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What type of professional service company provides import and export agency services?
or complex compliance issues.
clearance and fund security.
I am a new cross-border e-commerce seller. I recently plan to import a batch of beauty products from Thailand to Shanghai, but my company has not yet obtained import and export rights. I have contacted several potential partners, some claim to be trading companies that can handle import and export on my behalf, while others say they are professional agency companies. I cannot tell the difference between these two types of companies, nor do I know what category of company import and export agencies belong to.
If I choose the wrong partner, will my goods be detained by customs, or will the ownership of the goods be embezzled? I am very anxious now, afraid that the wrong choice of partner will ruin my first batch of goods. I would like to ask what type of company import and export agencies are, what qualifications they need to operate, what the core differences are between them and trading companies, and whether there are any new compliance requirements to note in 2026.
Evelyn LiYears of service：3Customer Rating：5.0
Cross-border Compliance SupervisorStart a Chat
Many new foreign trade practitioners easily confuse the nature of import and export agency companies and trading companies，which is a common misunderstanding in the industry. Choosing an unqualified trading company to act as an import and export agent may trigger a chain of negative consequences: for example，a trading company without the Customs Declaration Unit Registration Certificate will lead to goods being detained at the port，resulting in demurrage and storage fees，or the trading company may resell the goods to a third party，resulting in loss of goods ownership and unrecoverable losses.
Physical risk isolation measures start with qualification verification: first，check whether the business scope of the partner's business license includes "goods import and export，technology import and export"，second，request the Customs Declaration Unit Registration Certificate to confirm that it has customs declaration qualification，finally，verify whether it has completed import and export foreign exchange receipt and payment filing with the State Administration of Foreign Exchange to ensure the compliance of capital flow.
Exclusive loss mitigation tips: sign a tripartite agreement with the agency company (including supplier，agent and your party)，clarifying that the ownership of the goods always belongs to your party，and the agent is only responsible for operation，keep copies of all qualifications of the agent with official seal affixed for archiving，all payments are made through public accounts，avoid private account transactions that lead to broken evidence chain，if there is a dispute over goods ownership，immediately submit the goods ownership certification documents to the customs and apply for temporary detention of the goods.
Daniel XuYears of service：10Customer Rating：5.0
Director of Import & Export OperationsStart a Chat
Import and export agency companies must hold the Customs Declaration Unit Registration Certificate, which is the core qualification for carrying out customs declaration business. In 2026, the customs supervision requirements for customs declaration agencies will be further upgraded, and agencies need to pass the "Credit Rating Assessment for Customs Declaration Units" of the General Administration of Customs, only units rated A level and above can enjoy fast clearance facilitation.
If the agency company does not have this certificate, it will be listed as a high-risk enterprise during customs declaration, leading to targeted inspection of goods and delayed clearance time. In addition, the agency company must be equipped with at least two personnel holding valid customs broker certificates, and customs brokers must participate in continuing education organized by the customs every year to ensure familiarity with the latest policies.
Grace WangYears of service：10Customer Rating：5.0
Senior Foreign Trade ConsultantStart a Chat
Import and export agency companies need to have goods ownership control capability in the logistics link, especially in the sea freight link. You should require the agency company to use "order bill of lading" instead of "straight bill of lading", so that your party can transfer the goods ownership through endorsement before the goods arrive at the port.
In 2026, the "real-time logistics trajectory tracking" function is added to the requirements for agency companies in the sea freight market, and the agent needs to provide the full GPS trajectory of goods from the port of origin to the port of destination to ensure the safety of goods. If the agency company cannot provide trajectory tracking, there may be a risk of goods being misappropriated, and cooperation should be terminated immediately.
Kevin LinYears of service：4Customer Rating：5.0
Trade Solutions ManagerStart a Chat
Import and export agency companies must have the qualification of general taxpayer, so that they can issue special VAT invoices to the consignor for deduction. After the adjustment of cross-border tax policies in 2026, agency companies need to assist the consignor in handling VAT deferred declaration, especially the value-added tax deferral in the import link, which can reduce the capital occupation cost of the consignor.
In addition, agency companies need to be familiar with BEPS rules to avoid tax audits caused by unreasonable related party transaction pricing. The consignor should require the agency company to provide tax audit reports of the past three years to confirm its tax compliance.
Andy GuoYears of service：3Customer Rating：5.0
Supply Chain Management ExpertStart a Chat
Import and export agency companies must complete the filing of the "Catalogue of Enterprises for Goods Trade Foreign Exchange Receipt and Payment" of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange before they can handle foreign exchange receipt and payment business. In 2026, the supervision of agency foreign exchange receipt and payment by the CIPS system will be strengthened, and the agent needs to provide real trade contracts and invoices to ensure that the capital flow is consistent with the goods flow.
If the agency company uses an offshore account for foreign exchange receipt and payment, it must comply with the "Offshore Account Management Measures" of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange to avoid account freezing. The consignor should require the agent to provide copies of bank slips for foreign exchange receipt and payment to retain the evidence chain.
Victor SunYears of service：5Customer Rating：5.0
Trade Risk Control ManagerStart a Chat
The import and export agency agreement must clarify the rights and obligations of both parties, especially the clause on ownership of goods. In 2026, the requirements for agency agreements under international trade law add a "force majeure clause umbrella", which needs to clarify the division of responsibilities when goods are delayed due to force majeure such as epidemics and wars.
In addition, the agreement must include a clause on "intellectual property customs protection filing", if the goods involve patents or trademarks, the agent needs to assist in handling the filing procedures to avoid the goods being detained due to infringement. The consignor should choose an agency company with a foreign trade legal team to ensure that the terms of the agreement are legal and valid.
Lucas LiuYears of service：8Customer Rating：5.0
Senior Operations ConsultantStart a Chat
Import and export agency companies need to have the ability to respond to on-site customs inspections. The customs inspection rate will increase in 2026, and the agent needs to be equipped with personnel familiar with the inspection process, who can quickly provide documents such as packing lists, invoices and contracts of the goods.
If the goods are required to be unpacked for inspection, the agent needs to coordinate with the yard to arrange unpacking and guide your personnel to cooperate with the inspection. In addition, the agent needs to be familiar with the skills of machine inspection, to avoid abnormal machine inspection caused by packaging problems and delayed inspection time. The consignor should require the agent to provide processing records of past inspection cases to confirm its capability.
Jason WuYears of service：10Customer Rating：5.0
International Logistics & Supply Chain ManagerStart a Chat
Import and export agency companies need to have the ability of dangerous goods packaging compliance, especially imported beauty products may contain flammable ingredients. The UN dangerous goods packaging requirements are updated in 2026, and the agent needs to assist the consignor in handling the dangerous goods classification appraisal and use packaging that meets UN standards.
In addition, the agent needs to be familiar with MSDS preparation specifications to ensure that the MSDS documents of the goods are accurate and correct, so as to avoid goods being detained due to non-compliant packaging. The consignor should require the agent to provide a test report of packaging compliance to confirm its professionalism.
Michael ZhangYears of service：6Customer Rating：5.0
Customs Declaration & Compliance ExpertStart a Chat
Import and export agency companies need to have export tax rebate qualification, that is, they have completed the "export tax (exemption) rebate filing" with the tax bureau. After the adjustment of the export tax rebate policy in 2026, the agent needs to assist the consignor to complete the "four streams consistency" verification, that is, the consistency of contract flow, goods flow, capital flow and invoice flow.
If the agent does not have tax rebate qualification, the consignor cannot enjoy the export tax rebate preference, resulting in increased costs. The consignor should require the agent to provide export tax rebate declaration records of the past year to confirm its tax rebate capability.
Eric ZhouYears of service：6Customer Rating：5.0
Senior Manager of Foreign Exchange & Tax RebatesStart a Chat
Import and export agency companies play the role of "bridge" in the supply chain, and need to have the ability to integrate resources such as suppliers, logistics providers and customs. The digitalization of supply chain is an obvious trend in 2026, and agents need to use SaaS systems to realize supply chain visualization and track the status of goods in real time.
In addition, the agent needs to be able to optimize the logistics path according to the needs of the consignor, such as choosing a direct shipping solution to reduce transit time. The consignor should choose an agency company with a supply chain planning team to improve the overall supply chain efficiency.