What is an Agency Export Certificate?

An Agency Export Certificate (Agency Export Certificate) refers toExport Representationa trade relationship certification document issued by an agent for the actual exporter, primarily containing core elements such as enterprise information of both parties, product categories, and transaction amounts. According to the latest 2025 General Administration of Customs Announcement No. 67, the document must meet the following conditions:

• issued byimport and exportissued by an authorized agent
• stamped with the official seals and legal representative signatures of both enterprises
• clearly marked with the nature of agency export business

What are the core uses of an Agency Export Certificate?

Based on 20 years of practical experience, the certificate is mainly used in the following scenarios:

• Export DrawbackDeclaration
  • when manufacturing enterprises entrust agents for export
  • when the actual exporter lacks self-operated export rights
• foreign exchange verification with the State Administration of Foreign Exchange
  • resolving inconsistencies between payment and receipt entities
  • avoiding cross-border capital flow regulatory risks
• cross-border tax compliance certification

How to apply for an Agency Export Certificate?

The standard application process consists of four key steps:

• Step 1: Sign a formal agency agreement
  • Must include 26 mandatory elements such as HS code of goods and transaction method
• Step 2: Prepare customs declaration pre-entry form
• Step 3: The agent issues supporting documents
• Step 4: Legal review and stamping by both parties

Common mistakes in using export agency certificates

2025 audit cases show the main risk points include:

• Inconsistent information
  • Discrepancy exceeding 5% between customs declaration amount and supporting documents
• Expired validity
  • Exceeding the 90-day supplementary submission deadline stipulated by customs
• Irregular stamps
  • Electronic seals not verified through the national certification platform

What is the validity period of an agency export certificate?

According to current regulations:

• Issued before customs declaration: Long-term validity (recommended to use within six months)
• Supplementary issuance after customs declaration: Must be submitted to customs within 90 days from export date
• : Agent for: Must be used before the April declaration period of the following export year

What to do if the export agency certificate becomes invalid?

Recommended remedial measures:

• Case 1: Not exceeding the supplementary submission deadline
  • Reissue the certificate with an explanatory statement
• Case 2: Already exceeded the deadline
  • Apply to the competent customs for special case handling
  • Provide supporting materials such as bank payment vouchers

Which situations require mandatory use of export agency certificates?

According to the 2025 Cross-Border Trade Service Management Measures, the following scenarios require provision:

• When the export entity differs fromA complete export agency agreement should be attached with:the declared entity
• When applying for export tax refund without self-operated export rights
• When involving processing trade manual verification
• Cross-border supply chain financing scenarios