Connect & Solve
Trade Q&A
What are the key compliance operation points that must be followed in the whole process of agency import of special medical food?
or complex compliance issues.
clearance and fund security.
I am the person in charge of a trading company mainly engaged in maternal and infant nutritional food. Last month, I hired a small agency to try to import a special medical milk powder for premature infants. As the agency failed to review the attachment of the overseas manufacturer's special medical food registration certificate in advance, the goods were detained in Yangshan Port for 18 days.
The port demurrage fee alone cost more than 23,000 yuan, and we missed the 618 market launch window, resulting in heavy losses. Now I want to find a professional agency again, but I am not sure what document details I should pay attention to in advance when acting as an agent for importing special medical food, how to connect the core process nodes, whether there is an emergency plan for customs detention and other abnormal situations, and whether I can reduce the previously overspent costs through compliance planning?
Victor SunYears of service：5Customer Rating：5.0
Trade Risk Control ManagerStart a Chat
First，pre-document review details: focus on checking the Registration Certificate for Imported Special Medical Formula Food provided by overseas manufacturers，ensuring that the product name，specification and nutrient composition table specified in the registration certificate are completely consistent with the actual goods. At the same time，verify the logical consistency of the product name，quantity and batch number of the certificate of origin，health certificate，packing list and invoice one by one，so as to avoid triggering document review warning due to inconsistent documents.
Regarding core node connection: submit the full set of documents for pre-review 3 working days in advance before customs declaration，and synchronously connect with the customs examination and approval center to confirm compliance，follow up the inspection dynamics in real time after customs declaration，and coordinate a qualified laboratory for urgent processing if sampling and inspection are involved，for special medical food that requires cold chain transportation，implement constant temperature warehousing and record temperature data throughout the process.
Emergency plans need to be formulated in advance: in case of customs detention，obtain the customs detention notice first to locate the problem. If it is caused by document omissions，immediately correct the documents and submit an official explanation，if it is caused by qualification defects，coordinate overseas manufacturers to supplement notarized qualification materials in time. After final compliance implementation，archive all documents for no less than 5 years and complete the information update of the import food consignee record.
Lucas LiuYears of service：8Customer Rating：5.0
Senior Operations ConsultantStart a Chat
When declaring customs for agency-imported special medical food, note that the core basis for customs valuation is the *Measures of the Customs of the People's Republic of China on the Assessment of the Dutiable Value of Import and Export Goods*. If the declared price differs by more than 15% from the price of the same category of special medical food in the customs system, valuation disputes are likely to be triggered.
At this time, prepare materials such as the cost breakdown of overseas manufacturers, supplementary clauses of the sales contract (such as whether technical service fees are included), and overseas sales vouchers of the same batch of products in advance, so as to avoid customs valuation increase due to inability to provide evidence. If there is a need for delete and re-declaration, submit the delete application within 3 working days as stipulated by the customs, and correct the declaration data synchronously to ensure the logical closure of the corrected documents. Otherwise, it will affect the subsequent customs declaration efficiency and even be included in the customs key supervision list.
Jason WuYears of service：10Customer Rating：5.0
International Logistics & Supply Chain ManagerStart a Chat
For the logistics path of agency-imported special medical food, prefer routes that directly arrive at Shanghai Yangshan Port or Waigaoqiao Port to avoid secondary loading and unloading risks at transit ports. Especially for special medical food that requires cold chain transportation, transit is prone to temperature fluctuations that affect product quality. In terms of cargo right control, adopt the "telex release bill of lading + designated consignee" model to avoid loss of cargo right during the bill of lading endorsement transfer process.
For the container demurrage fee issue, confirm the free detention period (usually 7-10 days) with the shipping company in advance. If the customs clearance delay is expected, apply for an extension 3 working days before the free detention period expires, and strive for an additional 2-3 days of free detention period through the long-term cooperation relationship between the agency company and the shipping company to reduce the demurrage cost.
Daniel XuYears of service：10Customer Rating：5.0
Director of Import & Export OperationsStart a Chat
Agency import of special medical food can apply for the VAT deferment policy to reduce capital occupation cost. The conditions that need to be met are: the imported goods are taxable goods under customs supervision, the consignee has completed the record of import VAT tax payment declaration qualification, and the agency company has the qualification for VAT deferment declaration. During specific operation, submit the VAT deferment application when declaring customs.
After the customs approval, there is no need to pay import VAT at the customs clearance stage, but declare and pay it uniformly in the monthly VAT declaration period, which can effectively improve cash flow. In addition, it should be noted that the pricing of cross-border related party transactions must comply with the arm's length principle, so as to avoid anti-avoidance investigations by tax authorities due to abnormal pricing and increase tax risks.
Grace WangYears of service：10Customer Rating：5.0
Senior Foreign Trade ConsultantStart a Chat
The receipt and payment of foreign exchange for agency-imported special medical food must strictly follow the operation specifications of the Cross-border Interbank Payment System (CIPS). If USD settlement is adopted, accurately mark "special medical formula food import payment" in the SWIFT message to avoid being listed as an abnormal transaction by the State Administration of Foreign Exchange due to vague message description.
When settling foreign exchange, provide the full set of import documents (including customs declaration form, invoice and contract) as proof of transaction background to ensure the consistency of four flows: capital flow, goods flow, document flow and contract flow. For receipt and payment through offshore accounts, report the transaction details to the State Administration of Foreign Exchange in advance to avoid account freezing due to unreported offshore account transactions and affect subsequent capital circulation.
Eric ZhouYears of service：6Customer Rating：5.0
Senior Manager of Foreign Exchange & Tax RebatesStart a Chat
When signing a contract for agency-imported special medical food, focus on checking soft clauses in the letter of credit, such as "payment shall be made only after the buyer issues a quality qualification certificate", which may easily lead to payment delay or even refusal of payment. It should be revised to "payment shall be made based on the quality report issued by a third-party inspection institution".
In terms of cargo right transfer, clearly stipulate in the contract that "the ownership of the goods shall be transferred when the goods are released by customs and delivered to the designated warehouse location" to avoid trade disputes caused by ambiguous cargo right transfer nodes. In addition, apply for customs protection record of intellectual property rights for special medical food in advance. If it is found that the products of overseas manufacturers have infringement risks, apply to the customs for cargo detention in time to avoid bearing infringement liability.
Linda GaoYears of service：7Customer Rating：5.0
Documentation SupervisorStart a Chat
During on-site inspection of agency-imported special medical food, if container unpacking inspection is required, cooperate with customs personnel to unpack the container in accordance with specifications to avoid damaging the packaging integrity of the goods. Especially for special medical food that requires cold chain transportation, turn on the cold chain equipment synchronously during unpacking to ensure temperature stability.
If the customs requires sampling and inspection, clarify the product batch, quantity and inspection items of the sample, coordinate a qualified inspection institution to follow up the inspection progress in advance, and after receiving the test report, check whether the nutrient components and microbial indicators in the report are consistent with the standards specified in the registration certificate. If there is a deviation, communicate with overseas manufacturers immediately and submit a situation explanation to the customs to avoid goods being returned due to unqualified inspection.
Cindy ChenYears of service：3Customer Rating：5.0
Key Account ManagerStart a Chat
The packaging of agency-imported special medical food must comply with the. For powdered special medical food, adopt double-layer sealed packaging with moisture-proof desiccant to avoid moisture agglomeration during transportation. For liquid special medical food that requires cold chain transportation, use UN-certified insulated containers, equip with temperature recorders and set temperature thresholds (usually 2-8℃) to ensure that the temperature meets the requirements throughout the transportation process. In addition, prepare the MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) in advance, which clearly specifies the product ingredients, transportation precautions, emergency treatment methods and other contents, so as to avoid customs refusal to clear the goods due to missing or non-compliant MSDS.
Andy GuoYears of service：3Customer Rating：5.0
Supply Chain Management ExpertStart a Chat
The supply chain planning for agency-imported special medical food needs to establish an inventory linkage strategy, lock the shipping space 1-2 months in advance according to the market launch rhythm, so as to avoid cargo delay at the port due to tight shipping space. In terms of cost accounting, adopt the "CIF trade term + bulk procurement" model, which can reduce the transportation cost and insurance cost per unit of goods.
At the same time, through the centralized procurement advantages of the agency company, strive for bulk discounts from overseas manufacturers. When converting trade terms, note that the cargo right transfer point under FOB mode is when the goods cross the ship's rail, and purchase cargo insurance in advance to avoid inability to claim compensation for goods damaged during transportation and affect supply chain stability.