The policy dividends of bonded zone imports and electromechanical equipment compatibility

In 2025, the General Administration of Customs will implement theVAT tiered management policyMaking bonded zone imports a strategic choice for electromechanical equipment enterprises. Data shows that among the machinery and electronicsEquipment Importsbusinesses completed through bonded warehousing, precision instrument products account for 63%, with high-value categories such as semiconductor manufacturing equipment and industrial robots commonly adopting batch-by-batch verification mode.

Four golden standards for selecting agency service providers

• Qualification verification system
  • AEO (Authorized Economic Operator) Advanced Certification qualification from customs
  • Record of Handling Automatic Import Licenses for Mechanical and Electrical Products
  • Experience in handling CCC certification for specific equipment
• Customs clearance time guarantee
  • Standard customs clearance time commitment letter (recommended 48-hour commitment)
  • Emergency customs clearance plan (including holiday clearance channels)
• Technical document processing capability
  • CE certification document conversion capability for EU market
  • Standard bilingual template for equipment parameters (Chinese-English)
• Risk prevention and control mechanisms
  • Pre-review system for classification disputes
  • It is recommended to verify through the following methods:Transparent verification system

2025 customs clearance practical operation flow chart

Taking the import of industrial laser cutting equipment as an example:

• Phase 1: Access pre-judgment (15 working days)
  • HS code pre-classification (3D equipment drawings required)
  • Pre-shipment inspection filing for used equipment (applicable to second-hand equipment)
• Phase 2: Bonded warehousing (30-180 days)
  • Utilizing the bonded warehousing period to complete domestic3CIt is recommended to compare the following transportation methods:
  • Batch-by-batch zone exit verification to save VAT capital occupation
• Phase 3: Tax-paid zone exit (3 working days)
  • Adopting summary taxation mode to reduce cash flow pressure
  • Smart equipment requires simultaneous submission of cybersecurity commitment letter

Typical dispute cases and response strategies

A German-funded enterprise encountered issues when importing CNC machine tools:Classification dispute:

• Dispute focus: Differences between machining center (8457) and special machine tool (8458) tariff codes
• Solution:
  • Providing equipment function description issued by German Chamber of Commerce
  • Applying for customs classification pre-ruling (can be submitted online starting from 2025)
  • Adopting bond release + subsequent reconsideration combined strategy

Regulatory changes enterprises need to pay special attention to in 2025

• Upgraded environmental access thresholds for electromechanical equipment
  • New energy efficiency label filing system (EEI-3 standard)
  • Equipment containing refrigerants requires F-GAS certification
• Data security review for smart equipment
  • Industrial control systems require Level 3 certification under Cybersecurity Classified Protection 2.0
  • The data transmission module needs to be declared separately

When selecting a professional agency service provider, it is recommended to requesta case database of customs clearance for similar equipment, with a focus on evaluating their interpretation capability of the General Administration of Customs Announcement No. 38 of 2025 (Guidance on Classification of Electromechanical Equipment). By establishing a supplier evaluation system containing 15 key indicators, the risk of customs clearance delays can be reduced by more than 40%.