由 caicai8478 The compliance points for customs clearance of small parcels from China to foreign countries for cross-border e-commerce involve multiple links, and domestic and foreign laws and regulations must be strictly followed to ensure a smooth process and avoid risks. The following is a summary of key points:
- Compliance of goods
Prohibited/restricted export list
Confirm that the goods do not belong to the categories prohibited or restricted for export by China (such as cultural relics, endangered species, sensitive technologies, etc.).
Some countries prohibit the import of specific goods (such as Australia restricts animal and plant products, and the EU restricts non-compliant products with CE marks).
Comply with the standards of the destination country
Certification requirements: such as EU CE, US FCC, Japan PSE, etc.
Labels and instructions: The language of the destination country must be used, and the ingredients and origin must be marked (such as the United States must be marked “Made in China”).
Special requirements: For example, food requires FDA certification, and cosmetics require ingredient registration.
- Preparation of customs clearance documents
Required documents
Commercial Invoice: The product description, quantity, unit price, total price, currency, and information about the buyer and seller must be listed in detail.
Packing List: cargo volume, weight, and packaging type.
Air Waybill: consistent with invoice information.
Certificate of Origin (such as FORM E ASEAN Preferential Certificate of Origin, Non-Preferential COO).
Special Documents
Test Report (such as EMC report for electronic products).
Import License (such as drugs and medical devices require approval from the destination country).
III. Tariff and Tax Compliance
HS Code Classification
Accurately use the internationally used 6-digit HS code, and some countries require it to be extended to 8-10 digits (such as the US HTS Code).
Rationally use free trade agreements to reduce tariffs (such as RCEP, USMCA).
Declared Value
Declare truthfully to avoid “under-declaration” that triggers inspection or fines (such as European customs are sensitive to under-declaration).
Pay attention to the tariff threshold of the destination country (such as duty-free below US$800 in the United States and duty-free below €22 in the European Union).
VAT processing
Register for VAT in the destination country (e.g., IOSS code is required for the EU, GB VAT is required for the UK).
Withholding and payment by cross-border e-commerce platforms (e.g., Amazon, eBay).
IV. Logistics and declaration optimization
Logistics channel selection
Postal parcels (e.g., ePacket): suitable for low-value parcels, taking advantage of the customs clearance convenience of the Universal Postal Union.
Dedicated line logistics: pre-clearance services are provided for specific countries (e.g., Middle East dedicated lines).
Commercial express (DHL/FedEx): complete documents are required, customs clearance efficiency is high but the cost is high.
Pre-clearance
Some logistics companies provide pre-clearance in the destination country, review documents in advance to speed up the process.
Shipment in batches
High-value goods can be split to less than the tax-free amount, but must comply with the principle of “reasonable self-use” (to avoid being identified as splitting orders to avoid tax).
V. Response to customs policies in the destination country
Common reasons for inspection
Incomplete documents, goods inconsistent with declarations, intellectual property infringement (e.g., counterfeit brands).
Sensitive categories (such as live electrical products, liquids, and powders) are easily inspected.
Countermeasures
Learn the customs priorities of the destination country in advance (such as Brazil’s strict inspection of electronic products and India’s strict requirements on invoice formats).
Purchase a customs bond (such as DHL’s DDP service) or entrust a customs clearance agent.
VI. Risk management and compliance recommendations
Data compliance
Comply with privacy regulations such as GDPR (EU) and CCPA (US) to avoid leakage of waybill information.
Intellectual property
Ensure that there are no infringement issues with the goods (such as brand authorization letters, trademark registration certificates).
Contingency plans
Reserve customs processing time and submit documents or pay tariffs for delayed goods in a timely manner.
Partner service providers
Choose experienced freight forwarders or customs clearance companies, especially for special categories (such as lithium batteries and cosmetics).
VII. Emerging trends and tools
Digital customs clearance: Some countries promote electronic customs clearance (such as API pre-declaration in Thailand).
Platform integration: Automatically generate compliance documents through ERP systems (such as Dianxiaomi).
Customs AEO certification: Long-term export companies can apply for AEO qualifications to improve customs clearance efficiency.
Summary
The core of compliant customs clearance lies in complete product qualifications, accurate and transparent documents, and reasonable declared value. At the same time, it is necessary to pay attention to policy changes in the destination country (such as the EU’s new tariff bill in 2024). It is recommended to cooperate with professional logistics and tax consultants to develop standardized processes for countries with high frequency of shipments.