No Export Rights = Giving Up on Overseas Markets?

Mr. Zhang has been quite distressed recently. The high-quality furniture produced by his factory has already gained a certain reputation in the domestic market. However, every time he receives an overseas order, he has to give it up because of no export rights. There are quite a number of business owners like Mr. Zhang - their products are clearly highly competitive, but they get stuck at the first step of "going global". Today, we'll thoroughly dissect the entire process of applying for export rights so that you won't miss the opportunities in the global market anymore.

According to the data of the General Administration of Customs, in 2023, only 18% of the registered foreign trade enterprises in China had actual export performance. This means that more than 80% of the enterprises are blocked outside the door of international trade due to qualification issues. The essence of export rights is to obtain the qualification for customs record-filing, which is equivalent to the enterprise's "international identity card".

• Basic Permissions: Self-declaration of customs clearance, receipt and payment of foreign exchange, application for tax rebates
• Hidden Values: Enhance customer trust, and some international platforms mandatorily require it

The cross-border e-commerce team of Ms. Li was delayed for three months due to unfamiliarity with the process. We've summarized this pitfall avoidance guide:

First, add the business scope of "import and export of goods" to the business license. You need to prepare:

• Shareholders' Resolution
• Amendment to the Articles of Association
• Copy of the Legal Person's ID Card

Submit through the "Single Window" platform:

• Registration Certificate of the Declaring Unit (issued within 3 working days)
• IC Card of the Electronic Port (to be picked up by the legal person in person)
• Registration in the List of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange

Only after completing the export tax rebate record-filing can you enjoy the 13% VAT tax rebate policy. A clothing factory once lost more than 200,000 yuan in tax rebates due to missing this step.

The foreign trade consultant team of Zhongshitong revealed that 90% of the application delays are due to the following details:

• Invoice Issues: Need to activate the "export tax rebate" module of the tax control disk
• Bank Account: Must open a foreign currency account (a US dollar account is not mandatory)
• Time Limit Trap: The validity period of the foreign exchange list registration is only 2 years

For enterprises with a small order volume, you can consider:

• Entrust a foreign trade comprehensive service enterprise to act as an agent for export (cost reduction by 60%)
• Adopt the "market procurement trade" model (the limit for single declaration is $150,000)

After reading this guide, you might as well do a self-test:

• Are there any potential overseas buyers among the existing customers?
• Does the product meet the standards of the target country (such as CE certification in the European Union)?
• Does the team have the basic capabilities for foreign trade?