Will a Mistake of One Word on the Import Declaration Form Cost You 100,000 Yuan?

"Mr. Zhang recently purchased a batch of equipment from overseas. He thought that customs declaration was just a matter of filling out a form. However, due to a wrong entry of the commodity code, the goods were detained at the customs for a full two weeks, and he had to pay tens of thousands of yuan just for the demurrage charges..." Such stories are not uncommon in import trade. Import Declaration seems to be a standardized process, but in fact, it hides many mysteries. Today, let's uncover the secrets behind this "mysterious book".

1. Commodity Coding: Six Digits Determine Your Taxes and Fees

For the same product, different codes may result in a tariff difference of up to 20%. Ms. Li once misclassified "stainless steel kitchenware" into the "iron and steel products" category and paid 8% more in tariffs. It is recommended to use the Classification Query System on the official website of the customs, or entrust professional institutions such as Zhongshitong to conduct pre-audit.

• Trap Case: An enterprise imported "smart watches" and misused the code for "ordinary clocks", and was required by the customs to pay an additional 120,000 yuan in taxes.

2. Declared Value: The Cost of Under-reporting Is Far Beyond Imagination

The customs has a global price database. If the declared price is lower than the average price of similar products, it may trigger the price review process. A company, due to under-reporting the value of goods by 5%, not only had to pay the additional taxes but was also included in the key inspection list for half a year.

3. Certificate of Origin: The "Golden Document" That Is Easily Ignored

When enjoying the preferential tariff rate under the free trade agreement, the lack of a certificate of origin means automatically giving up the discount. For rubber products imported from ASEAN, the tariff can be reduced from 20% to 0 with the certificate of origin.

1. Split Declaration Strategy

When high-tariff and low-tariff goods are mixed, splitting the declaration can save taxes and fees. For example: when importing medical devices with consumables, separate declaration may reduce the total cost by 15%.

• Practical Suggestion: Prepare the packing list in advance and mark the proportion of the value of each commodity.

2. Application for Special Channels

Fresh and perishable goods can apply for early release, and the clearance time for fresh goods can be compressed to within 4 hours. Relevant materials such as quality inspection reports and transportation timeliness certificates need to be provided.

3. Hidden Benefits for AEO Certified Enterprises

For enterprises that have passed the AEO certification of the customs, the inspection rate can be reduced to 1/5 of that of ordinary enterprises, and the amount of guarantee can be reduced by up to 50%.

1. "Intelligent Image Review" Fully Launched

The customs CT machines have already realized AI automatic identification of goods, and goods with inconsistent declarations will trigger an alarm within 30 seconds. Recently, a batch of goods declared as "plastic pellets" was opened and inspected because the image showed metal components.

2. Electronization of Cross-border E-commerce Documents

The paper waybills will be gradually cancelled, and enterprises need to connect with the "Single Window" system of international trade in advance.

3. Deepening the Implementation of the RCEP Agreement

There are 37 new zero-tariff categories such as Japanese sake and Korean cosmetics, but attention should be paid to the changes in the cumulative rules of origin.

Immediately check the following items:

• □ Whether the commodity code has been adjusted in the past three years
• □ Compare the declared price with the recent international market situation
• □ Whether special regulatory certificates (such as 3C certification) are complete
• □ Whether the logistics track can be tracked in real time