China Abolishes “Buy-Customs Declaration” from October 1: What It Means for Cross-Border Exporters

News Update
Starting October 1, 2025, China Customs will officially abolish the long-standing practice of “Buy-Customs Declaration” (买单报关). Under the new regulation, exporters must disclose the actual shipper of record when filing customs declarations. This marks the end of a gray-area practice where businesses without export licenses “borrowed” documents from licensed companies to complete exports.

Key Data

In the steel industry, more than 40% of exports after 2021 relied on borrowed customs documents.

In Yiwu and Guangzhou wholesale markets, over 60% of SMEs used “buy-customs declaration” as a low-cost export solution.

For cross-border eCommerce sellers, especially B2C sellers without import/export licenses, the majority used this shortcut to ship overseas.

With the new rules, violations can result in severe consequences:

Up to 25% additional income tax on export value;

Up to 5x penalty fines for tax evasion;

3+ years of credit monitoring, affecting VAT rebate, foreign exchange settlement, and financing.

Impact on the Industry
This regulatory shift impacts nearly all export-related sectors:

SMEs and small factories without export rights may find themselves unable to ship.

Cross-border sellers (Amazon, eBay, Shopify, etc.) can no longer rely on “borrowed” documents.

Freight forwarders and trading agents that previously profited from low-cost “document lending” must now transform into compliance-driven service providers.

Legitimate exporters are expected to benefit, as the market gradually returns to fair competition.

How Exporters Should Respond
Depending on your company size and business model, different strategies can help you stay compliant:

Small sellers / eCommerce merchants

Work with a licensed freight forwarder or export agent;

Keep complete documentation (invoices, contracts, shipping records) to prove cargo ownership.

Growing businesses

Apply for a Chinese import/export license;

Or set up a Hong Kong or offshore entity to optimize compliance and taxation;

Partner with professional 3PL and export service providers.

Established exporters

Build a full in-house export and tax rebate system;

Optimize tax structure to legally enjoy export rebates;

Conduct internal compliance training and audits.

Our Recommendation
The “gray zone” of customs declaration is over. Short-term savings are no longer worth the long-term risks. Compliance is now the entry ticket to global trade.

How We Can Help
As a global freight forwarder specialized in China–USA trade lanes, we provide:

Fully compliant export declaration & customs clearance services;

Guidance for SMEs to apply for export rights;

One-stop logistics solutions: booking, customs, international shipping, FBA delivery, and overseas warehousing.

📩 Contact us today for a free consultation on compliant export solutions. Let us help you transition smoothly into the new era of global trade.