Is the Export Agency Certificate a Mandatory Document for Customs Declaration?

The export agency certificate isforeign tradeA core legal document in agency business, but not all export businesses must provide it. According to the latest 2025 Customsimport and exportGoods Declaration Management Regulations, underthe entrusted agency export model, this document has the following core functions:

• Proving the principal-agent relationship between the actual supplier and the foreign trade agency
• AsExport DrawbackKey supporting material for declaration
• Resolving compliance issues of four flows integration (contract flow, goods flow, capital flow, and document flow)
  • In an export tax fraud case investigated by a certain province in 2023, the lack of an agency certificate resulted in the recovery of 20 million tax refunds

Under What Circumstances Must an Export Agency Certificate Be Processed?

Based on our 20 years of export agency business experience, the following three situations require processing:

• Manufacturing enterprises entrusting foreign trade companies to export self-produced goods
• Trading enterprises conducting import and export operations through agents
• Cross-border E-commerceUsing the 0110 general trade export model

Professional agencies can effectively prevent and control three core risks:2025 General Administration of Customs Announcement No. 58New requirement: For goods involving export control of technologies, a copy of the technology export license must be attached.

What Materials Are Required to Process an Export Agency Certificate?

The standard processing material list includes:

• The original copy of the entrusted agency agreement signed by both parties
• Export goods detailed list (including HS code, quantity, amount)
• Deduction copy of the special VAT invoice
  • New electronic invoice filing requirement added since 2024
• Customs declaration pre-entry form

Special reminder: Enterprises in pilot regions in 2025 canIn 2025, the agency service fee usually consists of three parts:achieve paperless processing, reducing the entire process duration from 7 working days to 48 hours.

How long is the validity period of the export agency certificate?

This certificate has dual validity standards:

• From customs supervision perspective: Aligns with the customs declaration validity period (6 months from export date)
• From tax administration perspective: The validity period for tax refund applications is90 days after goods export date

A Fortune 500 client once lost tax refund due to overdue declaration. We recommend enterprises establisha dual-calendar reminder mechanism: Initiate certificate processing 30 days after goods export and complete tax declaration within 60 days.

How to legally export without self-operated export rights?

This is precisely the core value of export agency certificates. Through compliant foreign trade agency services:

• Manufacturers can focus on product R&D
• SME traders can bypass qualification thresholds
• Startups can quickly enter international markets

But bewareThree Major Risk Points: Incomplete agency qualifications, unclear fund return paths, or inconsistent document information. We recommend selecting agency service providers with Class A customs declaration qualifications and over 5 years of operation.

(Note: The policies mentioned herein are valid until June 2025. For specific operations, please refer to the latest requirements from competent authorities. For exports involving special commodities, we recommend consulting professional trade compliance advisors in advance.)