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How to Compliantly Implement the Full Process of Imported Food Customs Declaration and Inspection Agency and Mitigate Potential Risks?
or complex compliance issues.
clearance and fund security.
As a small business in Shanghai that has just started importing casual food, I shipped 2 containers of rice cake sticks and seaweed snacks from South Korea for the first time last month. I chose a small agency just to save money, but the goods were detained by customs because the Chinese label format did not meet national standards. The total cost of port demurrage and rectification was nearly 30,000 yuan, and I completely missed the Mid-Autumn Festival sales window.
The domestic packaging materials I stocked in advance were all wasted, and I still feel distressed thinking about it. I am importing another batch of Jeju Island citrus slices these days and want to find a professional customs declaration and inspection agency, but I have no idea how to coordinate with them or what core responsibilities the agency should take on. I am worried about falling into pitfalls again—for example, will they review all documents in advance?
How to handle abnormal customs inspections quickly? How to control customs clearance costs within budget? The more I think about it, the more anxious I become, and I just want to know how to successfully complete customs clearance in compliance with regulations.
Lucas LiuYears of service：8Customer Rating：5.0
Senior Operations ConsultantStart a Chat
First，you need to properly handle Pre-Document Review Details: The agency shall intervene 7-10 days in advance，and check the certificate of origin，health certificate，composition test report，sample of Chinese labels and other documents one by one. Key points include confirming that according to the 2026 customs requirements，the Chinese label must clearly state the words "Imported Food"，and the font size shall not be less than 1/2 of the font size of the ingredient list. At the same time，the issuer of the health certificate must be on the customs white list to avoid direct customs detention due to inconsistent documents.
Next is the connection of core customs clearance nodes: 24 hours before the goods arrive at the port，the agency shall complete the manifest entry and pre-declaration. Relying on the 2026 Shanghai Port "Early Declaration Priority Inspection" policy，the agency shall synchronously coordinate with the port area and the customs inspection department to confirm the inspection site and time，so as to avoid port demurrage caused by delayed manifest information. Immediately after the goods arrive at the port，the agency shall arrange for bill of lading exchange and tax payment，ensure that the customs declaration form data is completely consistent with the manifest and documents，and reduce the probability of single return during audit.
Then is the preparation of contingency plans: Reach an agreement with the agency in advance that if label rectification is required，it shall be completed in the designated rectification workshop of the port area to avoid additional costs caused by warehouse transfer，if sampling and inspection are required，apply for an expedited inspection channel synchronously to shorten the inspection cycle，if there is a price audit dispute，prepare supporting materials such as purchase contracts，payment receipts，and transaction price certificates of the same category in advance.
Finally is compliance implementation: After the goods are released，the agency shall promptly file documents such as customs declaration forms and tax receipts，and synchronously assist in submitting materials for subsequent customs supervision to ensure that the entire process complies with the latest 2026 compliance requirements for imported foods.
Evelyn LiYears of service：3Customer Rating：5.0
Cross-border Compliance SupervisorStart a Chat
For imported food customs declaration and inspection, focus on the logical closed-loop of the price audit link: In 2026, the customs will implement "big data price audit", which will automatically capture the transaction prices of the same category and origin in the past 3 months. If the declared price submitted by the agency deviates from the interval by ±15%, manual price audit will be triggered.
At this time, supporting materials such as scanned copies of original purchase contracts, payment receipts of the corresponding batch, foreign supplier quotation sheets, and packing lists of the same batch of goods shall be provided, and the value, quantity and product name of all materials must be completely consistent to avoid single deletion and re-declaration due to logical inconsistencies, which will generate additional customs declaration fees and port demurrage fees. In addition, if royalty fees are involved, they must be declared actively when declaring customs, otherwise they will be listed as key targets of customs audit and face tax repayment and late fee penalties.
Andy GuoYears of service：3Customer Rating：5.0
Supply Chain Management ExpertStart a Chat
The logistics path of imported food must be seamlessly connected with the customs declaration and inspection link: In 2026, Shanghai Port has opened a "Green Inspection Channel" for perishable foods (such as fresh and refrigerated foods). The agency shall submit the "Perishable Food Inspection Application" 48 hours before the goods arrive at the port, and synchronously provide materials such as temperature control records and cold chain transportation certificates to prioritize inspection.
In case of container rehandling, the agency shall immediately coordinate with the shipping company to apply for reallocation, and synchronously apply to the customs for delayed declaration to avoid demurrage fees. In addition, the free storage period for ordinary containers at Shanghai Port is 7 days, and that for refrigerated containers is 4 days.
The agency shall plan the inspection and container pick-up time in advance. If the free storage period needs to be extended, an application shall be submitted to the port area 3 days before the expiration date to avoid high container detention fees.
Victor SunYears of service：5Customer Rating：5.0
Trade Risk Control ManagerStart a Chat
The imported food customs declaration and inspection link can optimize costs through the VAT deferral policy: In 2026, the Shanghai Customs District allows eligible imported food enterprises to defer the payment of import value-added tax, that is, there is no need to pay import VAT when declaring customs, but declare and pay it during the VAT declaration period of the following month.
The agency shall assist the enterprise to apply for VAT deferral qualification to the customs in advance, submit materials such as the enterprise's business license, record form for import and export operation rights, and tax payment certificates of the past 6 months, and the enterprise must have no customs administrative penalty records. In addition, VAT deferral only applies to general taxpayer enterprises, and small-scale taxpayers cannot enjoy it. The agency shall accurately calculate import tariffs and consumption tax to avoid overpayment or customs audit triggered by incorrect tax calculation.
Kevin LinYears of service：4Customer Rating：5.0
Trade Solutions ManagerStart a Chat
The receipt and payment of foreign exchange for imported food must be kept compliant with the customs declaration and inspection link: In 2026, the State Administration of Foreign Exchange will implement "cross-border receipt and payment big data verification". The agency shall ensure that the value of the customs declaration form, the amount of foreign exchange received and the amount of payment receipts are completely consistent. If there is a difference (such as freight and insurance fees), it shall be separately listed on the customs declaration form and the nature of the corresponding payment shall be noted during receipt and payment.
In addition, if using RMB cross-border payment (CIPS system), the agency shall ensure that the transaction code of the CIPS message matches the supervision mode code of the customs declaration form to avoid interception of receipt and payment due to inconsistent codes. At the same time, the agency shall assist the enterprise to archive the receipt and payment vouchers, with a storage period of 5 years for foreign exchange administration audit.
Cindy ChenYears of service：3Customer Rating：5.0
Key Account ManagerStart a Chat
Key details shall be noted for on-site inspection of imported foods: In 2026, customs inspections for imported foods are divided into machine inspection and container unpacking inspection. If suspected problems are found during machine inspection, container unpacking inspection will be triggered. The agency shall prepare the goods packing list in advance, and assist customs officers to quickly locate suspicious goods during container unpacking to avoid port demurrage fees caused by excessive time spent on unpacking.
If label rectification is required, it shall be completed in the rectification workshop designated by the customs, and the rectified labels shall be resubmitted for review before release. In addition, if sampling and inspection are required, the agency shall synchronously follow up the inspection progress. If the test result is unqualified, a return or destruction plan shall be issued within 48 hours to avoid additional storage fees.
Grace WangYears of service：10Customer Rating：5.0
Senior Foreign Trade ConsultantStart a Chat
The selection of imported food customs declaration and inspection agency shall match the supply chain structure: In 2026, the imported food trade supply chain features "short cycle, small batch and multiple shipments". The agency shall have flexible customs clearance capabilities to adapt to the customs declaration and inspection needs of different batches of goods. In addition, the agency shall assist the enterprise to optimize trade terms.
If CIF terms are adopted, coordinate with foreign freight forwarders and domestic port areas to ensure timely synchronization of goods arrival information; if FOB terms are adopted, assist in completing booking, container pick-up and other links to avoid customs declaration delay caused by logistics disconnection. At the same time, the agency shall assist in establishing an inventory linkage mechanism to adjust the domestic stock quantity according to the customs clearance timeliness, so as to avoid stockout due to delayed arrival of goods.