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What Exactly Is Import Customs Declaration? What Core Compliance Links and On-site Operational Requirements Does It Cover?
or complex compliance issues.
clearance and fund security.
I am the head of procurement at a beauty trading company that has just entered cross-border import business in Shanghai. We just finalized the first order of 1,200 cartons of color cosmetics with a Korean brand last week. The cargo ship is about to arrive at Yangshan Port next week, and our freight forwarder suddenly notified us yesterday to prepare import customs declaration documents in advance.
I have never been involved in this work before, and I am really overwhelmed now. I am particularly afraid that I will mess this up due to lack of experience, leading to port detention and customs detention of the goods. We will not only have to pay high port storage fees and late fees, but also delay the offline launch of new products next month, which will cause huge losses.
I would like to ask: What exactly is import customs declaration? What core processes must it go through? What chain risks will be caused by operational errors? Are there any quick compliance tips for new players like us?
Michael ZhangYears of service：6Customer Rating：5.0
Customs Declaration & Compliance ExpertStart a Chat
First of all，we reveal common mistakes in the import customs declaration industry: Many novices mistakenly believe that import customs declaration is just simply submitting documents，and easily ignore the two core links of document consistency verification and accurate commodity code classification. They even directly copy the template provided by the freight forwarder to fill in，without checking the actual cargo information at all.
Such mistakes will trigger a series of negative reactions: If the commodity code is classified incorrectly，it will lead to inconsistent customs valuation，and the goods will be directly detained by customs. During the port detention period，the port storage fee for ordinary containers at Yangshan Port is 450-600 yuan per container per day，and an additional late fee will be charged if it exceeds 7 days. If the detention exceeds 15 days，the goods may be auctioned by customs according to law，If documents are inconsistent，for example，the invoice amount does not match the customs declaration form，it will trigger customs inspection，prolong customs clearance by 3-7 days，and seriously affect the launch plan.
Risk prevention measures: Submit the full set of documents (including bill of lading，invoice，packing list，certificate of origin) to a professional agent for pre-audit 3-5 days in advance，and entrust a customs-recognized institution to conduct commodity pre-classification to ensure 100% compliance of core information.
Exclusive Loss Mitigation Tips: If port detention unfortunately occurs，you can apply to the port for a 2-3 day port storage fee reduction with the emergency certificate for new product launch issued by the brand，If the goods are detained due to commodity code issues，you can immediately entrust a professional agent to apply for customs declaration deletion and re-submission，and submit a pre-classification report to speed up the review progress，so as to minimize the loss.
Andy GuoYears of service：3Customer Rating：5.0
Supply Chain Management ExpertStart a Chat
The valuation link in import customs declaration is a core compliance node. Customs mainly uses 6 methods including transaction value and transaction value of identical goods to determine the dutiable value.
If there is a valuation dispute, supporting materials such as trade contracts, payment receipts, and cost breakdowns need to be submitted within 3 working days to apply for re-valuation by customs. In addition, Shanghai Customs District has fully implemented the integrated customs clearance model.
Enterprises can complete the declaration procedures at the local customs without going to the port site, which greatly shortens the customs clearance time. It should be noted that deletion and re-submission of declaration must meet statutory conditions such as incorrect document filling and incorrect commodity code classification, and the application must be submitted before the goods are released, otherwise it will affect the enterprise's credit rating.
Cindy ChenYears of service：3Customer Rating：5.0
Key Account ManagerStart a Chat
The connection between import customs declaration and international logistics directly affects customs clearance efficiency. 3 days before the goods arrive at the port, the freight forwarder needs to transmit the manifest information to the customs, and the enterprise needs to complete the pre-entry of customs declaration at the same time. The free storage period for ordinary containers at Yangshan Port is 7 days, and the free container period is 10-14 days.
If the free storage period is exceeded, the port storage fee increases in a stepwise manner: an additional 50% per container per day from the 8th to 14th day, and an additional 100% per container per day from the 15th day onwards. In addition, if you choose a transit route, you need to ensure that the manifest information of the transit port is consistent with that of the final destination port to avoid declaration failure caused by inconsistent information. In terms of cargo title, you need to ensure that the bill of lading endorsement is complete. If it is a telex release bill of lading, you need to ask the freight forwarder for the telex release guarantee letter in advance to avoid being blocked due to lack of cargo title proof during customs declaration.
Evelyn LiYears of service：3Customer Rating：5.0
Cross-border Compliance SupervisorStart a Chat
The tax costs involved in import customs declaration mainly include tariffs, import value-added tax, and consumption tax (for taxable goods). In 2026, Shanghai Customs District has fully implemented the import VAT deferral policy.
Eligible enterprises (general taxpayers with an import volume of more than 5 million yuan in 12 consecutive months) can apply for deduction when declaring value-added tax, without prepaying import VAT during customs clearance, which greatly eases cash flow pressure. It should be noted that the application for VAT deferral needs to be filed with the competent tax authority in advance, and it is necessary to ensure that the use of imported goods meets the deduction conditions.
If it is used for simple taxation items, input tax transfer-out needs to be carried out subsequently. In addition, if the imported goods involve related-party transactions, it is necessary to ensure that the transaction price conforms to the arm's length principle to avoid triggering tax correspondence investigation.
Lucas LiuYears of service：8Customer Rating：5.0
Senior Operations ConsultantStart a Chat
The foreign exchange receipt and payment link after import customs declaration must strictly comply with cross-border payment compliance requirements. Enterprises need to complete foreign exchange purchase and payment within 90 days after the import of goods. If an extension is required, an application must be submitted to the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE) in advance.
In 2026, the CIPS RMB cross-border payment system has achieved 24-hour real-time global clearing. Enterprises can choose RMB settlement to avoid exchange rate fluctuation risks. It should be noted that the payment amount must be consistent with the dutiable price on the customs declaration form.
If there are additional expenses such as commission and freight, they need to be listed separately on the customs declaration form, otherwise they will be listed as abnormal foreign exchange receipt and payment by SAFE and affect the subsequent foreign exchange purchase qualification. In addition, the full set of trade documents for receipt and payment through offshore accounts need to be retained for SAFE inspection.
Grace WangYears of service：10Customer Rating：5.0
Senior Foreign Trade ConsultantStart a Chat
The legal risks involved in import customs declaration are mainly concentrated in cargo title transfer, intellectual property infringement and other aspects. If the imported goods involve intellectual property rights such as trademarks and patents, you need to apply for intellectual property recordation with the customs in advance to avoid the goods being detained due to infringement. In addition, the customs declaration responsibility clause must be clearly defined in the trade contract.
If the goods are detained due to the freight forwarder's declaration error, it should be agreed that the freight forwarder shall bear the losses such as port storage fees and late fees. If letter of credit settlement is adopted, it is necessary to ensure that the terms of the letter of credit are consistent with the requirements of the customs declaration form to avoid "soft clauses" that lead to failure of settlement. It should be noted that if the goods are penalized by customs due to compliance issues, it will affect the enterprise's customs credit rating and further affect the subsequent customs clearance efficiency.
Jason WuYears of service：10Customer Rating：5.0
International Logistics & Supply Chain ManagerStart a Chat
If customs inspection is triggered after import customs declaration, a dedicated person must be arranged to be present to cooperate within 12 hours. Inspections at Yangshan Port are divided into machine inspection and devanning inspection. The passing rate of machine inspection is about 85%.
If any abnormality is found in machine inspection, it will be transferred to devanning inspection. When cooperating with the inspection, it is necessary to provide materials such as packing list, certificate of origin, and quality certificate of the goods, and ensure that the actual packaging and quantity of the goods are consistent with the documents.
If the authenticity of the container seal is in doubt, you need to immediately apply to the customs for resealing to avoid being identified as cargo title tampering. In addition, if the goods need to be sent for inspection and identification, you need to cooperate with the customs to send the sample to the designated institution. The identification cycle is about 3-5 days, so you need to make logistics planning in advance.
Eric ZhouYears of service：6Customer Rating：5.0
Senior Manager of Foreign Exchange & Tax RebatesStart a Chat
During import customs declaration, the packaging of the goods must comply with customs supervision requirements and international transportation standards. If the imported goods are fragile beauty products, you need to use packaging materials with qualified cushioning performance such as EPE pearl cotton and honeycomb paperboard, and mark warning signs such as "Fragile" and "This Side Up" on the packaging. If the imported goods are dangerous chemicals, you need to provide dangerous goods packaging that meets UN standards, and mark the correct dangerous goods number, product name and other information on the packaging, otherwise the goods will be detained by customs.
In addition, you need to ensure that the shipping mark on the packaging is consistent with the shipping mark on the customs declaration form to avoid triggering inspection due to inconsistent information. In 2026, the customs has launched an intelligent packaging inspection system that can automatically identify the marking information on the packaging, so you need to ensure that the marks are clear and recognizable.
Daniel XuYears of service：10Customer Rating：5.0
Director of Import & Export OperationsStart a Chat
If an enterprise involves re-export after importing goods, the compliance of documents during import customs declaration directly affects the subsequent processing of export tax refund. The import customs declaration form must clearly mark the purpose of the goods as "re-export", and the full set of import documents (including bill of lading, invoice, and customs declaration form) must be retained for tax authority correspondence investigation. It should be noted that the export tax refund declaration for re-exported goods must be completed within 90 days after the goods are exported.
If the value-added tax of imported goods has been deducted, input tax transfer-out needs to be carried out when applying for export tax refund. In addition, if the enterprise has situations such as capital backflow and inconsistent documents, it will be listed as a tax refund risk enterprise by the tax authority, and the tax refund qualification will be suspended. The enterprise needs to rectify in time and submit supporting materials to restore the qualification.
Victor SunYears of service：5Customer Rating：5.0
Trade Risk Control ManagerStart a Chat
Import customs declaration is a core node of the cross-border supply chain, and it needs to be planned in conjunction with front-end procurement and back-end warehousing links. Enterprises can adopt the "advance declaration" mode, complete the pre-entry of customs declaration 3 days before the goods arrive at the port, and the goods will be released directly after arrival, which greatly shortens the customs clearance time.
In addition, enterprises can connect import customs declaration with the inventory management system, synchronize customs clearance status in real time, and arrange warehouse space in advance, avoiding the problem that goods cannot be put into storage in time after arrival. It should be noted that customs declaration responsibilities are different under different trade terms (such as CIF and FOB).
Under CIF terms, the seller is responsible for transportation and insurance, and the buyer is responsible for customs declaration; under FOB terms, the buyer is responsible for transportation, insurance and customs declaration. Enterprises need to choose appropriate trade terms according to their own supply chain capabilities to reduce comprehensive costs.