Xiamen Customs of China Piloted Export Customs Declaration in Sub-Forms

On July 7, 2010, Xiamen Customs of P. R. China launched a pilot program of export customs declaration in sub-forms at Xiamen airport so as to effectively reduce the logistics cost of combined export consignments and improve the flexibility of enterprise operation.

On the same day, the first consignment destined for Japan, subdivided into 2 forms under the main customs declaration form with 9 pieces and a quantity of 146 kilograms in total, went through smooth customs clearance and plane boarding.

It is learned that in order to improve the use ratio of the freight space and reduce the cost, air freight forwarders always combine several export consignments with small quantity and size into one consignment, sharing one freight space.

At present, the combined consignments exported via Xiamen airport account for over 20% of the total export quantity.

Through export customs declaration in sub-forms, freight forwarders may divide the main customs declaration form into several sub-forms and sell such sub-forms to enterprises. Then the enterprises can carry out independent operation like plane boarding and customs declaration in sub-forms. After such sub-forms are cleared by the customs, they shall be combined and thereby a formal main customs declaration form will be formed, which shall be cleared by the customs for the second time.

According to Xiamen Customs of P. R. China, the implementation of export customs declaration in sub-forms is an embodiment of Xiamen Customs'initiative in conforming to the trend of logistics industry. The customs declaration by combined consignments gathers exports into "groupage freight", and the space booking of freight forwarders is turned to"group purchase" from "retail", which may effectively reduce the logistics cost and provide convenience for freight forwarders in cargo canvassing; and the"breaking up the whole into parts" in customs declaration and clearance can increase the operation flexibility of freight forwarders since the goods are declared at the customs in sub-forms, no longer requiring for the simultaneous declaration and clearance of corresponding customs declaration forms subject to the same main form.