I. Business Qualifications Form the Fundamental Threshold for Agency Services

According to the "Regulations on theforeign tradeArticle 41 of the E-Law stipulates that those engaged in equipmentImport RepresentationThe business must possessDual certification completenessBasic conditions:

• The business license clearly specifies the scope of operations to include "import...Export Representation"or" electromechanicalEquipment Imports”
• Foreign Trade Operator Registration Form (For Agency Enterprises with the 10th Digit of Customs Code as "3")

The new requirements from the General Administration of Customs in 2024 indicate that agents handling large precision instruments (HS Codes Chapters 84-90) must additionally obtainSpecial Equipment Operation FilingIn 2025, a provincial agency company incurred a direct loss of 370,000 yuan due to the detention of a CT device worth $12 million at the port caused by failure to update the filing.

II. Industry-Specific Certification Determines the Upper Limit of Service Capability

The special qualifications involved in equipment import directly affect customs clearance efficiency:

• Import License for Electromechanical Products (Products under Key Verification Catalog)
• CCC Certification Agency Qualification (for products subject to compulsory certification)
• Safety License for Special Equipment Such as Pressure Vessels

Customs data for 2025 shows that withAEO Advanced CertificationThe average customs clearance time for agency enterprises was reduced by 42%. In one medical equipment import case, licensed enterprises achieved rapid clearance within 72 hours, which was 5 working days faster than ordinary enterprises.

III. Operational capability verification must penetrate surface-level data.

• Customs team requirements:
  • At least 3 certified customs declarants
  • The proportion of electromechanical product classification experts should be ≥30%.
• Whether there are multimodal transport solutions covering the target market
  • Overseas warehouses cover major equipment manufacturing countries.
  • Special Transport Vehicle Equipment Certificate

An import case of semiconductor equipment revealed that agency companies with bonded warehousing qualifications saved tax expenditures up to 15% of the cargo value.

IV. A dynamic mechanism shall be established for compliance record review.

Compliance review should focus on three dimensions:

• Customs credit rating (priority given to AEO-certified enterprises)
• Administrative penalty records from the past three years (with a focus on verifying the classification error rate)
• Foreign-related legal dispute cases (especially intellectual property disputes)

After the revision of the Customs Credit Management Measures in 2025, a single fine exceeding 500,000 yuan will be included.List of Dishonest EnterprisesIt is recommended to conduct monthly checks through the "China Customs Enterpriseimport and exportCredit Information Publicity Platform" to verify the credit status of the agency company.

When selecting an import equipment agency company, the following should be established:Four-Dimensional Review Model: Basic qualification verification → Specialized capability assessment → Operational resource confirmation → Compliance record tracking. A certain automotive production line import project successfully avoided a 1.6 million RMB breach risk caused by the expiration of the agent's license through systematic review.