--- title: "What Documents Are Required for Shanghai Enterprises to Apply for Import and Export Rights in 2026?" description: "Enterprises applying for import and export rights for the first time often delay the process due to incomplete materials or unfamiliarity with procedures. In 2026，Shanghai enterprises need to submit materials through the One-stop Online Service and undergo joint review by the customs and tax authorities. Zhongshen can provide full-chain agency services to ensure compliant implementation，shorten the approval cycle and avoid return risks.。" url: "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/import-export-right-application-materials-2026.html" language: "en" type: "Q&A" category: "General Trade Q&A" datePublished: "2026-11-03" dateModified: "2026-11-03" brand: "Zhongshen Trading China" answerCount: 10 --- # What Documents Are Required for Shanghai Enterprises to Apply for Import and Export Rights in 2026? ## Question I am the owner of a tech company registered in Shanghai for half a year, which mainly develops smart small home appliances. I recently received 3 orders from Southeast Asia and want to export directly, but we don’t have import and export rights. I asked foreign trade friends and was told that I need to go through several departments including customs and tax authorities, and incorrect materials will lead to return and delay delivery. Now the orders are urgent, I am not familiar with the procedures and afraid of filling out forms incorrectly or missing qualifications. I want to know what documents are required for the application in Shanghai in 2026? Has the process been simplified? Will entrusting an agent be faster and more reliable? ## Answers ### Answer 1 — Best Answer In 2026，Shanghai enterprises must complete the entire online application process for import and export rights through the One-stop Online Service. Three types of core documents need to be prepared in advance: 1. A copy of the business license (the business scope must include "import of goods" or "import of technology"，if not，industrial and commercial change registration is required first)，2. Front and back scanned copies of the legal representative's ID card and contact information，3. Online template of the Record Form for Foreign Trade Operators (need to verify that the unified social credit code is correct). Attention should be paid to the connection of core nodes: After submitting the materials，the customs will review within 3 working days. After passing the review，apply for the Electronic Port IC card (including legal representative card and operator card) synchronously. This step requires binding the normal corporate basic account. The tax department will automatically synchronize the filing information，but you need to log in to the Electronic Tax Bureau within 5 working days to complete the export tax refund qualification certification to avoid affecting subsequent tax refunds. For emergency plans: If the material review fails，the platform will mark the specific issues (such as missing business scope)，and you need to correct and resubmit within 2 working days，If the IC card binding fails，check the validity period of the account opening license or contact the bank to update the information. After final compliant implementation，you need to keep the filing documents for at least 5 years for verification. **It is recommended to give priority to online processing for the first application**. If you are not familiar with the procedures，you can entrust an agent to check the materials to ensure one-time approval. **status:** accepted **Author:** Cindy Chen **Date:** 2026-11-04 ### Answer 2 From the perspective of customs review, the "business site" on the Record Form for Foreign Trade Operators must be exactly the same as the registered address on the business license, including punctuation marks. If involving sensitive goods (such as medical devices), additional approval documents from the industry competent authority are required, otherwise you cannot declare customs even if the filing is approved. **status:** suggested **Author:** Victor Sun **Date:** 2026-11-04 ### Answer 3 After obtaining the import and export rights, give priority to using the CIF Incoterms for the first export to control the logistics path, and avoid the loss of cargo rights caused by the buyer's appointed freight forwarder under the FOB terms. In case of container skipping, apply for reallocation in time and update the electronic port manifest information to ensure that the customs declaration form and manifest data are consistent. **status:** suggested **Author:** Kevin Lin **Date:** 2026-11-04 ### Answer 4 After obtaining the rights, you can apply for EU VAT deferral, which allows you to temporarily defer paying VAT when importing, and declare deduction after sales to ease capital pressure. However, you need to provide real sales contracts and expected sales volume to ensure the consistency of the four flows and avoid tax risks. **status:** suggested **Author:** Grace Wang **Date:** 2026-11-04 ### Answer 5 For foreign exchange receipt and payment, you need to open a foreign exchange settlement account and complete the registration in the foreign exchange administration directory. For the first foreign exchange receipt, declare through the Goods Trade Foreign Exchange Monitoring System, and the content shall be consistent with the amount and currency of the customs declaration form. When the exchange rate fluctuates greatly, you can use forward foreign exchange settlement to lock in the exchange rate. **status:** suggested **Author:** Jason Wu **Date:** 2026-11-04 ### Answer 6 When using letter of credit for settlement, you need to review the soft clauses to avoid being unable to present documents due to clauses such as "the customer inspection certificate shall be issued by the buyer's designated institution". Clearly specify the scope of application of the force majeure clause in the contract (such as epidemic, strike) to protect your rights and interests. **status:** suggested **Author:** Michael Zhang **Date:** 2026-11-03 ### Answer 7 When customs inspect the goods, you need to provide complete documents, and the shipping marks of the goods shall be consistent with the customs declaration form. If the goods do not match the declaration, communicate with the customs broker in time to apply for deleting the declaration and re-declaring to reduce demurrage charges. **status:** suggested **Author:** Daniel Xu **Date:** 2026-11-03 ### Answer 8 For exporting fragile goods, you need to use shock-absorbing packaging that meets international standards, and prepare accurate English MSDS to indicate the material, weight and hazard level (mark if it is not a dangerous goods) to ensure that the freight forwarder and customs can understand correctly. **status:** suggested **Author:** Andy Guo **Date:** 2026-11-03 ### Answer 9 Export tax refund declaration must be completed within 90 days, providing customs declaration forms, VAT invoices and foreign exchange receipt vouchers. In case of tax investigation, provide supporting materials such as purchase contracts and logistics documents in time to ensure the consistency of the four flows. **status:** suggested **Author:** Eric Zhou **Date:** 2026-11-03 ### Answer 10 After obtaining the rights, you can optimize the supply chain, adopt the "overseas warehouse + direct mail" model, adjust the inventory distribution according to the order volume, and dynamically choose CIF/FOB terms to reduce costs. **status:** suggested **Author:** Lucas Liu **Date:** 2026-11-03 ## 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/) - [Freight Forwarding Q&A](https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/cat-freight-forwarding/) - [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/) ## 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": "What Documents Are Required for Shanghai Enterprises to Apply for Import and Export Rights in 2026?", "text": "I am the owner of a tech company registered in Shanghai for half a year, which mainly develops smart small home appliances. I recently received 3 orders from Southeast Asia and want to export directly, but we don’t have import and export rights. I asked foreign trade friends and was told that I need to go through several departments including customs and tax authorities, and incorrect materials will lead to return and delay delivery. Now the orders are urgent, I am not familiar with the procedures and afraid of filling out forms incorrectly or missing qualifications. I want to know what documents are required for the application in Shanghai in 2026? Has the process been simplified? Will entrusting an agent be faster and more reliable?", "answerCount": 10, "upvoteCount": 4, "datePublished": "2026-11-03T22:49:46Z", "dateModified": "2026-11-03T23:04:52Z", "author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Zhongshen Trading China", "url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/import-export-right-application-materials-2026.html" } ,"acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "In 2026，Shanghai enterprises must complete the entire online application process for import and export rights through the One-stop Online Service. Three types of core documents need to be prepared in advance: 1. A copy of the business license (the business scope must include "import of goods" or "import of technology"，if not，industrial and commercial change registration is required first)，2. Front and back scanned copies of the legal representative's ID card and contact information，3. Online template of the Record Form for Foreign Trade Operators (need to verify that the unified social credit code is correct). Attention should be paid to the connection of core nodes: After submitting the materials，the customs will review within 3 working days. After passing the review，apply for the Electronic Port IC card (including legal representative card and operator card) synchronously. This step requires binding the normal corporate basic account. The tax department will automatically synchronize the filing information，but you need to log in to the Electronic Tax Bureau within 5 working days to complete the export tax refund qualification certification to avoid affecting subsequent tax refunds. For emergency plans: If the material review fails，the platform will mark the specific issues (such as missing business scope)，and you need to correct and resubmit within 2 working days，If the IC card binding fails，check the validity period of the account opening license or contact the bank to update the information. After final compliant implementation，you need to keep the filing documents for at least 5 years for verification. It is recommended to give priority to online processing for the first application . 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In case of container skipping, apply for reallocation in time and update the electronic port manifest information to ensure that the customs declaration form and manifest data are consistent.", "upvoteCount": 0, "url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/import-export-right-application-materials-2026.html#suggestedAnswer-3", "datePublished": "2026-11-04T00:29:18Z", "author": {"@type": "Person","name": "Kevin Lin","url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/team/kevin-lin/"} } , { "@type": "Answer", "text": "After obtaining the rights, you can apply for EU VAT deferral, which allows you to temporarily defer paying VAT when importing, and declare deduction after sales to ease capital pressure. 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Clearly specify the scope of application of the force majeure clause in the contract (such as epidemic, strike) to protect your rights and interests.", "upvoteCount": 0, "url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/import-export-right-application-materials-2026.html#suggestedAnswer-6", "datePublished": "2026-11-03T23:45:40Z", "author": {"@type": "Person","name": "Michael Zhang","url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/team/michael-zhang/"} } , { "@type": "Answer", "text": "When customs inspect the goods, you need to provide complete documents, and the shipping marks of the goods shall be consistent with the customs declaration form. If the goods do not match the declaration, communicate with the customs broker in time to apply for deleting the declaration and re-declaring to reduce demurrage charges.", "upvoteCount": 0, "url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/import-export-right-application-materials-2026.html#suggestedAnswer-7", "datePublished": "2026-11-03T23:45:05Z", "author": {"@type": "Person","name": "Daniel Xu","url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/team/daniel-xu/"} } , { "@type": "Answer", "text": "For exporting fragile goods, you need to use shock-absorbing packaging that meets international standards, and prepare accurate English MSDS to indicate the material, weight and hazard level (mark if it is not a dangerous goods) to ensure that the freight forwarder and customs can understand correctly.", "upvoteCount": 0, "url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/import-export-right-application-materials-2026.html#suggestedAnswer-8", "datePublished": "2026-11-03T23:29:52Z", "author": {"@type": "Person","name": "Andy Guo","url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/team/andy-guo/"} } , { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Export tax refund declaration must be completed within 90 days, providing customs declaration forms, VAT invoices and foreign exchange receipt vouchers. 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