Is Entrusting the Handling of Import and Export Rights a Rip-off?

Mr. Zhang registered a trading company last year, but got stuck when applying for the import and export rights - the materials were repeatedly modified, and he had to run back and forth between departments, with no results in three months. It was not until he found a professional handling agency that he got the qualifications within one week and signed an overseas order in the same month. The service of entrusting the handling of import and export rights, is it a rip-off or a life-saving straw? Today we will dissect the tricks in it with real cases.

According to the data of the Ministry of Commerce, among the newly registered foreign trade operators in 2023, 78% handled the qualifications through intermediary agencies. The core pain points are concentrated in:

• High complexity of materials: It is necessary to simultaneously prepare the data of 5 systems such as customs, foreign exchange, and electronic port.
• Long process cycle: Handling by oneself takes an average of 2 to 3 months, missing the window period of business opportunities.
• Many hidden thresholds: For example, the hidden requirements for business premises when registering with the customs.

Ms. Li, a senior consultant of Zhongshitong, revealed that the key for professional agencies to speed up lies in:

• Preliminary review system: Detect the compliance of 12 materials such as business licenses and articles of association in advance.
• Parallel handling: Synchronously connect with the Bureau of Commerce/Customs/State Taxation to compress the waiting time.
• Risk control list: Avoid high-frequency rejection items such as "no goods import and export in the business scope".
• Subsequent maintenance: Including derivative services such as the update of the foreign exchange list and the handling of annual reports.

A certain cross-border e-commerce platform once chose a low-cost handling service and encountered:

• False promises: "Guaranteed to pass" but used an affiliated address, and the qualifications were cancelled the next year.
• Hidden charges: The handling fee of the electronic port IC card was three times higher than the quoted price.
• Qualifications do not match: The new version of the certificate after the merger of customs declaration and inspection was not obtained.

With the deepening of the RCEP agreement, many places have launched Subsidies for Handling Foreign Trade Qualifications. A certain district in Shenzhen subsidizes 3,000 yuan to enterprises that obtain certificates for the first time, and Zhejiang is piloting the "Instant Approval of Import and Export Rights" system. You might as well calculate: If you got the qualifications one month earlier, how many more orders could you have received? Welcome to share your handling experience in the comment area. We will randomly select 3 readers to get the Compliance Checklist of Import and Export Qualifications for free.