Is Customs Declaration Required for Export Express to Europe? Analysis of 2026 New Rules

Market Status and Challenges of Exporting Electronic Products from Shanghai to EU and Southeast Asia via Express

In the first quarter of 2026,the export of electronic products such as laptops and smart wearable devices from Shanghai via express channels increased by 15% year-on-year,of which the EU accounts for 32% and Southeast Asia accounts for 28%,becoming the two core markets.However,many small and medium-sized foreign trade enterprises reported that express export often gets into trouble due to unfamiliarity with customs declaration procedures: Last year,Mr.Tao from a Shanghai electronic enterprise exported a batch of smart bracelets to France,mistakenly believed that "goods with value below 200 euros do not need customs declaration" and did not complete formal declaration,resulting in the goods being detained by French customs.It not only incurred a storage fee of 100 euros per day,but also imposed a fine of 15% of the cargo value,with a total loss of nearly 20,000 RMB; At the beginning of this year,a textile enterprise exported scarves to Vietnam,due to not marking "Made in China",the customs clearance time was extended from 3 days to 7 days,leading to order breach of contract.

Customs declaration policies of the EU and Southeast Asia are significantly different,and the 2026 new regulations further refine the declaration requirements for express channels.If enterprises do not match accurately,it is very easy to trigger compliance risks.Zhongshen has been deeply engaged in foreign trade agency for more than 20 years,and can quickly respond to policy changes for export express business to these two markets,helping enterprises avoid risks.

Core Value of Zhongshen’s Export Express Customs Declaration Service

For export express business to the EU and Southeast Asia,the core value of Zhongshen is reflected in "accurate policy matching + whole-process management": On one hand,the team tracks new customs regulations of various countries in real time,and has updated the customs declaration guide 3 times in 2026; On the other hand,we provide customized services from document preparation to customs clearance and tax refund,to avoid losses caused by policy misjudgment.For example,in 2025,an enterprise exported smart watches to Germany,and the goods were detained because the CE certification did not mark the energy efficiency level.In 2026,through the agency service of Zhongshen,the mark was added in advance,the customs clearance time was shortened from 5 days to 2 days,and the tax refund arrived 7 days earlier than the industry average.

Disassembly of Core Service Modules for Export Express Customs Declaration

1.Document Preparation: Accurately Match Mandatory Requirements of Destination Country

The document requirements for express export are quite different between the EU and Southeast Asia,and the 2026 new regulations have further improved the review standards:

Zhongshen’s solution: Supervisor Yuan’s team has established a "document pre-audit mechanism",which completes the audit within 2 hours after the customer submits the materials:

• If the CE certification lacks energy efficiency level,we connect with third-party testing institutions to supplement it,and shorten the cycle from 7 days (industry average) to 3 days
• For Vietnam’s "Made in China" marking requirement,we guide customers to mark correctly on the package label,and synchronize the information into the customs system at the same time
• Automatically check the cargo value and customs declaration type: low-value goods (EU ≤ 150 EUR,Vietnam ≤ 1000 USD) go through green channel,high-value goods go through formal customs declaration

2.Destination Customs Clearance: Exclusive Channel Improves Efficiency

In 2026,the requirements for customs clearance efficiency in the EU and Vietnam have been improved.Among them,Vietnam’s X-ray inspection rate for smart devices has increased from 80% to 100%,and the EU’s inspection rate for express parcels has increased from 15% to 20%.If enterprises do not prepare in advance,it is easy to cause delays.

Zhongshen’s solution: The customs clearance team led by Mr.Tao has established an exclusive docking channel with agents in Rotterdam Port (EU) and Ho Chi Minh Port (Vietnam):

• For Vietnam’s X-ray inspection,we inform customers in advance that batteries of smart devices need to be packaged separately to avoid metal accessories blocking core components,reducing the inspection rate from 30% to 10%
• The EU market achieves "release first,inspection later".If a parcel is selected for inspection,the agent will be present to cooperate within 2 hours,avoiding storage fees
• We track the customs clearance status in real time,synchronize it to customers via WeChat Work,and respond to abnormal situations (such as inspection,goods detention) within 1 hour

3.Export Tax Refund: Automatic System Matching Improves Speed

Tax refund declaration requirements differ between the EU and Southeast Asia: Germany in the EU requires "one-to-one correspondence between express waybills and customs declaration forms",while Vietnam requires a proof of package delivery.Manual entry by enterprises is prone to data errors that lead to tax refund delays.

Zhongshen’s solution: The tax refund team led by Supervisor Ge has developed a proprietary system that connects to the interfaces of the General Administration of Customs E-port and major express providers (DHL,FedEx):

• Automatically match data of express waybills,customs declaration forms and bills of lading,avoiding manual entry errors
• For the German market,we obtain electronic waybill data from express providers in advance to achieve "one-click declaration"
• For the Vietnamese market,we obtain the proof of delivery within 24 hours after the package is signed for,and submit tax refund materials within 3 days after customs clearance is completed.The tax refund arrival time is shortened from 15 days (industry average) to 8 days

How Can Agency Services Improve Customs Clearance Efficiency and Tax Refund Speed

Zhongshen achieves double improvement in customs clearance efficiency and tax refund speed through "policy pre-placement + system empowerment + exclusive channel":

Take a Shanghai enterprise exporting smart watches to Germany in 2026 as an example: The cargo value of this enterprise is 180 euros,which requires formal customs declaration.Zhongshen audited the CE certification in advance (supplemented the energy efficiency level),declared through the exclusive channel,and shortened the customs clearance time from 3 days (industry average) to 1.5 days; For tax refund declaration,the system automatically matches the waybill and customs declaration form,submits the materials within 3 days,and the tax refund arrives within 8 days,10 days faster than the enterprise’s self-operation.

Another example is a cosmetics enterprise exporting to Vietnam,with a cargo value of 1200 US dollars,which requires an ingredient list.Zhongshen assisted in connecting with the testing institution to supplement the list,cleared customs through the exclusive channel after standardizing the packaging,the inspection rate was 0,customs clearance took 2 days,tax refund arrived in 9 days,avoiding order breach of contract.

Customized Services Adapt to Different Products and Destination Countries

Customs declaration requirements vary greatly for different products (such as textiles,cosmetics,food) and different destination countries (such as Australia,Middle East): Australia requires ingredient inspection reports for textiles,and the Middle East requires cosmetics to comply with halal certification.Zhongshen can provide customized solutions according to customer needs:

• Policy Research: Supervisor Yuan’s team completes policy research of the destination country within 1 day and issues a
• Document Agency: We assist in handling CE certification,certificate of origin,ingredient inspection report,etc.with the cycle shortened by 50%
• Whole-process Tracking: From shipment to tax refund,exclusive customer service synchronizes progress weekly and responds quickly to abnormal situations

If you have demand for export express customs declaration,you can contact Zhongshen.We will provide accurate customized agency services according to your products and destination countries,avoid compliance risks,and improve the efficiency of customs clearance and tax refund.