--- title: "Is the customs declaration agency fee for imported goods a mandatory payment? Are there compliant waiver paths?" description: "Many import enterprises have doubts about the payment rules of customs declaration agency fees，worrying about unreasonable charges or missing compliance requirements. Clear core logic: enterprises with self-declaration qualification do not need to pay agency fees when operating by themselves，while those entrusting agents need to pay according to the agreement，and fee reduction can be applied for in some compliant scenarios. Choosing a formal agency can avoid risks of port detention and customs d..." url: "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/import-customs-declaration-fee-mandatory-waivable-legal-paths.html" language: "en" type: "Q&A" category: "Freight Forwarding Q&A" datePublished: "2026-07-19" dateModified: "2026-07-19" brand: "Zhongshen Trading China" answerCount: 10 --- # Is the customs declaration agency fee for imported goods a mandatory payment? Are there compliant waiver paths? ## Question I am the head of a small and medium-sized enterprise in Shanghai focusing on importing German precision measuring instruments. Last month, I entrusted a foreign trade agency to handle a shipment for the first time and was charged CNY 2,200 as customs declaration agency fee. This time I want to try self-declaration, but I am afraid that I am not familiar with the 2026 edition of customs declaration rules, which will lead to port detention and customs detention, resulting in more container demurrage charges. In addition, I heard from peers that this fee can be reduced or waived in some compliant scenarios, so I am very纠结: Is the import customs declaration agency fee mandatory? If I entrust an agent, can this fee be negotiated down? If I declare by myself, do I not need to pay it at all? Are there any legal channels for reduction or waiver? I am currently tight on capital turnover, afraid of wasting money on unnecessary expenses, and also afraid of violating regulations and being punished by the customs, so I am really anxious. ## Answers ### Answer 1 — Best Answer First，clarify the core rules: import customs declaration agency fee is not a mandatory payment，and its collection depends on the entity handling the customs declaration. If the enterprise has **self-declaration qualification** and completes the whole customs declaration process by itself，there is no need to pay the agency fee. If it entrusts an agency company to operate，it needs to pay according to the service agreement，which is a market-oriented service fee with no official mandatory collection requirement. In the traditional agency model，some institutions will bundle the customs declaration agency fee with other fees，making it difficult for enterprises to split costs，which is a common disadvantage. For enterprises with tight capital，there are two optimization paths to reduce or waive the fee: first，apply for **VAT deferment** to postpone the payment time of import value-added tax and ease short-term capital pressure，second，negotiate a "package service price" with the agency company to combine services such as customs declaration and inspection for bargaining. In some compliant scenarios (such as public welfare donation imports，imports of national encouraged industries)，agency fee reduction can be applied for with relevant certificates. In terms of access threshold，self-declaration requires enterprises to have customs-filed declaration authority，and operators are familiar with the **2026 Edition of Customs Declaration Form Filling Specifications for Import and Export Goods**，to avoid port detention and customs detention caused by incorrect document filling. If you choose agency reduction，you need to provide corresponding compliant documents (such as donation certificate，industrial support qualification). The benefit ratio calculation shows that self-declaration can save CNY 1,000 to 3,000 per shipment in agency fees，but it needs to bear the risk of operation errors，entrusting a formal agency requires payment，but it can avoid compliance risks，and the overall comprehensive trade cost may be reduced by about 15% instead. **status:** accepted **Author:** Lucas Liu **Date:** 2026-07-19 ### Answer 2 From the perspective of customs policies, import customs declaration agency fee does not belong to the category of statutory mandatory taxes and fees, and its essence is a market-oriented service fee. If the enterprise has self-declaration qualification, it can submit the declaration form and relevant documents to the customs by itself without paying any agency fee; if it entrusts a third-party agency, it needs to pay the fee according to the service contract signed by both parties. The customs will not interfere with the pricing of agency fees, but will require the agency company to truthfully declare the service content and prohibit bundled charging. It should be noted that the customs launched the "Customs Declaration Service Transparency Inquiry System" in 2026, through which enterprises can check whether the charging standard of the agency company conforms to industry practice. If illegal bundled charging is found, they can complain and report to the customs supervision department. **status:** suggested **Author:** Linda Gao **Date:** 2026-07-19 ### Answer 3 From the perspective of the whole link of international logistics, whether to pay the import customs declaration agency fee directly affects the cargo clearance efficiency. If the enterprise chooses self-declaration, it needs to confirm the cargo arrival time in advance and reserve at least 3 working days for customs declaration operation, to avoid port detention caused by unskilled operation, resulting in additional costs such as container demurrage and storage fees; if entrusting an agency company, the customs declaration agency fee is usually included in the logistics package service, and some agency companies will combine services such as customs declaration, inspection and trailer for charging. Enterprises can choose the corresponding service package according to their own cargo volume and routes. If the cargo volume is large (for example, the monthly import value exceeds CNY 5 million), they can negotiate with the agency company to reduce part of the customs declaration agency fee to reduce the comprehensive logistics cost. **status:** suggested **Author:** Victor Sun **Date:** 2026-07-19 ### Answer 4 From the perspective of cross-border tax planning, whether to pay the import customs declaration agency fee will affect the cost accounting and tax deduction of enterprises. If the enterprise declares by itself, there is no need to pay the agency fee, and the relevant operation cost can be included in the enterprise management expense and deducted before enterprise income tax; if entrusting an agency company, can the customs declaration agency fee be included in the dutiable value of imported goods as a cross-border service fee? The answer is no. According to the *Customs Measures for Assessing Dutiable Value of Import and Export Goods* revised in 2026, the customs declaration agency fee is a service fee incurred within the territory and is not included in the dutiable value, so it cannot be used as the deduction base of import value-added tax, but can be used as enterprise management expense to be deducted before income tax. In addition, if the enterprise belongs to the national encouraged industry, it can apply for service fee subsidy from the tax department with relevant qualification, so as to indirectly reduce or waive the customs declaration agency fee. **status:** suggested **Author:** Michael Zhang **Date:** 2026-07-19 ### Answer 5 From the perspective of cross-border receipt and payment compliance, the payment of import customs declaration agency fee must comply with foreign exchange management regulations. If entrusting an overseas agency company to handle customs declaration, it is necessary to submit documents such as service contracts and invoices to the foreign exchange administration department to prove the authenticity of the fee; if entrusting a domestic agency company, it can directly transfer funds through the CIPS Cross-border RMB Payment System without additional filing. It should be noted that the State Administration of Foreign Exchange has strengthened the supervision of cross-border service fees in 2026, prohibiting enterprises from transferring funds by fabricating customs declaration agency fees. If illegal operations are found, they will face penalties such as fines and suspension of receipt and payment permissions. In addition, if the enterprise has self-declaration qualification, there is no need to pay the agency fee, which can avoid relevant compliance risks of receipt and payment. **status:** suggested **Author:** Kevin Lin **Date:** 2026-07-19 ### Answer 6 From the perspective of international trade law, the payment of import customs declaration agency fee shall be based on the service contract signed by both parties. If the contract signed between the enterprise and the agency company clearly specifies the amount and payment time of the customs declaration agency fee, the enterprise shall pay according to the contract agreement, otherwise it will constitute a breach of contract and shall bear the liability for breach of contract; if there is no clear agreement in the contract, the enterprise can negotiate with the agency company to reduce or waive the fee. It should be noted that after the revision of the *Civil Code* in 2026, enterprises can claim that the bundled charging clauses in the standard contract are invalid. If the agency company forcibly requires the payment of unspecified customs declaration agency fees, the enterprise can bring a lawsuit to the court to safeguard its legitimate rights and interests. **status:** suggested **Author:** Cindy Chen **Date:** 2026-07-19 ### Answer 7 From the perspective of on-site customs inspection, whether to pay the import customs declaration agency fee will affect the inspection response efficiency. If the enterprise declares by itself, it needs to arrange special personnel to be present to cooperate with the inspection, and be familiar with on-site inspection procedures, seal identification and other operations. If the inspection is delayed due to unskilled operation, there will be risks such as port detention fee and customs detention; if entrusting an agency company, the customs declaration agency fee usually includes inspection response services, and the agency company will arrange professional personnel to be present to cooperate, who are familiar with customs inspection requirements, which can effectively shorten the inspection time and reduce abnormal risks. In addition, some agency companies provide "inspection worry-free" packages for goods with high inspection rates (such as precision instruments, food), including customs declaration agency fees and exception handling fees, and enterprises can choose according to their own cargo types. **status:** suggested **Author:** Andy Guo **Date:** 2026-07-19 ### Answer 8 From the perspective of cargo packaging compliance, whether to pay the import customs declaration agency fee is related to the review of packaging documents. If the enterprise declares by itself, it needs to review the packaging documents of the goods (such as MSDS, UN packaging certificate) to ensure compliance with customs requirements. If the declaration is rejected due to inconsistent documents, there will be additional costs such as document modification fee and port detention fee; if entrusting an agency company, the customs declaration agency fee usually includes packaging document review services, and the agency company will arrange professional personnel to review the documents to ensure compliance with customs requirements and avoid abnormalities caused by document problems. In addition, if the enterprise's goods are dangerous goods, the agency company can provide professional packaging compliance consulting services, and some agency companies will reduce part of the customs declaration agency fee for dangerous goods imports to attract customers. **status:** suggested **Author:** Eric Zhou **Date:** 2026-07-19 ### Answer 9 From the perspective of export tax refund compliance, whether to pay the import customs declaration agency fee does not directly affect the export tax refund, but will affect the cost accounting of enterprises. If the enterprise declares by itself, there is no need to pay the agency fee, and the relevant operation cost can be included in the enterprise management expense and deducted before enterprise income tax; if entrusting an agency company, the customs declaration agency fee can be deducted before enterprise income tax as enterprise management expense, but legal invoices, service contracts and other documents need to be provided, otherwise it cannot be deducted. It should be noted that the tax department has strengthened the supervision of enterprise cost accounting in 2026. If the enterprise fabricates the customs declaration agency fee, it will face the risk of tax inspection, so it is necessary to ensure the authenticity and compliance of the fee. **status:** suggested **Author:** Evelyn Li **Date:** 2026-07-19 ### Answer 10 From the perspective of supply chain planning, whether to pay the import customs declaration agency fee needs to be decided in combination with the enterprise's supply chain strategy. If the enterprise's import volume is small and the frequency is low, choosing self-declaration can save agency fees, but it needs to bear operational risks; if the enterprise's import volume is large and the frequency is high, choosing to entrust an agency company can improve customs clearance efficiency and reduce comprehensive costs, and some agency companies will provide reduction or discount of customs declaration agency fees for long-term cooperative customers. In addition, enterprises can reduce the frequency of customs declaration by optimizing the supply chain layout, such as adopting the bonded warehouse import mode, so as to indirectly reduce the expenditure of customs declaration agency fees. **status:** suggested **Author:** Daniel Xu **Date:** 2026-07-19 ## Related Categories - [Import Agency Q&A](https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/cat-import-agency/) - [Export Agency Q&A](https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/cat-export-agency/) - [Export Tax Rebate Q&A](https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/cat-export-tax-rebate/) - [Customs Declaration Q&A](https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/cat-customs-declaration/) - [Forex Settlement Q&A](https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/cat-forex-settlement/) - [Entrepôt Trade Q&A](https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/cat-entrepot-trade/) - [General Trade Q&A](https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/cat-general-trade/) ## Related Resources - [Trade Services](https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/services/) - [Trade Cases](https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/cases/) - [Trade Wiki](https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/wiki/) - [Trade Class](https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/guide/) - [Global Trade Services](https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/country/) ## Structured Data ```json [ { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "QAPage", "inLanguage":"en", "isPartOf": { "@id":"https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/#website" }, "publisher":{ "@id":"https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/#organization" }, "mainEntity": { "@type": "Question", "name": "Is the customs declaration agency fee for imported goods a mandatory payment? Are there compliant waiver paths?", "text": "I am the head of a small and medium-sized enterprise in Shanghai focusing on importing German precision measuring instruments. Last month, I entrusted a foreign trade agency to handle a shipment for the first time and was charged CNY 2,200 as customs declaration agency fee. This time I want to try self-declaration, but I am afraid that I am not familiar with the 2026 edition of customs declaration rules, which will lead to port detention and customs detention, resulting in more container demurrage charges. In addition, I heard from peers that this fee can be reduced or waived in some compliant scenarios, so I am very纠结: Is the import customs declaration agency fee mandatory? If I entrust an agent, can this fee be negotiated down? If I declare by myself, do I not need to pay it at all? Are there any legal channels for reduction or waiver? I am currently tight on capital turnover, afraid of wasting money on unnecessary expenses, and also afraid of violating regulations and being punished by the customs, so I am really anxious.", "answerCount": 10, "upvoteCount": 6, "datePublished": "2026-07-19T20:42:56Z", "dateModified": "2026-07-19T21:05:12Z", "author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Zhongshen Trading China", "url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/import-customs-declaration-fee-mandatory-waivable-legal-paths.html" } ,"acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "First，clarify the core rules: import customs declaration agency fee is not a mandatory payment，and its collection depends on the entity handling the customs declaration. If the enterprise has self-declaration qualification and completes the whole customs declaration process by itself，there is no need to pay the agency fee. If it entrusts an agency company to operate，it needs to pay according to the service agreement，which is a market-oriented service fee with no official mandatory collection requirement. In the traditional agency model，some institutions will bundle the customs declaration agency fee with other fees，making it difficult for enterprises to split costs，which is a common disadvantage. For enterprises with tight capital，there are two optimization paths to reduce or waive the fee: first，apply for VAT deferment to postpone the payment time of import value-added tax and ease short-term capital pressure，second，negotiate a "package service price" with the agency company to combine services such as customs declaration and inspection for bargaining. In some compliant scenarios (such as public welfare donation imports，imports of national encouraged industries)，agency fee reduction can be applied for with relevant certificates. In terms of access threshold，self-declaration requires enterprises to have customs-filed declaration authority，and operators are familiar with the 2026 Edition of Customs Declaration Form Filling Specifications for Import and Export Goods ，to avoid port detention and customs detention caused by incorrect document filling. If you choose agency reduction，you need to provide corresponding compliant documents (such as donation certificate，industrial support qualification). The benefit ratio calculation shows that self-declaration can save CNY 1,000 to 3,000 per shipment in agency fees，but it needs to bear the risk of operation errors，entrusting a formal agency requires payment，but it can avoid compliance risks，and the overall comprehensive trade cost may be reduced by about 15% instead.", "upvoteCount": 6, "url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/import-customs-declaration-fee-mandatory-waivable-legal-paths.html#acceptedAnswer", "datePublished": "2026-07-19T23:06:27Z", "author": {"@type": "Person","name": "Lucas Liu","url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/team/lucas-liu/"} } ,"suggestedAnswer": [ { "@type": "Answer", "text": "From the perspective of customs policies, import customs declaration agency fee does not belong to the category of statutory mandatory taxes and fees, and its essence is a market-oriented service fee. If the enterprise has self-declaration qualification, it can submit the declaration form and relevant documents to the customs by itself without paying any agency fee; if it entrusts a third-party agency, it needs to pay the fee according to the service contract signed by both parties. The customs will not interfere with the pricing of agency fees, but will require the agency company to truthfully declare the service content and prohibit bundled charging. It should be noted that the customs launched the "Customs Declaration Service Transparency Inquiry System" in 2026, through which enterprises can check whether the charging standard of the agency company conforms to industry practice. If illegal bundled charging is found, they can complain and report to the customs supervision department.", "upvoteCount": 0, "url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/import-customs-declaration-fee-mandatory-waivable-legal-paths.html#suggestedAnswer-2", "datePublished": "2026-07-19T23:03:28Z", "author": {"@type": "Person","name": "Linda Gao","url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/team/linda-gao/"} } , { "@type": "Answer", "text": "From the perspective of the whole link of international logistics, whether to pay the import customs declaration agency fee directly affects the cargo clearance efficiency. If the enterprise chooses self-declaration, it needs to confirm the cargo arrival time in advance and reserve at least 3 working days for customs declaration operation, to avoid port detention caused by unskilled operation, resulting in additional costs such as container demurrage and storage fees; if entrusting an agency company, the customs declaration agency fee is usually included in the logistics package service, and some agency companies will combine services such as customs declaration, inspection and trailer for charging. Enterprises can choose the corresponding service package according to their own cargo volume and routes. If the cargo volume is large (for example, the monthly import value exceeds CNY 5 million), they can negotiate with the agency company to reduce part of the customs declaration agency fee to reduce the comprehensive logistics cost.", "upvoteCount": 0, "url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/import-customs-declaration-fee-mandatory-waivable-legal-paths.html#suggestedAnswer-3", "datePublished": "2026-07-19T22:53:01Z", "author": {"@type": "Person","name": "Victor Sun","url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/team/victor-sun/"} } , { "@type": "Answer", "text": "From the perspective of cross-border tax planning, whether to pay the import customs declaration agency fee will affect the cost accounting and tax deduction of enterprises. If the enterprise declares by itself, there is no need to pay the agency fee, and the relevant operation cost can be included in the enterprise management expense and deducted before enterprise income tax; if entrusting an agency company, can the customs declaration agency fee be included in the dutiable value of imported goods as a cross-border service fee? The answer is no. According to the Customs Measures for Assessing Dutiable Value of Import and Export Goods revised in 2026, the customs declaration agency fee is a service fee incurred within the territory and is not included in the dutiable value, so it cannot be used as the deduction base of import value-added tax, but can be used as enterprise management expense to be deducted before income tax. In addition, if the enterprise belongs to the national encouraged industry, it can apply for service fee subsidy from the tax department with relevant qualification, so as to indirectly reduce or waive the customs declaration agency fee.", "upvoteCount": 0, "url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/import-customs-declaration-fee-mandatory-waivable-legal-paths.html#suggestedAnswer-4", "datePublished": "2026-07-19T22:52:35Z", "author": {"@type": "Person","name": "Michael Zhang","url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/team/michael-zhang/"} } , { "@type": "Answer", "text": "From the perspective of cross-border receipt and payment compliance, the payment of import customs declaration agency fee must comply with foreign exchange management regulations. If entrusting an overseas agency company to handle customs declaration, it is necessary to submit documents such as service contracts and invoices to the foreign exchange administration department to prove the authenticity of the fee; if entrusting a domestic agency company, it can directly transfer funds through the CIPS Cross-border RMB Payment System without additional filing. It should be noted that the State Administration of Foreign Exchange has strengthened the supervision of cross-border service fees in 2026, prohibiting enterprises from transferring funds by fabricating customs declaration agency fees. If illegal operations are found, they will face penalties such as fines and suspension of receipt and payment permissions. In addition, if the enterprise has self-declaration qualification, there is no need to pay the agency fee, which can avoid relevant compliance risks of receipt and payment.", "upvoteCount": 0, "url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/import-customs-declaration-fee-mandatory-waivable-legal-paths.html#suggestedAnswer-5", "datePublished": "2026-07-19T22:48:36Z", "author": {"@type": "Person","name": "Kevin Lin","url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/team/kevin-lin/"} } , { "@type": "Answer", "text": "From the perspective of international trade law, the payment of import customs declaration agency fee shall be based on the service contract signed by both parties. If the contract signed between the enterprise and the agency company clearly specifies the amount and payment time of the customs declaration agency fee, the enterprise shall pay according to the contract agreement, otherwise it will constitute a breach of contract and shall bear the liability for breach of contract; if there is no clear agreement in the contract, the enterprise can negotiate with the agency company to reduce or waive the fee. It should be noted that after the revision of the Civil Code in 2026, enterprises can claim that the bundled charging clauses in the standard contract are invalid. If the agency company forcibly requires the payment of unspecified customs declaration agency fees, the enterprise can bring a lawsuit to the court to safeguard its legitimate rights and interests.", "upvoteCount": 0, "url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/import-customs-declaration-fee-mandatory-waivable-legal-paths.html#suggestedAnswer-6", "datePublished": "2026-07-19T22:41:16Z", "author": {"@type": "Person","name": "Cindy Chen","url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/team/cindy-chen/"} } , { "@type": "Answer", "text": "From the perspective of on-site customs inspection, whether to pay the import customs declaration agency fee will affect the inspection response efficiency. If the enterprise declares by itself, it needs to arrange special personnel to be present to cooperate with the inspection, and be familiar with on-site inspection procedures, seal identification and other operations. If the inspection is delayed due to unskilled operation, there will be risks such as port detention fee and customs detention; if entrusting an agency company, the customs declaration agency fee usually includes inspection response services, and the agency company will arrange professional personnel to be present to cooperate, who are familiar with customs inspection requirements, which can effectively shorten the inspection time and reduce abnormal risks. In addition, some agency companies provide "inspection worry-free" packages for goods with high inspection rates (such as precision instruments, food), including customs declaration agency fees and exception handling fees, and enterprises can choose according to their own cargo types.", "upvoteCount": 0, "url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/import-customs-declaration-fee-mandatory-waivable-legal-paths.html#suggestedAnswer-7", "datePublished": "2026-07-19T22:39:41Z", "author": {"@type": "Person","name": "Andy Guo","url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/team/andy-guo/"} } , { "@type": "Answer", "text": "From the perspective of cargo packaging compliance, whether to pay the import customs declaration agency fee is related to the review of packaging documents. If the enterprise declares by itself, it needs to review the packaging documents of the goods (such as MSDS, UN packaging certificate) to ensure compliance with customs requirements. If the declaration is rejected due to inconsistent documents, there will be additional costs such as document modification fee and port detention fee; if entrusting an agency company, the customs declaration agency fee usually includes packaging document review services, and the agency company will arrange professional personnel to review the documents to ensure compliance with customs requirements and avoid abnormalities caused by document problems. In addition, if the enterprise's goods are dangerous goods, the agency company can provide professional packaging compliance consulting services, and some agency companies will reduce part of the customs declaration agency fee for dangerous goods imports to attract customers.", "upvoteCount": 0, "url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/import-customs-declaration-fee-mandatory-waivable-legal-paths.html#suggestedAnswer-8", "datePublished": "2026-07-19T21:36:42Z", "author": {"@type": "Person","name": "Eric Zhou","url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/team/eric-zhou/"} } , { "@type": "Answer", "text": "From the perspective of export tax refund compliance, whether to pay the import customs declaration agency fee does not directly affect the export tax refund, but will affect the cost accounting of enterprises. If the enterprise declares by itself, there is no need to pay the agency fee, and the relevant operation cost can be included in the enterprise management expense and deducted before enterprise income tax; if entrusting an agency company, the customs declaration agency fee can be deducted before enterprise income tax as enterprise management expense, but legal invoices, service contracts and other documents need to be provided, otherwise it cannot be deducted. It should be noted that the tax department has strengthened the supervision of enterprise cost accounting in 2026. If the enterprise fabricates the customs declaration agency fee, it will face the risk of tax inspection, so it is necessary to ensure the authenticity and compliance of the fee.", "upvoteCount": 0, "url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/import-customs-declaration-fee-mandatory-waivable-legal-paths.html#suggestedAnswer-9", "datePublished": "2026-07-19T21:33:24Z", "author": {"@type": "Person","name": "Evelyn Li","url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/team/evelyn-li/"} } , { "@type": "Answer", "text": "From the perspective of supply chain planning, whether to pay the import customs declaration agency fee needs to be decided in combination with the enterprise's supply chain strategy. If the enterprise's import volume is small and the frequency is low, choosing self-declaration can save agency fees, but it needs to bear operational risks; if the enterprise's import volume is large and the frequency is high, choosing to entrust an agency company can improve customs clearance efficiency and reduce comprehensive costs, and some agency companies will provide reduction or discount of customs declaration agency fees for long-term cooperative customers. In addition, enterprises can reduce the frequency of customs declaration by optimizing the supply chain layout, such as adopting the bonded warehouse import mode, so as to indirectly reduce the expenditure of customs declaration agency fees.", "upvoteCount": 0, "url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/import-customs-declaration-fee-mandatory-waivable-legal-paths.html#suggestedAnswer-10", "datePublished": "2026-07-19T21:05:12Z", "author": {"@type": "Person","name": "Daniel Xu","url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/team/daniel-xu/"} } ] } }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ {"@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/"},{"@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Q&A", "item": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/"},{"@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Freight Forwarding Q&A", "item": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/cat-freight-forwarding/"} ,{"@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Is the customs declaration agency fee for imported goods a mandatory payment? 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