How to quickly select a qualified foreign trade agency?

According to the Agency issued by the General Administration of Customs in 2023customs clearanceService standards, quality agency companies must have the following qualifications:

• Double recording qualificationsCustoms AEO certification + Foreign Exchange Administration registration
• Operational coverage capacity:
  • Customs network of at least3 major ports
  • Experience in handling special trade methods (such as cross-border e-commerce 9710 mode)
• Risk control systemProof of compliance records for the last two years

What are the key aspects of agency services?

Official agents should provide full chain services (e.g. DDP clauses):

• Certificate managementCompliance review of 16 trade documents including Certificate of Origin, FORM E, etc.
• Integrated logistics: Headway transportation + destination port clearance link management
• Tax Treatment:Export tax refundTime-effective guarantees for payment and foreign exchange sales
• Special scenesTariff Planning Programme under RCEP

What are the tariffs of foreign trade agents?

2025 The industry-wide tariff model includes three levels:

• Basic Service CostsThe fixed cost:
  • Single ticket declaration:800-1500 (depending on product code)
  • Foreign exchange settlement:0.15% / pen (minimum200 dollar)
• Value Added Services:
  • Export tax refundFinancing: 0.8%-1.2%/month
  • Purpose port value added service:2000
• The risk guaranteeProduct value3%-5% (can be returned by negotiable ladder)

What are the potential risks of choosing a foreign trade agent?

Based on many years of experience in the handling of disputes, special attention should be paid to:

• Financial security risksRequire the agency to provide a bank account agreement
• Risk of complianceVerify the existence of customs administrative penalty records over the past two years
• Service Disruption RiskIdentify the linkability of destination port agents (especially emerging markets)
• Typical casesOne toilet company lacks capacity to handle Indonesian SNI certification due to the lack of agency, causing the entire cabinet cargo to stay in the port of Jakarta

How to establish long-term and stable cooperation with foreign trade agents?

It is recommended to adopt the "Three-Step Evaluation Method":

• Examination period(3-6 months)
  • Test more than 3 typesTrade termsThe Execution Capacity
  • Verify the time-effectiveness of 5 key nodes
• system connectedRequires open ERP data interface to customs status visualization
• Agreement upgradesWrite the KPI of the service into a supplementary agreement (such as tax refund until accounting date)

A noteworthy industry trend is that after the EU implements its new tariff law in 2024, the pre-audit services provided by professional agents in the CE certification field have reduced customer return rates by 42%. It is recommended that enterprises regularly request agents to provide regulatory update briefings for target markets to maintain trade compliance.