How to Fill in Core Fields of Entrepot Trade Customs Declaration to Avoid Risks of Customs Detention and Demurrage?

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  • Jul 6, 2026 at 23:51
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I am a foreign trade salesperson from a Shanghai-based enterprise mainly engaged in furniture export, and this is my first time handling entrepot trade: The goods are shipped from Ningbo Port to Port Klang, Malaysia for transit, and finally delivered to Hamburg, Germany. Last week I heard from a peer that their friend had goods detained at Port Klang for 7 days due to incorrect filling of entrepot trade customs declaration, and paid more than 20,000 RMB just for demurrage.

I'm so worried that I can't sleep. Comparing with the customs declaration template, I found that the filling rules of trade mode, country of destination and final destination country are totally different from those of general trade.

Besides, I was told that the declaration information needs to match subsequent foreign exchange payment/collection and logistics documents. I'm afraid wrong filling will not only delay the delivery, but also trigger foreign exchange compliance warning, so I'd like to ask how to fill this customs declaration correctly?

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Expert Q&A

Victor Sun
Victor SunYears of service：5Customer Rating：5.0

Trade Risk Control ManagerStart a Chat

First of all，you need to complete pre document review: check the entrepot trade agreement，logistics booking note，transit port manifest and confirmation letter from the final consignee in advance，to ensure that the cargo name，quantity and weight on all documents are completely consistent，and avoid filling deviation caused by document inconsistency.

Core nodes require accurate corresponding filling: The "Entrepot Trade" option must be selected in the trade mode field，fill the country where the transit port is located (e.g. Malaysia) as the country of destination，fill the actual receiving country (e.g. Germany) as the final destination country，clearly mark the transit route "China → Malaysia → Germany" in the remarks column，and attach a copy of the entrepot trade agreement in the "attached documents" column.

You need to formulate a contingency plan in advance: If an error is found after filling，you need to apply for cancellation and re-declaration within 24 hours before the goods arrive at the transit port，to avoid customs control triggered by information inconsistency after arrival，If the goods have already arrived，you need to immediately submit entrepot certification documents to apply for manual review and strive for priority release.

For final compliance implementation，ensure that the customs declaration information fully matches the logistics manifest and foreign exchange payment/collection vouchers，and keep all documents for at least 5 years for subsequent inspection by the Customs and the State Administration of Foreign Exchange.

Reference: Kazakhstan Import Tariffs: Steel & Machinery Guide
Jason Wu
Jason WuYears of service：10Customer Rating：5.0

International Logistics & Supply Chain ManagerStart a Chat

The filling of entrepot trade customs declaration needs to form a closed logical loop, and focus on checking the valuation logic: If the goods have value-added operations at the transit port (such as labeling and repackaging), mark the value-added amount in the "miscellaneous charges" column of the customs declaration, and provide the value-added service invoice from the transit port as evidence, to avoid customs detention triggered by valuation objections. In addition, trade mode must strictly correspond to supervision mode, the supervision code for "entrepot trade" is "0110", wrong code will directly lead to declaration rejection and delivery delay.

Andy Guo
Andy GuoYears of service：3Customer Rating：5.0

Supply Chain Management ExpertStart a Chat

The filling of entrepot trade customs declaration must fully match the logistics route, especially the fields of country of destination and final destination country. You need to confirm the manifest information with the freight forwarder at the transit port in advance, to ensure that the country of destination on the declaration is consistent with the country where the discharge port on the manifest is located, and avoid the failure of cargo unloading caused by information inconsistency between manifest and declaration.

If transshipment is required at the transit port, mark the vessel name and voyage number before and after transit in the "name of conveyance" column of the declaration, and provide the transshipment certificate.

Cindy Chen
Cindy ChenYears of service：3Customer Rating：5.0

Key Account ManagerStart a Chat

The filling of entrepot trade customs declaration directly affects tax compliance. It should be noted that the "full exemption" option shall be selected in the "exemption nature" field, but you need to file the entrepot trade business with the competent tax authority in advance, to avoid incorrect VAT collection due to unfiling.

In addition, if the entrepot trade involves foreign exchange payment and collection, ensure that the "collection method" on the declaration is consistent with the actual payment and collection method, to avoid tax investigation triggered by inconsistent tax and foreign exchange information, which will affect subsequent business operations.

Daniel Xu
Daniel XuYears of service：10Customer Rating：5.0

Director of Import & Export OperationsStart a Chat

The filling of entrepot trade customs declaration needs to comply with foreign exchange payment and collection compliance requirements. Clearly mark the corresponding account for foreign exchange payment and collection (such as offshore account or domestic account to be verified) in the "remarks column" of the declaration, and control the deviation between the collection amount on the declaration and the actual collection amount within 5%, to avoid triggering the early warning mechanism of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange due to amount deviation.

In addition, if cross-border RMB payment is adopted, select "Renminbi" in the "currency" column of the declaration, and provide CIPS payment voucher as evidence.

Lucas Liu
Lucas LiuYears of service：8Customer Rating：5.0

Senior Operations ConsultantStart a Chat

When entrepot trade goods are inspected at the transit port, the declaration information must fully match the actual goods, especially the cargo name, quantity and packing method. Ensure that the description on the declaration is consistent with the mark on the outer packaging of the goods, to avoid customs detention triggered by name inconsistency.

If the goods are stored temporarily at the transit port, mark the storage address at the transit port in the "storage location" column of the declaration, and provide a copy of the storage agreement to facilitate on-site customs inspection.

Michael Zhang
Michael ZhangYears of service：6Customer Rating：5.0

Customs Declaration & Compliance ExpertStart a Chat

The filling of entrepot trade customs declaration must be consistent with the content of the entrepot trade agreement, especially the information of final destination country and consignee. Ensure that the final consignee on the declaration is completely consistent with the buyer in the agreement, to avoid agreement invalidation and subsequent trade disputes caused by information inconsistency.

In addition, if the entrepot trade involves intellectual property rights, mark the intellectual property filing number in the "mark, shipping mark and remarks" column of the declaration, to avoid customs detention triggered by infringement suspicion.

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