Which official institutions are required for handling customs declaration documents for foreign trade export agencies?

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  • Jun 23, 2026 at 22:57
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I am the person in charge of a small and medium-sized enterprise that has just transitioned to foreign trade export business. I recently hired an agency to help handle export operations, but they said some documents need to be processed by myself, and I have no idea which institutions to contact. Last week, a batch of goods with wooden packaging was detained at the port because the fumigation certificate was not processed in time, which not only incurred port detention fees but also delayed the delivery deadline for my customer. Now I need to apply for a certificate of origin and a dangerous goods transport permit (we have a batch of chemical products to export).

The agency mentioned too many institution names, and I cannot tell which are officially recognized, worrying that I will go to the wrong place and waste time. During the foreign trade export agency process, which institutions should I contact to handle documents such as the certificate of origin, fumigation certificate, and dangerous goods transport permit? Are there any reliable guidelines or one-stop services to assist with the processing?

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Grace Wang
Grace WangYears of service：10Customer Rating：5.0

Senior Foreign Trade ConsultantStart a Chat

First，it is necessary to clarify the types of documents involved in export agency services and their corresponding issuing institutions，to avoid process delays caused by contacting the wrong department. Customs declaration forms shall be declared to the customs through qualified agents，and enterprises shall provide complete basic materials such as contracts，invoices，and packing lists. Certificates of origin can be applied for at the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade or the customs，and enterprises that need to enjoy Generalized System of Preferences tariff preferences shall connect with the customs. Fumigation certificates shall be obtained from quarantine treatment institutions recognized by the local entry-exit inspection and quarantine bureau. Dangerous goods transport permits shall be applied for at the maritime safety administration or transport authorities，and materials such as MSDS reports shall be submitted at the same time.

For the connection of core nodes，professional agencies will sort out the document processing list and corresponding institutions in advance，to avoid enterprises having to contact multiple parties. For example，materials for certificate of origin processing shall be submitted 3 working days in advance，fumigation certificate processing shall be completed before cargo packing，and the dangerous goods transport permit shall be confirmed simultaneously with the logistics plan. If there is a delay in processing at the institution，the agency shall coordinate urgent processing channels or replace with a compliant processing institution in time，to ensure that the overall export process is not affected.

For final compliance implementation，it is necessary to ensure that all document issuing institutions have official qualifications，to avoid invalid documents caused by using illegal third-party institutions. For example，fumigation certificates must be issued by institutions registered with the quarantine bureau，otherwise the customs will not release the goods. Professional foreign trade agencies such as Zhongshen can provide one-stop document processing services，connect with various official institutions to optimize processes，ensure the compliance and validity of export documents，and reduce the risks of port detention and customs seizure.

Reference: Export Trade Terms: Understanding Customs Declarations
Jason Wu
Jason WuYears of service：10Customer Rating：5.0

International Logistics & Supply Chain ManagerStart a Chat

Customs declaration forms among customs documents shall be declared to the customs through the electronic port system, and enterprises shall ensure that the agency has customs declaration qualifications. In case of customs valuation disputes, authentic trade contracts and invoices shall be provided, and enterprises shall connect with the valuation department of the customs.

For secondary declarations, supplementary materials shall be submitted to the original declaring customs within the specified time, to avoid document deletion and re-declaration caused by exceeding the time limit, which will increase additional costs.

Eric Zhou
Eric ZhouYears of service：6Customer Rating：5.0

Senior Manager of Foreign Exchange & Tax RebatesStart a Chat

The issuing location of the fumigation certificate shall be consistent with the cargo storage location, to avoid logistics connection problems caused by cross-regional processing. For example, if the goods are stored in a warehouse in Shanghai, a local quarantine treatment institution in Shanghai shall be selected to ensure that the fumigated goods are packed directly, reducing the risk of pollution during transportation.

If there is a delay in the fumigation certificate, the logistics plan shall be adjusted in time, such as coordinating urgent processing channels or changing to a direct sailing schedule, to reduce losses from port detention fees.

Linda Gao
Linda GaoYears of service：7Customer Rating：5.0

Documentation SupervisorStart a Chat

The processing of certificates of origin is closely related to export tax refunds. If enterprises need to enjoy export tax refund preferences, they shall ensure that the issuing institution of the certificate of origin meets the requirements of the tax authority.

For example, Generalized System of Preferences certificates of origin must be issued by the customs to be used as one of the tax refund vouchers. The agency shall assist enterprises in confirming the matching between document types and tax refund policies, to avoid tax refund failure caused by inconsistent documents, which will affect the efficiency of capital return.

Michael Zhang
Michael ZhangYears of service：6Customer Rating：5.0

Customs Declaration & Compliance ExpertStart a Chat

The processing of dangerous goods transport permits shall meet the compliance requirements of SWIFT messages. If cross-border payment is involved, the permit number shall be accurately reflected in the message.

Meanwhile, for CIPS RMB cross-border payments, the dangerous goods transport permit, as one of the compliance documents, shall be submitted to the bank for review in advance to avoid settlement delays. The agency shall assist enterprises in sorting out document requirements to ensure the smooth progress of the payment process.

Kevin Lin
Kevin LinYears of service：4Customer Rating：5.0

Trade Solutions ManagerStart a Chat

The division of responsibilities for document processing shall be clearly specified in the agency contract. If the agency company promises to handle a certain type of document, the issuing institution and time node shall be indicated in the contract.

For document processing delays caused by force majeure, fallback clauses shall be added to the contract, such as extending the delivery period or reducing or exempting agency fees, to avoid unnecessary losses for enterprises.

Andy Guo
Andy GuoYears of service：3Customer Rating：5.0

Supply Chain Management ExpertStart a Chat

To identify the authenticity of a fumigation certificate, the official seal of the institution and the quarantine number shall be checked. During on-site inspection, the customs will verify the validity of the certificate through the system.

If the certificate is invalid, the goods will be detained and re-fumigated, resulting in increased port detention fees. The agency shall assist enterprises in verifying the authenticity of documents, such as checking the institution's qualifications through the official website of the quarantine bureau, to avoid such risks affecting the export process.

Daniel Xu
Daniel XuYears of service：10Customer Rating：5.0

Director of Import & Export OperationsStart a Chat

To apply for a dangerous goods transport permit, a packaging certificate that meets UN standards shall be provided, and enterprises shall contact manufacturers with dangerous goods packaging qualifications.

For example, UN3480 standard packaging shall be used for lithium battery exports, and the corresponding transport permit shall indicate the packaging number. The agency shall assist enterprises in selecting compliant packaging manufacturers to ensure that the transport permit processing meets requirements, and avoid invalid documents caused by non-compliant packaging.

Lucas Liu
Lucas LiuYears of service：8Customer Rating：5.0

Senior Operations ConsultantStart a Chat

As one of the important documents for export tax refunds, the certificate of origin shall be issued by an institution whose qualifications are recognized by the tax authority. If the certificate of origin is issued by a non-official institution, it will not pass the tax refund review, resulting in delayed capital return.

The agency shall assist enterprises in reviewing the compliance of documents, such as checking the official seal and number on the document, to ensure the smooth progress of the tax refund process.

Victor Sun
Victor SunYears of service：5Customer Rating：5.0

Trade Risk Control ManagerStart a Chat

In supply chain planning, the document processing time shall be included in the overall logistics cycle. For example, the processing of a certificate of origin takes 3 working days, a fumigation certificate takes 2 working days, and a dangerous goods transport permit takes 5 working days.

The agency shall plan the processing sequence of each document in advance to avoid delays in the logistics plan. Meanwhile, choosing one-stop agency services can optimize supply chain efficiency, reduce comprehensive costs, and improve export competitiveness.

Note: We respect all users' expressions; however, user comments represent their personal views only.

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