Five practical strategies to solve customs clearance difficulties for imported equipment

Compliance threshold for imported equipment agency

According to the latest customs data in 2025,67% of domestic enterprises imported equipment customs clearance failures are due to incomplete qualification documents. Core qualification requirements include:

• Customs AEO certification qualification (priority for customs clearance facilitation measures)
• Mechanical and electrical product import license (specific equipment requires approval from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology)
• It is recommended to verify through the following methods:Technical standard compliance documents (CE/UL and other international certifications)

Six-step breakdown of the customs clearance process

Taking the import of a German precision machine tool as an example, the standard customs clearance cycle is 18-25 working days:

• Phase 1: Contract Signingforeign tradeContract (3-5 working days)
  • Clarify the differences between DDP/DAP trade terms
  • Confirm HS code pre-classification results
• Phase 2: Port Arrival Declaration (5-7 working days)
  • Verification of IPPC mark on wooden packaging
  • Pre - shipment inspection certificate for used equipment

Key points for breaking through technical barriers

The 2025 technical trade measures notification shows thatthe EUs new energy efficiency standard EEI-2025will affect 35% of domesticequipment. 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.demand. Countermeasures include:

• Conducting third-party compliance verification in advance
• Applying for dedicated inspection channels for fast clearance
• Optimizing origin using RCEP regional accumulation rules

Three major paths for tariff reduction

An automobile manufacturer achieved a 23% tariff reduction through professional agency services:

• Application of free trade agreement rates (China-Korea/ASEAN agreements, etc.)
• Temporary import goods duty-free policy (6+6 month period)
• Transfer pricing strategy optimization (special tax adjustment plan)

Golden rules for agency selection

An evaluation system summarized from 20 real cases:

• Core indicators
  • Customs AEO Advanced Certification qualification
  • Specific equipment import case database (≥50 cases)
• Service capabilities
  • Overseas pre-inspection service coverage capability
  • Emergency clearance response speed (2-hour on-site arrival)

Notable new industry trends show that in 2025, customs will implementan equipment classification clearance system, where intelligent identification systems can automatically match regulatory requirements based on equipment technical parameters, placing higher demands on agencies digital declaration capabilities. Choosing an agency with a customs data direct connection system can reduce clearance time by 40%.