Who on earth should be written on the customs declaration form for agency import? Come and give me some advice!
Our company plans to find an agent to import a batch of goods and now is facing the problem of filling in the customs declaration form. I don't know who it is appropriate to write on the customs declaration form for agency import. Should it be our consignor or the agent? Will writing different entities have any impact on the subsequent processes, liability assumption and other aspects? I hope that experienced friends can tell me about it so that I can have a clear idea and can be clearer when communicating with the agent.
Professional consultant answers
Elizabeth LiYears of service：3Customer Rating：5.0
Compliance and risk managerConsult
In agency import, the operating unit on the customs declaration form usually fills in the agent, and the consignee unit fills in the consignor. The reason for this filling is that the agent signs contracts with the outside world in its own name and handles customs declaration and other procedures, so it is regarded as the operating unit. And the consignor is the actual recipient of the imported goods, so it is filled as the consignee unit.
From the perspective of the process, this filling complies with the operating specifications of agency import, and departments such as the customs can clearly know the business subject relationship. For example, in the subsequent inspection of goods and other links, the agent cooperates with the customs as the operating unit, and the consignor, as the consignee unit, also needs to provide necessary assistance.
In terms of liability assumption, the operating unit is responsible for the authenticity and accuracy of the declared content. If there are problems such as incorrect declaration, the customs will first hold the operating unit, that is, the agent, accountable. However, the agent and the consignor can divide the final liability attribution according to the agreement internally.
Sarah ZhangYears of service：8Customer Rating：5.0
Document expertConsult
Generally, the agent is written as the operating unit and the consignor is written as the consignee unit. In this way, the customs statistics and other work can be accurately recorded. If it is written the other way around, it may lead to confusion in the statistical data and affect the supervision of relevant departments.
David LiYears of service：6Customer Rating：5.0
Senior customs declaration consultantConsult
Who should be written on the customs declaration form depends on how the agency agreement is signed. If the agreement stipulates that the agent is fully responsible for the customs declaration-related affairs, then it is more appropriate to write the agent as the operating unit. If there are problems later, the agent can be found according to the agreement.
Jennifer WangYears of service：4Customer Rating：5.0
Market development consultantConsult
Writing the agent as the operating unit helps the agent to operate the customs declaration process, because the agent is more familiar with the customs declaration business and rules. And writing the consignor as the consignee unit is convenient for clarifying the final ownership of the goods.
Michelle ChenYears of service：3Customer Rating：5.0
Business coordination consultantConsult
Usually, according to the specifications, the agent is written as the operating unit, which is the industry practice. In this way, during the process of goods clearance, various procedures can be handled more smoothly and it also complies with the management requirements of the customs for the agency import business.
Joseph ZhouYears of service：10Customer Rating：5.0
Senior foreign trade managerConsult
Who to write mainly depends on the definition of liability. Writing the agent as the operating unit, once there are problems with the goods, the agent should first deal with it and then negotiate the liability sharing problem with the consignor.
Andrew HuangYears of service：7Customer Rating：5.0
Supply chain optimization expertConsult
From the tax perspective, writing the agent as the operating unit may be more convenient for operating according to the regulations in terms of paying and deducting relevant taxes such as import value-added tax. Of course, this also needs to be combined with the actual business and tax policies.
Amanda YangYears of service：3Customer Rating：5.0
Cost control consultantConsult
Writing the agent as the operating unit and the consignor as the consignee unit can clearly distinguish the roles of both parties in the import business and avoid unnecessary disputes in the subsequent pick-up, sales and other links.
James LiuYears of service：10Customer Rating：5.0
Foreign trade tax refund consultantConsult
If the consignor is written as the operating unit, the customs may require a lot of supplementary proof materials due to the inconsistency between the subject and the actual business operation, which will affect the efficiency of customs declaration. So it is better to write according to the convention.