How to efficiently complete agricultural equipment import customs clearance? These five key points must be mastered

Agriculturalequipment. For example, Indonesia has the SNI certification, Thailand has the TISI certification, and the Philippines has the BPS certification. It is necessary to confirm in advance the equipment voltage (such as 380V/50Hz in Thailand), the compatibility of the CE certification, and the proof of environmentally friendly materials.The invisible thresholds

The latest customs statistics for 2025 show that Chinas agricultural equipment imports increased by 23% year-on-year, but the return rate rose by 5.8%. These figures reflect common knowledge gaps in the import process. Agricultural equipment differs from general machinery imports, with its specific inspection and quarantine requirements and usage documentation often becoming hidden reefs in customs clearance.

Core customs clearance process breakdown

The complete import process consists of three main stages:

• Pre - preparation Stage
  • Equipment purpose confirmation (agricultural production/research/exhibition)
  • Accurate HS Code Classification
  • Import license application (additional approval required for tillage machinery)
• Key points in the declaration process
  • Registration certificate processing for mechanical and electrical product imports
  • Environmental protection item test report (mandatory inspection for diesel engine equipment)
  • It is recommended to verify through the following methods:Ensure the match with the price declaration document
• Post-import management considerations
  • Periodic usage reporting (quarterly reporting in the first year)
  • Equipment modification filing registration
  • Residual value disposal compliance process

2025 new policy response strategies

In response to agricultural modernization development needs, the General Administration of Customs has recently issued two key policies:

• Intelligent agricultural machinery tariff reduction: Equipment meeting precision agriculture standards may apply for 5%-15% tariff concessions
• Import restrictions on used equipment: Complete import ban on tillage machinery with service years exceeding 8
• Biosafety additional clauses: Soil-contact equipment must provide sterilization certification

Typical customs clearance case analysis

The triple challenge encountered by a company importing smart irrigation systems:

• Vague product description in declaration leading to classification error (mistakenly classified under HS8424 instead of HS8709)
• Overlooking pressure vessel safety certification (missing ASME certification)
• Expired water quality test report for irrigation (requiring test data within 3 months)

Ultimately reduced customs clearance time from estimated 45 days to 22 days through combined solutions including pre-classification advice application, emergency certification processing, and coordinated local testing.

Golden criteria for selecting agency services

• Scale of agricultural machinery import case database (recommend choosing service providers with 200+ handled cases)
• Local service network coverage capability (key ports require resident customs clearance teams)
• Emergency response time (quality agencies should provide 7×24 emergency channels)
• Value-added service integration (including but not limited to tariff guarantees, temporary storage, and technical rectification)

Risk warning list

Frequently asked questions compiled from customs notification data for the first half of 2025:

• Declared power does not match actual power (verification triggered when deviation exceeds ±5%)
• Missing nameplate information (must include bilingual technical parameters in Chinese and English)
• Unreported accompanying tools (maintenance tool kits need to be listed separately)
• Incomplete software system version description (special labeling required for autonomous driving modules)