Is Import Customs Clearance Too Complicated? 3 Actions to Save You 50% of the Costs

Mr. Zhang recently ordered a batch of equipment from overseas, but got stuck in the customs clearance process for a full two weeks; Ms. Li's purchased package was detained by the customs due to inaccurate declaration, and she paid an additional tens of thousands of yuan. Why does this seemingly simple process of import customs clearance always cause people to stumble? Today, we will unveil its mystery.

Import customs clearance can be divided into four stages: Preparatory Work, Declaration and Inspection, Tax Payment, and Goods Release. Taking the import case of a certain medical device served by Zhongshitong as an example, the complete process takes an average of 5 - 8 working days.

• Preparatory Work: Confirm the HS code (error rate as high as 37%), prepare documents such as the certificate of origin, etc.
• Declaration and Inspection: After electronic declaration, it may be subject to manual inspection (spot - check rate is about 15%)
• Tax Calculation: Involves the combined calculation of customs duty + VAT + consumption tax (for some goods)

According to the customs data in 2023, declaration problems account for 68% of customs clearance delay cases:

• Wrong Commodity Classification: A certain type of intelligent device was once misclassified as a toy category, resulting in a tax rate difference of 12%
• Missing Documents: Special documents such as health certificates/3C certifications need to be prepared 30 days in advance
• Under - reporting of Prices: The customs database has price reference ranges for 20 million types of commodities

Zhongshitong customs clearance experts suggest:

• Choose a AEO - certified customs broker (customs clearance speed increases by 50%)
• Apply for pre - classification in advance (customs review takes 3 working days)
• Prepare a backup customs clearance plan for special commodities (for example, medical devices need to be filed with the Food and Drug Administration)
• Consider tariff guarantee for bulk goods (which can shorten the port stay time)
• Make full use of free trade agreement preferences (such as RCEP can reduce some tariffs)

The key policies updated recently include:

• The cross - border e - commerce B2B export pilot has been expanded nationwide
• Some electronic products need to provide a carbon footprint statement
• Biological products need to be accompanied by a laboratory report for customs clearance