---
title: "Full Process of Import and Export Cargo Agency: Core Operations from Customs Declaration and Inspection to Tax Refund - Zhongshen Trading China"
description: "In 2026，the Shanghai foreign trade market remains active，and the import and export demand of small，medium and micro enterprises has grown significantly. However，the professional requirements of links such as customs declaration and inspection，foreign exchange receipt and payment，and export tax refund have troubled many enterprises. How to choose a reliable import and export cargo agency has become the core concern of foreign trade practitioners. Manager Fan from Zhongshen pointed out that the en..."
url: "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/news/import-export-cargo-agency-full-process-customs-inspection-tax-refund.html"
language: "en"
type: "Article"
category: "Industry News"
datePublished: "2026-05-04"
dateModified: "2026-05-04"
brand: "Zhongshen Trading China"
image: "https://cndpic.sh-zhongshen.com/uploads/tradepics/OOsWQg4IDlNjs.webp"
---

# Full Process of Import and Export Cargo Agency: Core Operations from Customs Declaration and Inspection to Tax Refund

## Full Process of Import and Export Cargo Agency: Analysis of Core Links from Goods Preparation to Tax Refund

Mr.Xu,who engages in electronic product export in Shanghai,recently ran into trouble — he filled in the wrong commodity code on the customs declaration form,which not only delayed the shipping schedule but also almost resulted in customs fines.Later,he turned to Zhongshen for help,and the correction was completed within 3 days with smooth shipment afterward.Actually,import and export cargo agency covers the entire foreign trade chain from goods preparation to tax refund,and omissions in any link may affect the efficiency of goods circulation and even cause economic losses.Today,we will systematically sort out the core process to see how professional agencies help enterprises avoid risks.

![Choose the Right Import and Export Cargo Agency to Save Time, Reduce Risks and Boost Efficiency](https://cndpic.sh-zhongshen.com/uploads/tradepics/OOsWQg4IDlNjs.webp)

### 1.Preparatory Work and Entrustment: Clarify Needs and Avoid Basic Risks

The core goal of this stage is to confirm the customer’s cargo information and trade terms,sign the agency agreement,and avoid subsequent liability disputes.Key actions include: the customer provides basic documents such as cargo list,commercial invoice and packing list; the agency checks the commodity code (HS code) and inspection requirements; both parties sign the agency agreement with clear rights and responsibilities.

Common problems mainly focus on two aspects: first,customers are unfamiliar with HS codes and tend to fill them in incorrectly (for example,mistakenly classifying ordinary electronic products into categories requiring 3C certification); second,there is a misunderstanding of trade terms (such as FOB and CIF),leading to unclear cost responsibilities.Zhongshen arranges Supervisor Tan to liaise with customers in this link,first checks the accuracy of all documents,then informs customers of precautions for HS codes in advance according to the latest coding rules of Shanghai Customs in 2026 — for example,a clothing export enterprise once mistakenly filled in the fabric component code,and Supervisor Tan contacted the customer immediately to make adjustments,avoiding the risk of customs declaration being returned.

### 2.Customs Declaration,Inspection and Transportation: Precise Operations to Ensure Smooth Shipment of Goods

The goal of this stage is to complete customs declaration and inspection for goods,coordinate international transportation,and ensure on-time loading.Key actions include: declaring the customs declaration form to the customs and submitting inspection documents (if required); coordinating warehouse packing and confirming the container seal number; tracking shipping company space to ensure loading timeliness.

Common problems are mostly related to policy updates and tight space: after Shanghai Customs launched the "Single Window" optimization in 2026,some enterprises are unfamiliar with the new declaration process,resulting in failed data upload; during peak seasons when space is tight,small and medium-sized customers often delay shipment due to low booking priority.The customs declaration team of Zhongshen is led by Ms.Jane,who is familiar with the latest customs policies and can quickly handle abnormal declaration data; meanwhile,the company has long-term cooperation with more than 10 mainstream shipping companies,and can coordinate standby space when space is tight — last year,a chemical export enterprise almost defaulted due to space issues,and Ms.Jane coordinated standby space to help the customer complete shipment on time.

### 3.Foreign Exchange Receipt,Payment and Settlement: Compliant Operations to Ensure Capital Safety

The core of this stage is to complete foreign exchange receipt and settlement,ensure that funds arrive in time and comply with foreign exchange management regulations.Key actions include: providing foreign exchange accounts to receive foreign exchange from customers; checking the consistency of foreign exchange amount with contracts and invoices; handling settlement according to the requirements of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE).

![Full Process of Import and Export Cargo Agency: Core Operations from Customs Declaration and Inspection to Tax Refund](https://cndpic.sh-zhongshen.com/uploads/tradepics/OOxBlPOdz4U1C.webp)

Common problems include: incomplete payment instruction information from customers leading to delayed foreign exchange credit; losses caused by exchange rate fluctuations during settlement.The foreign exchange team of Zhongshen is led by Ms.Peng,who is familiar with the 2026 SAFE simplified policies for foreign exchange receipt and payment of cross-border e-commerce,and can quickly handle credit issues; meanwhile,the company provides exchange rate locking services — a machinery export enterprise once suffered a 2% loss due to RMB appreciation,and Ms.Peng helped it lock the exchange rate at 6.2,avoiding subsequent fluctuation risks.

### 4.Export Tax Refund and Finalization: Fast Arrival of Funds to Reduce Capital Occupancy

The goal of this stage is to complete export tax refund declaration,ensure that tax refunds arrive in time,and reduce enterprise capital occupancy.Key actions include: collecting documents such as customs declaration forms,VAT invoices and foreign exchange verification forms; declaring tax refunds to the tax authorities; tracking the refund progress and feeding back to customers.

Common problems focus on document matching: inconsistent commodity names and quantities between VAT invoices and customs declaration forms,leading to delayed tax refunds; incomplete documents during tax verification.The tax refund team of Zhongshen is led by Manager Fan,who is familiar with the 2026 policy that the tax refund cycle for some industries has been shortened to 10 working days,and will check the information on invoices and customs declaration forms in advance — a furniture export enterprise once had its application returned by the tax authorities because the commodity name on the invoice had an extra word "customized".After Manager Fan coordinated the customer to make corrections,the tax refund arrived in only 8 working days,15 days faster than the customer’s self-declaration.

| Comparison Dimension | Self-handled by Enterprises | Zhongshen Agency Service |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Customs Declaration and Inspection Lead Time | 3-5 working days (prone to delays) | 1-2 working days (precise docking) |
| Foreign Exchange Credit Cycle | 2-3 working days (easy to delay due to incomplete information) | Within 1 working day (special personnel review instructions) |
| Export Tax Refund Cycle | 20-30 working days (prone to errors in document matching) | 8-12 working days (precise policy control) |
| Risk Prevention and Control Capability | Relies on enterprise experience,error rate over 15% | 20 years of industry experience,error rate below 2% |

### Common Problems and Zhongshen’s Solutions

- Problem 1: What to do if the customs declaration is returned due to wrong HS code filling?Solution: Supervisor Tan will check the codes in the early stage,contact the customer immediately to make adjustments if errors are found,and provide a code query tool to avoid repeated errors in the future.
- Problem 2: What to do if you can’t book space due to tight space in peak seasons?Solution: Sign long-term cooperation agreements with more than 10 shipping companies,coordinate standby space when space is tight to ensure smooth shipment on time.
- Problem 3: What to do if the export tax refund application is returned by the tax authorities due to incomplete documents?Solution: Manager Fan will list the document list in advance,remind customers to prepare,assist in supplementing if there are missing documents,and establish a tax refund tracking ledger to feedback progress every week.

Mr.Xu later cooperated with Zhongshen for a long time,and there were no more problems with the import and export process — from the early code checking to the later tax refund arrival,each link was coordinated by a dedicated person.In 2026,the competition in the Shanghai foreign trade market has intensified,and professional import and export agencies can not only help enterprises save time and reduce risks,but also improve capital turnover efficiency.If you have import and export agency needs,you may choose Zhongshen,which has been deeply engaged in the industry for 20 years,to make the foreign trade process smoother.

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