How to achieve duty-free clearance for imported equipment through agency services? These five key steps must be mastered

Interpretation of New Trends in 2025 Imported Equipment Duty-Free Policy

According to the latest Implementation Measures for Import Tax Policy on Major Technical Equipment (2025 Revised Edition) issued by the General Administration of Customs, enterprises importing core equipment meeting national strategic needs can enjoy full tariff exemption benefits. Compared with the 2023 version, the new regulations strengthen audit requirements inEquipment technical parameter verificationandIndustrial chain coordination certificationtwo aspects:

• Positioning accuracy requirements for precision processing equipment increased to ±0.002mm
• The intelligent control system must have a self-learning algorithm module
• Collaboration certificates between upstream and downstream enterprises in the industrial chain require the official seal of provincial industry and information technology departments

Core value realization path of import agency services

Professionalforeign tradeAgency companies help clients maximize tax exemption benefits through a four-dimensional service framework:

• Policy pre-review service
  • HS code pre-classification accuracy for equipment reaches 98%
  • Automatic comparison through tax exemption catalog compliance diagnostic system
• End-to-end customs clearance management
  • Document error rate controlled below 0.2%
  • Average customs clearance time reduced to 3.7 working days

Typical Risk Scenarios and Response Strategies

A case encountered by an auto parts manufacturer when importing intelligent testing equipment is worth noting:

• Risk point 1: Functional module split declaration

  The enterprise declared the main control unit and sensors separately, leading customs to determine it as incomplete equipment and revoke the tax exemption qualification. Professional agencies conductfunctional integration assessmentin advance to avoid splitting risks.

• Risk point 2: Technical parameter description deviation

  The repeated positioning accuracy in declaration documents was written as 0.005mm (actual 0.003mm), triggering customs technical verification. Agencies providedual parameter review mechanism, with double confirmation by engineers and customs experts.

Five steps to achieve optimal tax-free import solutions

• Step 1: Project filing pre-registration

  Complete the filing of Imported Equipment Usage Statement 15 working days before signing the equipment purchase contract, with special attention to proving equipment-process compatibility.

• Step 2: Tax exemption qualification confirmation

  Verify whether the equipment model is in the latest tax exemption catalog through the General Administration of Customs intelligent comparison system, while preparing theequipment technical specification commitment letter.

issued by the manufacturer.

• Cost comparison between self-operated and agency imports
  • Case of a semiconductor company importing $8 million wafer inspection equipment:
  • Self-import incurred additional costs of 1.27 million yuan (including late declaration fees and classification error penalties)
• Agency services actually saved 2.03 million yuan in tariffs and avoided compliance losses

Key indicators for selecting agency service providers

Three core competencies a quality agency company should possess:

• Customs AEO Advanced Certification qualification
• Professional technical team configuration (1 electromechanical expert + 2 customs specialists assigned per order)
• Risk emergency response system (including 72-hour dispute resolution mechanism)