Is the customs not working on weekends? Here comes the hidden easter eggs of import customs clearance!

Mr. Zhang only received the shipping notice from the overseas supplier last Friday afternoon. Seeing that the customs would not be working on weekends, he was so worried that he was running around in circles - if the precision instruments worth millions could not be cleared through customs in time, the production line would have to stop. But when he tried to contact the customs broker, he was told that imported goods can also be declared on weekends! What on earth is going on?

In the traditional impression, the working hours of the customs are synchronized with those of government agencies, but in fact, the customs implements the 7×24-hour appointment customs clearance system. Take Shekou Port in Shenzhen as an example:

• Saturday and Sunday: Provide appointment customs declaration services from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm
• Holiday: Submit the appointment application at least 1 working day in advance
• Fresh cold chain: Enjoy the green channel for customs clearance without rest for 365 days

The case of Ms. Li's cosmetics import shows that special attention should be paid to the following when clearing customs on weekends:

• Make an appointment in advance: The system declaration needs to be completed before 15:00 on Friday
• Preliminary review of documents: The electronic documents need to pass the preliminary review before getting off work on Friday
• Cost difference: Night/weekend services may incur a 20% surcharge

According to the data of Zhongshitong in 2023, the average time limit for weekend customs declaration is 6-8 hours longer than that on working days. It is recommended that:

• For ordinary goods, try to choose to declare on working days as much as possible
• For urgent goods, you can apply for the "pre-arrival declaration" mode
• Utilize the "two-step declaration" system to share the weekend pressure

When the loss of waiting for goods on the production line is greater than the weekend overtime pay, this choice becomes cost-effective. You might as well check now:

• ▢ Whether the goods belong to perishable categories
• ▢ Whether the demurrage fee is higher than the additional service fee
• ▢ Whether you can afford a buffer period of 1-2 working days