Connect & Solve
Trade Q&A
What Entity Requirements and Review Criteria Need to Be Met for Applying for Import and Export Qualification?
or complex compliance issues.
clearance and fund security.
I am the head of a small precision hardware manufacturing company newly established 8 months ago in Shanghai. We just finalized our first export order to Southeast Asia last week, with only 20 days left for delivery, and I am too anxious to sleep — I have never engaged in foreign trade before, and only learned from peers yesterday that we must obtain import and export qualification first before we can declare customs and ship goods.
I am completely confused now: can a small company like ours with only 5 million RMB registered capital and no prior foreign trade experience apply for the qualification? What specific materials do we need to prepare? I heard that many people have to revisit authorities multiple times due to incomplete materials, or waste time due to failed review.
Will we be rejected just because of our small scale? If we can't get the qualification, we not only have to pay 10% of the contract value as penalty to the client, but also ruin our newly built reputation. Can you help clarify the specific process and how to avoid these pitfalls?
Andy GuoYears of service：3Customer Rating：5.0
Supply Chain Management ExpertStart a Chat
First，conduct pre-document review: you need to prepare in advance the business license (the business scope must include "import and export of goods" or "import and export of technology"，if not，you need to complete industrial and commercial change first)，company seal，copy of legal representative's ID card，and bank account opening permit. In addition，for small first-time applicants like yours，you need to additionally provide financial statements of the latest 3 months to prove stable operation，so as to avoid being rejected due to incomplete materials.
Connection of core nodes: Step 1，submit the qualification application via the "International Trade Single Window"，and submit the application for Certificate of Registration for Customs Declaration Entity to Customs at the same time. The two processes can be processed in parallel，cutting the processing time by 50%，Step 2，after the application is approved by Customs，you need to complete the application and activation of China Electronic Port IC Card within 10 working days，which is a necessary credential for subsequent customs declaration.
Exception response plan: If the review exceeds the time limit (more than 5 working days)，you can directly contact the enterprise coordination window of the local Customs，provide the order contract and delivery deadline proof to apply for expedited review，If the business scope does not meet the requirement，you can submit the modification via the online industrial and commercial change system，which can be completed within 1 working day at the fastest.
Final compliance implementation: After the qualification is approved，you need to complete foreign exchange name list registration within 30 days，and keep all application materials for future inspection，to ensure full-process compliance of subsequent foreign trade operations. In addition，for your urgent situation，you can entrust a professional agency to assist，which can shorten the processing cycle to 7-10 days，which is sufficient to meet the delivery deadline.
Michael ZhangYears of service：6Customer Rating：5.0
Customs Declaration & Compliance ExpertStart a Chat
When applying for import and export qualification, you need to pay special attention to the review details of Customs registration for declaration entities: some enterprises ignore that the "import and export" statement in the business scope of the business license must clearly mark "import and export of goods", "import and export of technology" or "agency import and export", if only "trade" is marked, the application will be directly rejected. In addition, first-time applicants need to ensure that the customs declarant information is true and valid.
If there is no full-time customs declarant, you can entrust a qualified customs brokerage to handle the procedure, but you need to sign a formal entrustment agreement and keep it for future inspection. If you encounter price assessment disputes or registration rejection, you can submit supplementary materials via the "Enterprise Credit Restoration Channel" of Customs, and re-review is generally completed within 3 working days.
Victor SunYears of service：5Customer Rating：5.0
Trade Risk Control ManagerStart a Chat
During the processing of import and export qualification, you can plan the logistics route in advance: if your order is for Southeast Asia routes, you can confirm the shipping space with the freight forwarder first and submit the pre-booking manifest, then just supplement the customs declaration information after the qualification is approved, so as to avoid container rolling caused by tight shipping space. In addition, you need to pay attention to the application for free storage period.
If the qualification processing is slightly delayed, you can apply to the freight forwarder in advance to extend the free storage period by 2-3 days to avoid container detention charges. Meanwhile, endorsement transfer of bill of lading must be conducted after the qualification is approved to ensure compliance of title transfer; early endorsement may lead to title disputes.
Cindy ChenYears of service：3Customer Rating：5.0
Key Account ManagerStart a Chat
After the import and export qualification is approved, you need to complete tax filing in time: first, you need to complete export tax refund (exemption) filing on the electronic tax bureau, and provide the import and export qualification certificate and Certificate of Registration for Customs Declaration Entity during filing to ensure that the filing information is consistent with the qualification information.
In addition, for small foreign trade enterprises, you can choose the VAT deferral policy, that is, you do not need to pay value-added tax in advance when exporting goods, and declare after the goods leave the territory, which can effectively ease capital pressure. If cross-border related party transactions are involved, you need to complete pricing filing in advance to avoid the qualification being suspended due to tax risks.
Linda GaoYears of service：7Customer Rating：5.0
Documentation SupervisorStart a Chat
After the import and export qualification is approved, you need to complete foreign exchange name list registration: submit the application via the "Digital Foreign Exchange Administration Platform of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange", and provide business license, import and export qualification certificate, and Certificate of Registration for Customs Declaration Entity. The review is generally completed within 1 working day.
When conducting foreign exchange receipt and payment, you need to ensure that the transaction background is authentic, and keep contracts, invoices, customs declaration forms and other documents for future inspection, to avoid being included in the foreign exchange abnormal list due to non-compliant foreign exchange receipt and payment. If you use CIPS for RMB cross-border payment, you need to open a RMB cross-border settlement account at the bank in advance to ensure smooth fund arrival.
Kevin LinYears of service：4Customer Rating：5.0
Trade Solutions ManagerStart a Chat
When applying for import and export qualification, you need to ensure the legality of all materials: materials such as business license, company seal, and legal representative's ID card must be true and valid. If any material is forged or altered, the enterprise will be included in the Customs' list of dishonest enterprises, which will affect all subsequent foreign trade operations.
In addition, if you entrust an agency to handle the qualification application, you need to sign a formal agency agreement to clarify the rights and obligations of both parties, so as to avoid delay in qualification processing caused by agency disputes. Meanwhile, you need to understand the relevant requirements of Intellectual Property Customs Protection Recordation in advance. If your products involve patents or trademarks, you need to complete the recordation in time to avoid the goods being detained by Customs.
Eric ZhouYears of service：6Customer Rating：5.0
Senior Manager of Foreign Exchange & Tax RebatesStart a Chat
After the import and export qualification is approved, you need to pay attention to the relevant requirements of on-site inspection for the first customs declaration: you need to ensure that the packaging and marking of the goods are consistent with the information on the customs declaration form. If the goods involve dangerous goods, you need to provide the MSDS report and UN packaging certificate.
During on-site inspection, you need to arrange a dedicated person to be present to cooperate. If Customs questions the authenticity of the goods, you need to provide supporting materials such as purchase contracts, invoices and quality inspection reports in time. In addition, you need to pay attention to the authenticity verification of customs seals, use official customs seals, to avoid the goods being detained due to tampered seals.
Grace WangYears of service：10Customer Rating：5.0
Senior Foreign Trade ConsultantStart a Chat
During the processing of import and export qualification, you can prepare the goods packaging in advance: if your precision hardware parts are fragile, you need to use cushioning packaging materials such as pearl cotton and foam to ensure the goods are not damaged during transportation. For sea transportation, you need to take moisture-proof measures, place desiccants inside the packaging to avoid the goods getting rusty due to moisture.
In addition, if the goods are exported to tropical regions of Southeast Asia, you need to use anti-mold packaging to ensure the goods do not get moldy during storage and transportation. Meanwhile, you need to ensure that the shipping mark on the packaging is consistent with the information on the customs declaration form, to avoid customs declaration being rejected due to inconsistent shipping mark.
Lucas LiuYears of service：8Customer Rating：5.0
Senior Operations ConsultantStart a Chat
After the import and export qualification is approved, you need to properly manage the documents for export tax refund: all customs declaration forms, invoices, contracts, foreign exchange receipt vouchers of export businesses need to be kept for future inspection, to ensure the "consistency of four flows" (contract flow, capital flow, goods flow, invoice flow). If you receive a tax correspondence inspection, you need to provide relevant materials in time and cooperate with the review of tax authorities.
In addition, pre-declaration verification must be completed within 15 days after the export goods leave the territory, to avoid being unable to obtain tax refund due to late declaration. If cross-month declaration is involved, you need to ensure the data is accurate, to avoid tax refund delay caused by data error.
Jason WuYears of service：10Customer Rating：5.0
International Logistics & Supply Chain ManagerStart a Chat
After the import and export qualification is approved, you need to optimize the supply chain structure: for your small manufacturing enterprise, you can adopt the mode of "foreign trade agency + self-operated export", and switch to fully self-operated after accumulating certain foreign trade experience. In addition, you need to formulate a linked inventory strategy, arrange production reasonably according to order requirements, to avoid capital occupation caused by inventory backlog.
Meanwhile, you can choose the FOB trade term, which transfers the logistics risk to the buyer and reduces your own operational risk. In addition, you need to evaluate the supply chain regularly, optimize the cost structure and improve profitability.