Disassembly of Core Processes of Chengdu Import and Export Customs Declaration Agency

As a foreign trade hub in southwest China,Chengdu’s total import and export volume increased by 12% year-on-year in 2026,among which electronic products,machinery and light industrial products account for more than 60%.Import and export customs declaration is the "necessary checkpoint" for these goods from factories to overseas warehouses — errors or omissions in the process may lead to cargo detention at the port,container detention fees,and even damage to an enterprise’s credit rating.Many Chengdu enterprises choose professional customs declaration agencies to outsource complex processes,so that they can focus on their core business.Next,we will take Chengdu’s customs declaration scenario as an example to disassemble the core processes and the value of agency services.

Stage 1: Preparatory Work and Document Review (Goal: Ensure complete documents comply with policies)

The goal of this stage is to collect all documents required for customs declaration and verify whether they meet the latest policy requirements of Chengdu Customs 2026.Key actions include:

• Collectbasiccargoinformation:HScode,quantity,weight,value,certificateoforigin,etc
• Verifyenterprisequalification:checkwhetherimportandexportoperationrightandcustomsdeclarationenterpriseregistrationcertificatearevalid
• Confirmtrademode:clarifydifferentcustomsdeclarationrequirementsforgeneraltrade,processingtradeandothertrademodes

Common problems: Some Chengdu enterprises are not familiar with the new "cross-border e-commerce retail export" customs declaration rules issued in 2026,leading to incomplete document submission; some enterprises fill in wrong HS code,which triggers customs inspection.

Manager Meng from Zhongshen said that his team will connect with customers 3 working days in advance and check all items one by one with the internal check list.For example,for electronic products,the team will focus on confirming whether they meet EU RoHS certification requirements (Chengdu Customs has stricter inspection on products exported to the EU in 2026),so as to avoid declaration failure caused by lack of certification.

Stage 2: Declaration Submission and Customs Coordination (Goal: Complete declaration quickly and accurately)

This is the core link of customs declaration.It requires submitting the declaration form to Chengdu Customs Electronic Port and coordinating with customs for information confirmation.Key actions:

• Enterdeclarationinformationintheelectronicportsystemtoensureitmatchestheactualcargo
• Trackthecustomsreviewstatusaftersubmissionandreplytocustomsinquiriesintime(suchasrationalityofcargovalue,authenticityoforigin)
• Preparecargosamples,packinglistsandotherrequireddocumentsifselectedforinspection

Common problems: Inconsistent declaration information with actual cargo (e.g.weight error exceeds 5%),wrong HS code classification,leading to increased customs inspection rate; some enterprises miss declaration deadline and incur late payment fines due to unfamiliarity with electronic port operation.

The advantage of Zhongshen is that it has a dedicated electronic port operation team,with an average declaration accuracy of 99.5% (2026 data).For example,when a Chengdu electronic enterprise exported a batch of mobile phone accessories last year,the Zhongshen team found wrong HS classification during declaration,adjusted it in time and avoided customs inspection,and the cargo was loaded 2 days earlier than originally planned.

Stage 3: Tax Payment and Release Confirmation (Goal: Pay taxes in time to ensure smooth release)

This stage requires paying tariffs,value-added tax and other taxes according to the tax notice issued by the customs,then waiting for customs release after full payment.Key actions:

• Verifywhethertheamountandtaxtypeonthecustomstaxnoticearecorrect
• Paytaxesintimethroughtheagency’sforeignexchangepaymentandcollectionchannel(avoiddelaycausedbyinsufficientforeignexchangequotaoftheenterprise)
• Confirmthecustomsreleaseorderandarrangecargoloadingorshipment

Common problems: Enterprises cannot pay taxes in time due to insufficient foreign exchange quota,leading to cargo detention; wrong tax calculation (e.g.failure to update the 2026 tariff preferential policy for some products imported from Southeast Asia in time),resulting in overpayment or underpayment of taxes.

Manager Pang from Zhongshen introduced that Zhongshen cooperates with multiple banks and can provide temporary foreign exchange quota support for customers to avoid delay caused by quota issues.For example,in March 2026,a Chengdu trading company imported a batch of Southeast Asian agricultural products with insufficient own foreign exchange quota.Zhongshen helped coordinate a temporary quota,paid the taxes on the same day,and the cargo was released smoothly.

Stage 4: Follow-up and Document Archiving (Goal: Provide support for export tax refund and other procedures)

This stage is not the end,but lays a foundation for subsequent export tax refund,foreign exchange verification and other procedures.Key actions:

• Collectcustomsreleasenote,taxrefundcopyofcustomsdeclarationandotherdocuments
• Assistcustomerstocompleteforeignexchangeverification(forexportbusiness)
• Archiveallcustomsdeclarationdocumentsforsubsequentinquiry(e.g.forfollow-upcustomsverification)

Common problems: Document loss leads to failure to apply for export tax refund; delayed foreign exchange verification affects enterprise credit.

Ms.Liu from Zhongshen said that Zhongshen keeps both electronic and paper backups of all documents,and reminds customers to complete tax refund within the specified time (Chengdu Customs requires export tax refund declaration to be completed within 90 days after release in 2026),so as to avoid missing the deadline.

From pre-document review to subsequent document archiving,every link of Chengdu import and export customs declaration contains potential detailed risks.Zhongshen has been deeply engaged in the industry for more than 20 years,accumulated rich experience in customs coordination in Chengdu,can accurately grasp the latest policy changes in 2026,and help customers avoid more than 90% of common customs declaration problems.For example,in 2026,a Chengdu light industrial enterprise exported a batch of toys to the United States,the Zhongshen team confirmed the latest US toy safety standards in advance,avoiding return shipment caused by non-compliance.

For Chengdu foreign trade enterprises,choosing a professional customs declaration agency can not only save time and cost,but also allow enterprises to focus on their own product research and development and market expansion.After all,handing professional work to professional people is the key to efficient development of foreign trade.