What are the signs indicating a need for replacement??Export Agency?A professional agency company should have the following characteristics:

When any of the following three situations occurs, it is recommended that the company immediately initiate an agency evaluation process:

• The service response efficiency continues to decline.：The document processing cycle exceeds the industry standard by 20%, and customs clearance delays have resulted in missing more than 3 shipping schedules.
• The cost structure is opaque.: Unannounced additional charges occurred for two consecutive quarters, and compliant invoices could not be provided.
• Frequent compliance risks：After the implementation of the new AEO certification regulations by customs in 2023, the agency company has made HS code declaration errors more than twice.

What is the standard procedure for changing an export agent?

Professional agent replacement should follow a four-step method:

• Requirements assessment phase
  • Review the existing agency service contract terms (with special attention to termination clauses).
  • Create a service deficiency evidence chain (email records, expense lists, etc.)
• New agent screening phase
  • Request the candidate companies to provide statistics on customs error rates over the past three years.
  • Verify the timeliness of its EDI system's interface with the customs of the target market.

What business risks might be encountered during the transition period?

According to the revised Data Security Law to be implemented in 2025, special attention should be paid to:

• Compliance of Customer Data Migration: When changing export agents involves cross-border data transfer, written authorization from the customer must be obtained.
• Continuity of declaration records: The new agent must fully inherit the AEO certification enterprise declaration records of the original company.
• Disconnected logistics links：In 2023, when a garment export company changed its agent, the delay in transmitting the manifest information resulted in 40 containers of goods being stranded at the port.

How to Avoid Legal Disputes During the Handover Between Old and New Agents?

It is recommended to take the following preventive measures:

• Termination Clause Verification: Focus on reviewing the early termination compensation clause in the original contract.
• Financial Liquidation Confirmation: Request the original agent to issue a dispute-free settlement certificate, covering all financial items including advance payments, deposits, etc.
• Intellectual Property Segmentation: Clarify the handover process of trademark authorization documents for customs declaration purposes.

What are the new requirements for agency services in 2025?

In light of the latest international trade trends, a high-quality agent should possess:

• Green Trade Compliance Capability: Familiarize with the detailed implementation rules of the EU CBAM carbon tariff mechanism.
• Digital Customs Declaration System: Supports real-time integration with China's International Trade "Single Window" Version 3.0
• Emergency response mechanism：Prepare contingency plans for sudden changes in the rules of origin within the RCEP region.

What qualifications must be verified when selecting a new agent?

In addition to regular qualifications, the following should be additionally verified in 2025:

• Filing for Security Assessment of Cross-Border Data Transfer(The latest requirements from the Cyberspace Administration of China)
• Special Goods Entry and Exit Permit(For emerging industries such as biomedicine)
• AEO Mutual Recognition Country Service Cases(especially emerging markets in ASEAN and Africa)

How to ensure service continuity after changing agents?

It is recommended to implement a three-month parallel period:

• Dual filing of documents: Both the old and new agents receive the same batch of customs declaration pre-review documents simultaneously.
• System data mirroring: Request the original agent to open an API interface for the new agent to read historical data.
• Key position docking：Arrange for the operations supervisor from the original company to participate in at least 10 practical teaching cases.