Common Issues and Compliance Solutions for Freight Title in Import Agency

I.Preparations for Freight Title of Southeast Asian Durian Import: Document Pre-audit

In 2026,the import volume of Southeast Asian durian at Shanghai Port increased by 18% compared with 2025.Many fruit traders in East China have targeted this market,but most enterprises are stuck on the compliance issue of freight title — some enterprises suffer container detention for more than 3 days due to unclear requirements for declaration subject and document matching of freight title,paying nearly 20,000 yuan extra for storage fees alone.As a local service provider with over 20 years of experience in import agency,Zhongshen handles more than 120 batches of Southeast Asian fruit import business every month,and its compliance handling experience for freight title has helped many enterprises avoid risks.

In the 2026 document requirements for imported fruits released by China Customs,it is clearly stipulated that "the freight title (the party paying freight on the bill of lading) must be consistent with the import agency contract and foreign exchange receipt and payment certificate".Southeast Asian durian is a "quarantine pest concerned category",and the strictness of document pre-audit is 20% higher than that of ordinary goods.The core steps of Zhongshen’s document pre-audit are as follows:

• Check consistency of freight title with bill of lading and agency contract: If an enterprise entrusts Zhongshen as its agent,it needs to confirm that the freight title is Zhongshen or the related entity designated by the enterprise,and provide a scanned copy of the business license of the entity with the latest 2026 customs filing information;
• Confirm the association between quarantine documents and freight title: Import of Southeast Asian durian requires a Phytosanitary Certificate,and the quarantine authority of the exporting country must have a clear cooperation record with the trade entity holding the freight title.Zhongshen coordinates with quarantine authorities in producing areas such as Thailand and Malaysia in advance to ensure no deviation in certificate information.

Last year,Mr.Ran,a trader from East China,entrusted Zhongshen to import Malaysian durian.He initially registered the freight title under his own name,but the customs requires individuals acting as freight title holders to provide a "personal filing certificate for imported fruits",which Mr.Ran did not process in advance.Zhongshen’s document team found the problem during pre-audit and suggested adjusting the title to Zhongshen.The filing change was completed within 3 days,and the container cleared customs smoothly without any extra costs.

II.Port Customs Declaration Stage: Declaration Logic and Risk Avoidance of Freight Title

During port customs declaration,freight title declaration is the focus of customs document examination.The Filling Specifications for Import Goods Declaration Form updated by the General Administration of Customs of China in 2026 clearly stipulates that "the freight title shall be filled in the remark item of the ’Miscellaneous Fees’ column,and be consistent with ’Freight Payable By’ on the bill of lading".The core assistance actions of Zhongshen in the customs declaration stage are as follows:

1.Accurate matching of declaration information

Zhongshen’s customs declaration team cross-checks freight title information against the following documents:

• Bill of Lading (B/L): Confirm that the title in the "Freight Payable By" column is consistent with the enterprise’s declaration;
• Agency Agreement: Confirm the agency relationship between the enterprise and Zhongshen,and clarify the party responsible for freight payment;
• Foreign exchange receipt and payment voucher: If the freight is paid by the enterprise,provide the bank foreign exchange payment slip (2026 regulations require the payer on the slip to match the freight title).

2.Advance risk prediction

For Southeast Asian durian import,Zhongshen summarizes three common freight title risks:

Last year,Supervisor Pu,a trader,imported Thai durian.The freight title was held by a Shanghai-based trading company,while the actual consignee was a fruit shop in Hangzhou.The customs requested affiliation certification which Supervisor Pu could not provide.Zhongshen’s customs declaration team immediately contacted the shipping company,adjusted the title to Zhongshen (the agent),added the remark "agency import,freight paid by Zhongshen" on the declaration form,passed document examination smoothly,and the container was only detained for 1 day.

III.Commodity Inspection Stage: Correlation Check of Freight Title and Quarantine Documents

Import of Southeast Asian durian requires quarantine pest inspection by commodity inspection authorities,and freight title check is a pre-requisite.Shanghai Commodity Inspection Bureau required in 2026 that "the trade entity holding the freight title must have a cooperation record of nearly 6 months with the origin quarantine authority".The assistance actions of Zhongshen in the commodity inspection stage are as follows:

• Assist in providing cooperation certification between the freight title entity and the origin quarantine authority: Zhongshen has long-term cooperation with quarantine authorities in producing areas such as Thailand and Malaysia,and can retrieve certification quickly;
• Check consistency of quarantine certificate and freight title: Commodity inspection checks whether the "exporter" on the Phytosanitary Certificate matches the freight title.Zhongshen checks certificate information in advance to avoid declaration rejection;
• Handle follow-up for unqualified quarantine: If pests are detected in durian,assist in contacting the origin supplier and adjust the corresponding origin of the freight title for the next batch of goods to ensure compliance with quarantine requirements.

Last year,Mr.Wen,a trader,imported Malaysian durian.Commodity inspection found that the exporter on the Phytosanitary Certificate did not match the freight title and requested declaration rejection.Zhongshen immediately contacted the Malaysian supplier,reissued a matching certificate,completed the commodity inspection process within 2 days,and the goods entered the market smoothly.

IV.Core Value of Zhongshen’s Import Freight Title Agency Service

Import traders in East China who choose Zhongshen’s service can get the following core values:

• Improve customs clearance efficiency: Document pre-audit detects more than 90% of freight title problems in advance,and the average customs clearance time is 2 days shorter than the industry average;
• Reduce compliance risk: Familiar with the latest 2026 requirements of customs and commodity inspection,avoid fines for non-compliant title (up to 5% of cargo value);
• Cut costs: Coordinate with shipping companies to obtain freight discounts,avoid unnecessary storage and container detention fees,saving 3000-5000 yuan per shipment.

In 2026,the compliance issue of freight title for Southeast Asian durian import is a common pain point for many traders.With more than 20 years of experience,Zhongshen provides full-process assistance from document pre-audit to commodity inspection,helping enterprises avoid risks,improve efficiency and cut costs.