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What Qualifications and Approval Requirements Are Needed to Register a Company with Import and Export Right?
or complex compliance issues.
clearance and fund security.
I am an entrepreneur who has engaged in domestic cosmetic trade for 3 years. Recently I plan to expand cross-border direct mail business of Japanese and South Korean cosmetics, which requires me to register a company with import and export operation right. However, I have never touched the foreign trade field before, so I feel very anxious.
I consulted a small agency last week, they downplayed it and said I only need to register an ordinary company and add the business scope of "import and export". But my friend who does foreign trade said I also need to handle customs filing and Electronic Port Card, and it may even involve special qualification approval.
Now I have no idea what procedures I need to go through at all. I am afraid that missing qualification procedures will lead to cargo customs detention and port congestion in the future, I also worry about being tricked by bad agencies, wasting money and taking detours, I even have no clue what core materials I need to prepare in advance. Can you explain this clearly for me?
Eric ZhouYears of service：6Customer Rating：5.0
Senior Manager of Foreign Exchange & Tax RebatesStart a Chat
First complete pre-qualification verification: confirm that the registered address is for commercial use (provide property ownership certificate or lease agreement). There is no mandatory requirement for registered capital，but it is recommended to be no less than RMB 500,000 (some regions have implicit requirements for cross-border e-commerce enterprises). Prepare basic materials in advance such as the legal representative's ID card，shareholder resolution，articles of association，etc. The key point is to specify targeted business scope such as "import and export of goods，import and export of technology，import and export of cosmetics" in the articles of association.
Key nodes need to be connected seamlessly: first complete industrial and commercial registration and add import and export business scope at the same time. After obtaining the business license，immediately log in to the "International Trade Single Window" to complete the filing of consignee and consignor for import and export goods，and apply for the Electronic Port IC Card at the same time (the legal representative needs to be present for biological information collection). Handle the registration in the foreign exchange receipt and payment name list simultaneously. These three nodes need to be connected within 10 working days to avoid affecting the customs clearance of the first batch of cosmetics due to delayed filing.
Formulate contingency plans: If the customs filing is rejected due to non-standard expression of business scope，you need to immediately contact the industrial and commercial department to change it to the standard expression of "self-operated and agent import and export business of various goods and technologies". If the application for Electronic Port Card is delayed，you can apply for temporary customs clearance permission with the copy of business license first.
Final compliance implementation: After all qualifications are processed，you need to file the customs filing receipt，Electronic Port Card，and foreign exchange name list registration certificate，Log in to the Single Window every quarter to verify the validity of filing information. If you are engaged in cosmetic import business，you need to additionally complete the filing of consignee of imported cosmetics to ensure the whole process is compliant.
Lucas LiuYears of service：8Customer Rating：5.0
Senior Operations ConsultantStart a Chat
When registering an import and export company, the expression of business scope in the customs filing link directly affects the subsequent customs declaration authority. If you only fill in "import and export of goods" without specifying "agent import and export", you cannot act as a customs declaration agent for third parties later. You need to supplement the complete standard expression during industrial and commercial registration in advance.
In addition, you need to fill in the "business category" accurately during customs filing, and cross-border e-commerce enterprises need to check the "cross-border e-commerce" option, otherwise you cannot enjoy the customs clearance facilitation policies of the cross-border e-commerce comprehensive pilot zone. If customs declaration is restricted due to filling errors, you need to submit a change application and wait 3-5 working days for review, which may cause the first batch of goods to be detained at the port.
Grace WangYears of service：10Customer Rating：5.0
Senior Foreign Trade ConsultantStart a Chat
After registering an import and export company, you need to complete the filing of port operation unit simultaneously, otherwise you cannot arrange the cargo to enter the port yard for operation. Especially for cross-border e-commerce direct mail cargo, if you do not complete the filing in advance, the cargo will be arranged to the temporary yard after arriving at the port, resulting in additional container detention fees and storage fees, which can reach hundreds of yuan per day.
In addition, if you deal with cosmetic cargo on Japanese and South Korean routes, you need to apply for "paperless filing of ocean bill of lading" simultaneously during registration, to avoid that the cargo cannot be picked up in time due to delayed delivery of paper bills of lading. You can contact your cooperative logistics enterprise in advance to assist with the filing and shorten the connection period.
Cindy ChenYears of service：3Customer Rating：5.0
Key Account ManagerStart a Chat
When registering an import and export company, you need to clarify the filing intention of "export tax refund qualification" during tax registration, no separate application is required, but you need to complete export tax refund (exemption) filing before the first export. If you fail to file in time, the first batch of exported goods cannot enjoy the tax refund policy, and the loss can reach about 13% of the cargo value.
In addition, if a cross-border e-commerce enterprise is registered in a comprehensive pilot zone, it can apply for the "invoice-free tax exemption" policy. It needs to submit the enterprise qualification recognition application for the comprehensive pilot zone to the tax department simultaneously during registration, and keep procurement certificates, logistics certificates, etc. in advance, to avoid being unable to enjoy tax preferences due to incomplete materials.
Kevin LinYears of service：4Customer Rating：5.0
Trade Solutions ManagerStart a Chat
After registering an import and export company, when handling the registration of foreign exchange receipt and payment name list, you need to fill in the business type of "cross-border e-commerce foreign exchange settlement" accurately, otherwise you cannot conduct foreign exchange settlement and sale through the cross-border e-commerce foreign exchange payment channel, and can only use the general trade channel, which increases settlement cost and review cycle.
In addition, if you involve small-value collection from overseas individual buyers, you need to apply for "individual foreign exchange settlement quota filing" simultaneously during registration, to avoid being warned by the foreign exchange administration due to a single collection exceeding 50,000 US dollars, which affects subsequent normal foreign exchange collection. You can submit the filing application through the International Trade Single Window, and the review can be completed within 3 working days.
Michael ZhangYears of service：6Customer Rating：5.0
Customs Declaration & Compliance ExpertStart a Chat
When registering an import and export company, you need to specify the "risk bearing clause for import and export business" in the articles of association, to avoid subsequent trade disputes caused by unclear rights and responsibilities among shareholders. Especially for the intellectual property infringement risk involved in cross-border e-commerce business, you need to specify the authority scope of the legal representative for signing contracts externally in the articles of association, and prohibit signing procurement contracts containing intellectual property indemnification clauses beyond the authority.
In addition, if you are engaged in agent import and export business, you need to formulate a standard agency contract template in advance during registration, and clarify core clauses such as ownership of cargo right, expense settlement, risk bearing, etc., to avoid legal disputes caused by contract loopholes later.
Andy GuoYears of service：3Customer Rating：5.0
Supply Chain Management ExpertStart a Chat
After registering an import and export company, you need to fill in the "cargo storage address" accurately during customs filing. If you fill in a residential address, you will be listed as a key supervision object for inspection, and the subsequent inspection rate after cargo arrival at the port will increase to more than 30%, which increases customs clearance time and cost.
In addition, cosmetic cargo is a sensitive supervision category. You need to submit "cosmetics storage warehouse filing" to the customs simultaneously during registration, and the warehouse needs to have conditions such as constant temperature, moisture resistance, insect prevention, etc. If you do not complete the filing, the cargo will be required for third-party testing when it is inspected by the customs, the inspection fee can reach several thousand yuan, and the inspection cycle can be as long as 7-10 working days.
Victor SunYears of service：5Customer Rating：5.0
Trade Risk Control ManagerStart a Chat
When registering an import and export company, you need to establish a standardized financial accounting system in advance, especially for document management related to export tax refund. You need to set up a separate "export tax refund document ledger" to keep materials such as purchase invoices, customs declaration forms, bills of lading, foreign exchange collection certificates, etc. If documents are missing or inconsistent, you cannot pass the tax refund audit, and you may even be listed as a target of tax inspection.
In addition, if a cross-border e-commerce enterprise adopts the "9610" supervision mode, it needs to apply for the permission of "cross-border e-commerce export tax refund declaration system" from the tax department simultaneously during registration, and complete the system initialization setting in advance to ensure the accuracy of subsequent declaration data.
Daniel XuYears of service：10Customer Rating：5.0
Director of Import & Export OperationsStart a Chat
When registering an import and export company, you need to choose the registered address based on your business model. If your business is mainly cross-border e-commerce direct mail, it is recommended to register in a cross-border e-commerce comprehensive pilot zone, where you can enjoy policies such as customs clearance facilitation and tax preferences, reducing the overall supply chain cost by 10%-15%; if your business is mainly general trade import, it is recommended to register in a bonded area near the port, where you can enjoy policies such as bonded warehousing and staggered outbound clearance, reducing capital occupation.
In addition, you need to plan supply chain nodes simultaneously during registration, sign framework agreements with customs brokers, logistics enterprises and warehousing service providers in advance, to ensure seamless connection of all nodes after the business is launched.