Importing complete sets of equipment involves transporting hundreds of combined components. The General Administration of Customs Announcement No. 38 of 2025 introduces new requirements for classifying composite equipment. When an automobile manufacturer imported a German production line, failure to distinguish between main equipment and accessories resulted in a 36% tariff difference. Professional agency services can effectively avoid such systemic risks.
Three core stages of customs clearance
Qualification pre-review stage
Verify equipment access catalog (2025 version adds 32 restricted items)
Confirm import license type (mechanical & electrical certificate/3Ccertification/special equipment permit)
Applicability analysis of tariff reduction policies (2025 adjustment list for reduction catalog)
Equipment residual value assessment and depreciation calculation
Analysis of three typical customs clearance pitfalls
A Jiangsu-basedphotovoltaicenterprise importing Italian laminating machines in 2025 faced a tariff rate increase from 5% to 12% due to failure to classify temperature control modules separately. Common risk points include:
Misclassification of combined equipment: The General Administration of Customs added 7 new functional module subcategories in 2025
Document chain breakage risk: Differences in equivalence recognition between EU CE certification and domestic standards
Tariff inversion phenomenon: Under free trade agreements, component tariff rates may be higher than complete equipment rates
Selection criteria for quality agency services
Timeliness of customs database: Must include latest 2025 HTS code library and classification rulings
On-site handling capability: Requires stationed customs clearance teams at major ports
Compliance Management Tools: Equipped with automatic BOM table breakdown verification system
Emergency plan reserves: 48-hour response mechanism for customs inquiries
Practical case: Lessons from medical equipment imports
A Shanghai hospital encountered these issues when importing German CT equipment in 2025: