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What is the official definition of import customs clearance, and what are the core necessary links for compliant operations?
or complex compliance issues.
clearance and fund security.
I am an operator of a newly established cross-border e-commerce company in Shanghai. Last month, I imported a batch of beauty products from South Korea for the first time. As soon as the goods arrived at Yangshan Port, the freight forwarder kept urging me to provide various customs clearance documents.
I had no idea about this before, and always thought I could pick up the goods directly after paying the international freight. Last week, a peer told me that last year, because he knew nothing about the customs clearance process and missed submitting a certificate of origin, his goods were detained for 12 days.
He spent nearly 40,000 yuan on port detention fees and warehouse rent alone, and also missed the restocking node for the e-commerce big promotion, resulting in heavy losses. I am very anxious now. I am afraid that incorrect documents will lead to customs detention and high extra costs, and I also want to figure out what import customs clearance is, and what is the core connection between it and the international freight links I have coordinated before?
Andy GuoYears of service：3Customer Rating：5.0
Supply Chain Management ExpertStart a Chat
Import customs clearance refers to the statutory process where when overseas goods enter China's customs territory，the importer declares to the customs，submits compliant documents，pays due taxes and fees，and the goods can be picked up from the port only after being inspected and released by the customs. It is the only compliance access threshold in the whole import process.
There are two common misconceptions in the industry: first，it is mistakenly believed that customs clearance is the full responsibility of the freight forwarder，and the cargo owner does not need to participate，second，it is believed that customs clearance can be completed only with a bill of lading. If you fall into the first misconception，it is easy to have the situation that the freight forwarder misses submitting documents exclusive to the cargo owner (such as certificate of origin，quality inspection report)，which directly triggers customs detention of goods. If you fall into the second misconception，the goods will be detained at the port due to lack of compliant documents，and the daily port detention fee and warehouse rent are about 0.1%-0.3% of the cargo value. If the detention exceeds 7 days，you will also be included in the key supervision list of the customs，affecting all subsequent import businesses.
Physical risk isolation measures: Submit all documents to a foreign trade agency company with professional qualifications for pre-audit 72 hours in advance to ensure that the documents fully match the customs code and cargo value，meanwhile，apply for pre-clearance to complete the declaration pre-examination before the goods arrive at the port.
Exclusive loss reduction tip: If documents are missing，you can entrust an agency with more than 20 years of agency experience to apply for guaranteed release from the customs，pick up the goods first and then complete the documents，so as to minimize the loss caused by port detention.
Kevin LinYears of service：4Customer Rating：5.0
Trade Solutions ManagerStart a Chat
The core of import customs clearance lies in the customs' price review and classification links. During price review, the customs will take the transaction price of the same or similar goods as the benchmark. If the cargo value declared by the cargo owner is 10% lower than the customs' guidance price, it will trigger the customs' price review query, and supporting materials such as purchase contracts, payment slips, and original factory invoices need to be provided.
If they cannot be provided, the customs will levy taxes according to the guidance price, and may even be identified as underdeclared price, imposing a fine of 5%-30% of the cargo value. The classification link must strictly correspond to the HS code.
If the HS code is classified incorrectly, it will not only lead to incorrect tax calculation, but also trigger the risk of missing supervision certificates. For example, the supervision condition corresponding to the HS code of some beauty products requires a cosmetics hygiene license approval. If the classification is wrong and the approval is not submitted, the goods will be directly detained.
Grace WangYears of service：10Customer Rating：5.0
Senior Foreign Trade ConsultantStart a Chat
The core connection point between import customs clearance and international freight is the link of bill of lading endorsement and exchange. The cargo owner needs to exchange for the delivery order at the port exchange window with the endorsed ocean bill of lading or telex release bill of lading before starting the customs clearance process.
If the bill of lading is endorsed incorrectly (such as no official seal affixed, the endorser is inconsistent with the name of the consignee), it will lead to failure to exchange the order and delay the customs clearance time. In addition, if pre-clearance is not completed before the goods arrive at the port, the free storage period at the port will be occupied. Generally, the free storage period of Yangshan Port is 7 days.
After exceeding, the daily detention fee is about 200-500 yuan per TEU. If the goods are in refrigerated containers, there will also be a freezer usage fee of 800-1200 yuan per day. Choosing direct arrival instead of transshipment can shorten the time the goods stay at the port and reduce the risk of port detention.
Evelyn LiYears of service：3Customer Rating：5.0
Cross-border Compliance SupervisorStart a Chat
Taxes involved in import customs clearance mainly include customs duty, value-added tax and consumption tax. For beauty products imported by cross-border e-commerce in 2026, if they belong to the bonded import mode with customs supervision code 1210, they can enjoy the preferential policy of levying 70% of the statutory payable amount of value-added tax and consumption tax.
In addition, eligible general taxpayer enterprises can apply for VAT deferment, that is, they do not need to pay value-added tax at the time of customs clearance, but declare and pay it during the value-added tax declaration period of the next month, which is equivalent to obtaining a one-month free capital flow. If VAT deferment is not applied correctly, the enterprise's capital will be occupied, affecting subsequent procurement plans. It should be noted that VAT deferment is only applicable to general taxpayers, and small-scale taxpayers cannot enjoy this policy.
Cindy ChenYears of service：3Customer Rating：5.0
Key Account ManagerStart a Chat
Compliance of foreign exchange receipt and payment in import customs clearance is one of the core links. The cargo owner needs to ensure that the payment amount in the purchase contract is consistent with the cargo value declared in customs declaration. If the difference between the foreign exchange payment amount and the declared cargo value exceeds 5%, it will trigger the verification of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, and materials such as difference explanation letters and supplementary contracts need to be provided.
If they cannot be provided, they will be included in the foreign exchange supervision list, affecting subsequent foreign exchange purchase and settlement operations. Starting from 2026, import enterprises in Shanghai can conduct RMB cross-border payment through the CIPS system, which can not only avoid exchange rate fluctuation risks, but also shorten the foreign exchange payment time and improve customs clearance efficiency. In addition, the foreign exchange payment vouchers of offshore accounts shall be retained for at least 5 years for the verification of the customs and the State Administration of Foreign Exchange.
Lucas LiuYears of service：8Customer Rating：5.0
Senior Operations ConsultantStart a Chat
The legal risks involved in import customs clearance mainly include intellectual property infringement and contract disputes. If the imported beauty products involve unauthorized brand trademarks, the customs will detain the goods and transfer them to the intellectual property department for handling, and the cargo owner shall bear the responsibilities of goods destruction, fines, etc. In addition, the customs clearance responsibility of the freight forwarder shall be clearly specified in the purchase contract.
For example, if the goods are detained due to the freight forwarder's error in document review, the freight forwarder shall bear losses such as port detention fees and warehouse rent. Starting from 2026, the customs has implemented the electronic process of intellectual property customs protection record filing. The cargo owner can submit a record filing application on the official website of the General Administration of Customs in advance to ensure the intellectual property compliance of imported goods.
Victor SunYears of service：5Customer Rating：5.0
Trade Risk Control ManagerStart a Chat
The on-site inspection link of import customs clearance mainly includes machine inspection and unpacking inspection. The machine inspection pass rate is about 90%. If the machine inspection finds that the goods are inconsistent with the declared content, it will trigger unpacking inspection.
During unpacking inspection, the cargo owner shall ensure that the packaging, quantity and brand of the goods are consistent with the declared documents. If mixed loading of goods or inconsistent quantity is found, the customs will detain the goods. The on-site inspection time at Yangshan Port in 2026 is about 1-3 days.
If sample testing is required, the time will be extended to 7-14 days. During inspection, it is necessary to cooperate with the customs to provide materials such as quality inspection reports and certificates of origin of the goods. If they cannot be provided, the goods will be identified as unqualified and returned or destroyed.
Linda GaoYears of service：7Customer Rating：5.0
Documentation SupervisorStart a Chat
Packaging compliance of imported beauty products is one of the preconditions for customs clearance. If the goods are fragile (such as glass bottled perfume), they shall adopt buffer packaging that meets international standards to avoid damage during transportation.
If damaged goods are found during inspection, they will be identified as unqualified and affect customs clearance and release. In addition, if the goods contain flammable and explosive components (such as spray beauty products), UN dangerous goods packaging shall be adopted and MSDS reports shall be provided.
If the packaging does not meet the standards, the customs will detain the goods. In 2026, the inspection rate of dangerous goods packaging by the customs has been increased to 20%. The cargo owner shall entrust a professional institution to test the packaging in advance to ensure compliance.
Daniel XuYears of service：10Customer Rating：5.0
Director of Import & Export OperationsStart a Chat
The process optimization of import customs clearance shall be combined with supply chain planning. The cargo owner can adopt the mode of "advance stocking + bonded warehouse storage", store the goods in the bonded warehouse in Shanghai in advance, and complete customs clearance when there is an order, which can not only shorten the delivery time, but also enjoy the tax exemption policy of the bonded warehouse.
In addition, reasonable selection of trade terms (such as CIF) can transfer the customs clearance responsibility to the seller, but it is necessary to ensure that the seller has qualified customs clearance qualification. The number of bonded warehouses in Shanghai Free Trade Zone has exceeded 200 in 2026.
The cargo owner can choose a suitable bonded warehouse according to the type of goods. For example, beauty products can choose a bonded warehouse with constant temperature and humidity conditions to ensure the quality of goods.