Process Sorting and Practical Key Points for Establishing an Import and Export Company in Houjie Town

Full Process Breakdown and Practical Guide for Establishing an Import and Export Company in Houjie Town

In 2026,the foreign trade demand of furniture,electronics and other industries in Houjie Town continues to grow,and many local enterprises want to apply for setting up an import and export company on their own.However,the process involves multiple departments and requires cumbersome materials,and any slight mistake will delay the progress.Recently,Manager Shi of a furniture factory in Houjie encountered trouble: the submitted customs registration materials were rejected due to incomplete address proof,and the process originally planned to be completed in 3 months was expected to be delayed to half a year.In fact,as long as you figure out the core actions of each stage and draw on the experience of professional agencies,you can avoid detours.This article systematically sorts out the whole process of setting up an import and export company in Houjie Town combined with the practical experience of Mr.Jin from Zhongshen.

I.Preliminary Qualification Preparation Stage: Obtain Core Access Qualifications

Stage Objective: Obtain the business license after industrial and commercial alteration and the import and export filing form from the commerce bureau,which is the basis for all subsequent processes.

Key Actions:

• 1.Industrial and commercial alteration: Add contents such as "goods import and export" and "technology import and export" to the business scope of the business license;
• 2.Commerce bureau filing: Log in to the Unified Platform for Business Systems of the Ministry of Commerce,submit basic enterprise information,import and export product list and other materials;
• 3.Engrave special seals: including customs declaration special seal,foreign exchange business seal (required by some banks).

Common Questions: Can the addresses of some old factory buildings in Houjie Town be used for import and export filing?

Manager Shi stepped into this pit before: his factory is an old factory built in 2010,the purpose stated on the property certificate is "industrial",but it is not marked "available for import and export business",which led to the rejection of the commerce bureau filing.Mr.Jin from Zhongshen reminds that in 2026,Houjie Town has clear regulations on the registered address requirements for import and export enterprises: the original property certificate (or rental filing certificate) is required,and the purpose must include "production/operation".If it is a leased address,a copy of the lessor’s property certificate and the lease agreement are required.

Role of Zhongshen: Check the compliance of the enterprise’s registered address 1 working day in advance.If it does not meet the requirements,we can help connect with compliant registered addresses in Houjie Town (some industrial parks provide shared addresses); at the same time,we prepare a full set of filing materials to avoid repeated modifications by enterprises due to material format errors.

II.Customs and Commodity Inspection Docking Stage: Obtain Customs Declaration and Inspection Capabilities

Stage Objective: Complete China Electronic Port account opening,customs registration,commodity inspection filing,and have the practical ability of customs declaration and inspection.

Key Actions:

• 1.China Electronic Port account opening: Submit the enterprise legal person ID card,business license,filing form and other materials to obtain the China Electronic Port IC card;
• 2.Customs registration: Log in to the China International Trade Single Window,fill in enterprise information,and make an appointment for on-site customs verification (production-oriented enterprises need factory verification);
• 3.Commodity inspection filing: For legally inspected products such as food and cosmetics,it is necessary to file with the commodity inspection authority to obtain the commodity inspection code.

Common Questions: What contents will be checked in the on-site customs verification for production-oriented enterprises?

Supervisor Gan of an electronics factory in Houjie once worried about failing the verification: their production line has just been upgraded,do they need to provide an equipment list?Mr.Jin explains that the focus of customs verification in 2026 is "whether the actual business address of the enterprise is consistent with the registered address" and "whether the import and export products match the business scope".Production-oriented enterprises need to prepare the production equipment list and product samples (if any).The on-site verification generally takes 1-2 hours,and there will be no delay without special circumstances.

Role of Zhongshen: Handle the China Electronic Port IC card on behalf of enterprises,avoiding enterprises from visiting the government service hall 3 times; for production-oriented enterprises,we help sort out the materials required for verification in advance and accompany the on-site verification to ensure a one-time pass; if the enterprise involves legally inspected products,we can assist in handling commodity inspection filing,saving 1-2 weeks of time.

III.Foreign Exchange and Tax Rebate Preparation Stage: Open Up Capital Circulation Channels

Stage Objective: Open a foreign exchange account,complete tax rebate filing,and have the ability of foreign exchange receipt and payment and export tax rebate.

Key Actions:

• 1.Foreign exchange account opening: Choose a bank in Houjie Town (such as Industrial and Commercial Bank of China,China Construction Bank,etc.),submit business license,filing form,China Electronic Port IC card and other materials;
• 2.Tax rebate filing: Log in to the Electronic Tax Bureau,fill in the tax rebate filing form,submit bank account information,customs declaration samples and other materials;
• 3.Foreign exchange registration: Some banks require enterprises to complete foreign exchange registration to obtain the foreign exchange business number.

Common Questions: How long should export tax rebate materials be kept?

Manager Xu of a toy factory in Houjie asked: Can the materials be discarded after the tax rebate is completed?Mr.Jin clarifies that export tax rebate materials in 2026 need to be kept for 5 years,including customs declarations,value-added tax invoices,foreign exchange receipts,bills of lading,etc.If materials are missing,the granted tax rebate may be recovered.

Role of Zhongshen: Assist enterprises in choosing suitable foreign exchange banks (some banks offer handling fee discounts for import and export enterprises); sort out the list of tax rebate materials,and track the progress of tax rebate declaration throughout the process; if an enterprise handles tax rebate for the first time,we can provide templated samples of customs declarations,invoices,etc.to reduce errors.

IV.Practical Implementation and Risk Prevention and Control Stage: Smoothly Launch the First Order Business

Stage Objective: Complete the first import and export business,avoid risks such as exchange rate fluctuations and compliance risks.

Key Actions:

• 1.First order customs declaration: Prepare customs declaration materials (invoices,packing lists,contracts,bills of lading,etc.),and entrust a customs broker to declare;
• 2.Foreign exchange receipt and settlement: After receiving overseas payment,log in to the foreign exchange system to declare and handle foreign exchange settlement;
• 3.Tax rebate declaration: Submit tax rebate materials to the tax bureau within 30 days after export.

Common Questions: The exchange rate fluctuates greatly,how to avoid losses?

In 2026,the US dollar exchange rate fluctuates frequently.Manager Yu of a clothing export enterprise in Houjie once lost 2% of his profit due to the fall of the exchange rate.Mr.Jin suggests that enterprises can sign a forward foreign exchange settlement agreement with the bank to lock the exchange rate; at the same time,Zhongshen will regularly push exchange rate fluctuation warnings to help enterprises choose the appropriate settlement time.

Role of Zhongshen: Provide accompanying service for the first order business,guiding the whole process from customs declaration to tax rebate; connect with the bank’s forward foreign exchange settlement business to help enterprises avoid exchange rate risks; regularly push compliance reminders (such as customs policy updates,new tax rebate regulations,etc.) to avoid enterprises violating regulations due to policy changes.

The following is a comparison table of common problems and solutions for establishing an import and export company in Houjie Town:

In summary,the process of establishing an import and export company in Houjie Town seems complicated,but as long as you grasp the four core stages of "qualification preparation → customs and commodity inspection → foreign exchange and tax rebate → practical implementation",and draw on the experience of professional agencies,you can greatly shorten the processing cycle (the average cycle of enterprises assisted by Zhongshen is 2.5 months,1 month faster than self-handling).Mr.Jin reminds that in 2026,the compliance requirements for import and export enterprises in Houjie Town are becoming stricter.If you handle it by yourself,it is easy to violate regulations due to unfamiliarity with policies,and Zhongshen has been deeply engaged in the industry for more than 20 years,which can help enterprises avoid more than 90% of common risks.

If enterprises want to apply for setting up an import and export company quickly,you may contact a professional agency to avoid detours.