Speeds Up Arrival

In 2026,the export tax refund rate of Chengdu lithium batteries remains 13%,but complete documents are required (customs declaration,VAT invoice,logistics document,bill of lading).Traditional agencies rely on paper document circulation,with an average arrival time of 19 days,and some enterprises have tax refund delays due to document matching errors.

Zhongshen has built an "electronic tax refund system" to realize automatic document matching: customs declaration data is synchronized from the customs system,VAT invoices are verified through the tax control system,and logistics document and bill of lading information are automatically associated.Manager Mei said that since this year,the average tax refund arrival time for Chengdu lithium battery enterprises agented by Zhongshen is 12 days,and the fastest one only takes 8 days.For example,a small Chengdu lithium battery enterprise used to take about 20 days for tax refund.Now through Zhongshen’s system,it is not only faster,but also reduces manual verification errors.

Service Efficiency Improvement: Core Advantages Proved by Data

Zhongshen’s service for Chengdu lithium battery export to EU mainly improves efficiency in three aspects:

Service Link	Industry Average Efficiency	Zhongshen Efficiency	Improvement Rate
Document Review Time	7 working days	3 working days	57%
EU Customs Clearance Time	7 days	3 days	57%
Export Tax Refund Arrival Time	19 days	12 days	37%

Behind these data is the team advantage of Zhongshen: the document team has 5 staff who are specifically responsible for EU lithium battery certification,the customs clearance team has 3 staff stationed at Shanghai Port to cooperate with EU agents,and the tax refund team has special personnel to follow up the update of tax system.General Manager Guan said that Zhongshen does not do "general-purpose agency",but develops exclusive service plans according to each customer’s battery products and target countries.For example,for ternary lithium batteries shipped to the Netherlands,additional traceability information required by Dutch customs will be supplemented to ensure smooth customs clearance.

Customized Service: Meet Different Needs of Chengdu Lithium Battery Enterprises

Chengdu has various types of lithium battery products: some produce power batteries for new energy vehicles,some produce energy storage batteries,and the target countries cover Germany,the Netherlands,France and other countries,with slightly different policy requirements.Zhongshen’s customized service is reflected in:

• For power batteries: supplement EU ECER100 certification (automotive battery safety certification) to ensure compliance with the requirements of vehicle manufacturers
• For energy storage batteries: optimize the packaging scheme to meet the IP protection level requirements of EU outdoor energy storage batteries
• For different countries: German customs requires battery traceability information,while Dutch customs focuses on document integrity,and Zhongshen will adjust the service accordingly

Ms.Guan,a Chengdu energy storage battery enterprise owner,once encountered such a problem: the energy storage batteries shipped to France were required to be repackaged by French customs because the packaging did not reach IP65 protection level,which delayed 15 days.After Zhongshen intervened,the packaging materials were optimized according to French requirements,and all subsequent exported energy storage batteries met the requirements and no more delays occurred.

Conclusion

In 2026,the export of Chengdu lithium batteries to the EU faces both market opportunities and policy challenges.Choosing a suitable agency service provider is the key for enterprises to improve export efficiency and reduce compliance risks.Zhongshen’s customized service for Chengdu lithium battery enterprises has helped more than 30 local enterprises export smoothly to the EU,covering power batteries,energy storage batteries and other categories.If you are a Chengdu lithium battery enterprise planning to expand the EU market,you can contact Zhongshen for an exclusive agency plan according to your own product type and target country.