How to Conduct Foreign Export Agency Business? Core Processes and Key Notes

I.Market Background and Common Challenges of Export Agency for Electronic Consumer Products in EU Market

In the first quarter of 2026,the order volume of Shanghai’s electronic consumer products exported to the EU increased by 18% year-on-year,among which the growth of categories such as smart small home appliances and Bluetooth headphones is particularly notable.However,many enterprises reported that the operation difficulty increased by 22% compared with the same period last year — among the 3 Shanghai small home appliance enterprises recently received by Supervisor Kang,2 had incomplete Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) declaration materials,resulting in their goods being detained at the Port of Rotterdam,Netherlands for more than 5 days,which not only generated extra storage fees,but also delayed the delivery date with European distributors.

In addition to CBAM,the updated RoHS 2.0 compliance requirements of the EU in 2026,and the adjustment of rules of origin connection between RCEP and the EU,have also become "roadblocks" for enterprises’ export agency business.For example,the RoHS test report prepared by a headphone manufacturing enterprise on its own was not filed in the officially recognized database of the EU,so inspectors at the Port of Hamburg,Germany required supplementary materials,and the whole process took nearly 10 days.

II.Core Value of Zhongshen’s Export Agency for EU Market

With more than 20 years of deep engagement in the foreign trade agency industry,Zhongshen has built a service system of "policy pre-research + document pre-audit + port direct connection" in response to the 2026 policy changes of the EU market.General Manager Qu introduced that the team updates the latest EU trade policy database every month,covering CBAM declaration rules,RoHS 2.0 testing standards,rules of origin adjustments and other content,and can warn enterprises of risks 3-6 months in advance.For example,at the end of 2025,it pushed the time node of CBAM covering electronic consumer products to cooperative enterprises,helping more than 30 enterprises complete the preparation for carbon footprint accounting in advance.

III.Practical Disassembly of Core Service Modules of Export Agency

1.Document Preparation: Focus on Compliance Requirements of CBAM and Rules of Origin

In 2026,CBAM officially covers electronic consumer products in the EU,requiring export enterprises to provide full-life-cycle carbon footprint reports of products,including carbon emission data of all links: raw material procurement,production and transportation; meanwhile,according to rules of origin,when the proportion of non-EU raw materials exceeds 30%,detailed supply chain certificates (such as supplier’s certificate of origin,raw material import customs declaration) are required.

Risk points for enterprises operating on their own: It is easy to underreport carbon emissions in the transportation link (such as the carbon footprint of the sea transportation segment),or the format of the certificate of origin does not meet EU requirements (such as not using the specified English template).Zhongshen’s response solutions:

• Supervisor Kang’s team has 3 full-time personnel docking with EU carbon footprint certification bodies (such as TÜV Rheinland),who can assist enterprises to sort out carbon data from raw materials to finished products,ensuring that the report meets CBAM declaration standards;
• The document pre-audit system can verify the matching degree of the format and content of the certificate of origin with the EU database in advance,with a passing rate of over 98%,avoiding rejection due to document problems.

2.Customs Clearance: Respond to Inspection Priorities at EU Ports

In 2026,the EU has increased inspection efforts on electronic consumer products,focusing on verifying the validity of RoHS 2.0 test reports (which need to be connected to the EU official database for verification),the completeness of CBAM declaration materials,and the multilingual description of product labels (such as German,French,Spanish).The inspection rate at the Port of Hamburg,Germany and the Port of Rotterdam,Netherlands increased by 15% compared with 2025.

Zhongshen’s response solutions:

• General Manager Qu’s team has established direct connection channels with customs clearance agents at 12 major EU ports,and can upload test reports to the EU-recognized database 3 working days in advance,avoiding delays in online verification during on-site inspection;
• For high-frequency inspection ports,exclusive customs clearance plans have been formulated: for example,for goods at the Port of Rotterdam,customs brokers cooperating with Zhongshen will be prioritized,and it will be confirmed in advance that the electronic version of CBAM declaration materials has been synchronized to the port system,and the average customs clearance time is 2 days faster than the industry average.

3.Foreign Exchange and Tax Refund: Adapt to Exchange Rate Fluctuation and Tax Refund Timeliness for EU Settlement

Some EU countries (such as Germany and France) require export proceeds to be settled through designated bank accounts (such as Deutsche Bank offshore accounts in Germany),and tax refund declaration in 2026 needs to be attached with carbon cost certificates related to CBAM (such as carbon footprint certification fee invoices,carbon quota trading records).

Risk points for enterprises operating on their own: Failure to select a designated bank leads to delayed receipt of foreign exchange,or missing carbon cost certificates affects the progress of tax refund review.Zhongshen’s response solutions:

• Manager Mei’s team can assist enterprises to open offshore accounts with EU designated banks,monitor the fluctuation of EUR against RMB in real time,and automatically trigger settlement when the exchange rate reaches the optimal value preset by the enterprise.Since 2025,it has helped cooperating enterprises reduce settlement losses by an average of 1.2%;
• Tax refund specialists integrate carbon cost certificates with conventional tax refund materials (such as customs declaration,VAT invoice) in advance and submit them to the tax authority simultaneously,and the average tax refund arrival time is 15 working days faster than that of self-declaration by enterprises.

IV.How Agency Service Improves Customs Clearance Efficiency and Tax Refund Speed

In 2025,a Shanghai mobile accessory enterprise handled its own export business to the EU.Due to missing the carbon footprint of the sea transportation segment in CBAM declaration,the goods were detained at the Port of Marseille,France for 8 days,generating storage fees of 12,000 RMB and a claim of 30,000 RMB from the European distributor.After the enterprise entrusted Zhongshen as the agent in 2026,Supervisor Kang’s team assisted it to supplement the sea transportation carbon data in advance,all 3 batches of goods cleared customs within 2 working days,the tax refund also arrived 18 days in advance,and the overall cost reduced by 15%.

The table below compares the performance of self-operation by enterprises and agency by Zhongshen in core links:

V.Customized Services Adapt to Different Products and Target Countries

In addition to the EU market,Zhongshen also has exclusive agency solutions for popular markets such as Southeast Asia (2026 RCEP rules of origin update) and the Middle East (tariff preference policy adjustment).For example,for home product enterprises exporting to Southeast Asia,Manager Mei’s team will assist them in applying for RCEP certificate of origin,helping enterprises enjoy 5%-10% tariff reduction; for mechanical equipment enterprises exporting to the Middle East,General Manager Qu’s team will connect with local customs clearance agents in advance to confirm product certification requirements (such as SASO certification).

No matter your products are electronic consumer products,home goods or mechanical equipment,as long as the target country is a popular trade market,Zhongshen can customize an exclusive export agency plan for you according to the latest local policies in 2026.Supervisor Kang suggests that when choosing an agent,enterprises should focus on whether it has a policy research team and practical cases for the target country,to avoid falling into pitfalls due to policy changes.