General Trade Import Declaration: Process, Requirements and Importance

The advancement of globalization has made international trade an important part of the economic development of countries. A General Trade Declaration Import (GTD Import) is a document detailing information about imported goods that an enterprise or individual submits to Customs when importing goods across borders.

Definition of General Trade Declaration Import

General Trade Import Declaration is a kind of official documents, importers must submit to the Customs when importing goods. The statement includes the description of the goods, quantity, value, origin, mode of Transportation and other details. Its main purpose is to ensure that import activities are legal and compliant, to prevent smuggling and tax evasion, and to protect national security and economic interests.

The importance of general trade import declaration

• Legal compliance:general trade import declaration is the importer to the Customs and Excise Department to show that its import behavior is legal and important evidence. Through accurate declaration of commodity information, importers can prove that their import activities in line with relevant laws and regulations, to avoid legal sanctions due to concealment or misreporting of information.

• Tax collection and management:Customs obtains information on the value and quantity of goods through the general trade import declaration, and carries out tax collection and management accordingly. This helps the state to collect customs duties and other import taxes in a timely and accurate manner, and protects the state's tax revenue.

• Trade Statistics:The information in the General Trade Import Declaration is an important source of data for the country's trade statistics. Through these data, the government can analyze the flow and structure of trade and formulate corresponding trade policies and economic strategies.

• Safeguard security:Import declarations to help the Customs and Excise Department to understand the specific information of the goods, security checks, to prevent the inflow of dangerous goods and contraband into the country, to protect national security and people's health.

The process of submitting general trade import declaration

• Get the relevant documents:before submitting the general trade import declaration, importers need to ensure that they have all the necessary documents and licenses, such as import and export business license certificate, commodity inspection certificate.

• Understand Customs Regulations:Importers need to understand the customs regulations and policies of the destination country in detail to ensure that their imports comply with legal requirements. For example, some countries have special import regulations and restrictions on specific commodities.

• Commodity information:importers need to accurately fill in the name of the goods, specifications, quantity, weight, packaging and other information. Ensure that all information is true and correct, so as not to cause customs suspicion and delay.

• Value and origin:The declared value and origin information of the merchandise must also be filled in accurately. This information is directly related to the calculation and collection of taxes and fees, so it requires special attention.

• Transportation and Payment Methods:The import declaration also needs to indicate the mode of transportation of the goods (e.g., air, sea) and the payment methods (e.g., L/C, TT), so as to allow Customs to carry out verification.

• Submission of declaration:The importer will submit the completed import declaration together with relevant documents and invoices, packing list and other documents to the Customs. Submission can be electronic declaration, or written declaration, the specific way according to the customs regulations of each country.

• Customs Audit:After receiving the declaration documents, customs will audit them. Audit content includes the authenticity of commodity information, the declared value of the reasonableness of the integrity of the document and so on. After passing the audit, customs will issue a release order.

• Payment of Taxes and Fees:Importers are required to pay the corresponding tariffs and other import taxes and fees in accordance with the tax and fee standards approved by the Customs. After the payment is completed, the goods will be officially released by the Customs.

• Release of goods:After payment of taxes and fees, the Customs will release the goods, and the importer can arrange to pick up the goods to complete the import process.

Laws and regulations on general trade import declaration

Countries have specific laws and regulations to regulate the general trade import declaration. These regulations mainly include:

• Customs Law:Customs Law is the basic legal document to regulate import and export activities, which stipulates the duties of customs, the requirements and procedures of import and export declaration, and the way of collecting taxes and fees.

• Commodity Inspection Law:The Commodity Inspection Law stipulates the requirements for the inspection of imported goods, including quality inspection, health inspection and safety inspection. Importers are required to carry out relevant inspections in accordance with the requirements of the Commodity Inspection Law, and submit the appropriate inspection certificate.

• Foreign Exchange Management Law:The Foreign Exchange Management Law regulates the payment methods for imports and foreign exchange settlements. Importers need to carry out foreign exchange transactions and settlements in accordance with the provisions of the Foreign Exchange Management Act to ensure compliance.

• Trade protection laws and regulations:In order to protect their economic interests, countries often make some trade protection laws and regulations, such as anti-dumping laws, anti-subsidy laws and so on. These regulations on the import of specific goods set additional restrictions and requirements, importers need to comply with the corresponding provisions.

General trade import declaration has an important role in international trade. Through the detailed declaration of commodity information, importers can ensure that their import behavior is legal and compliant, and avoid legal risks and economic losses. At the same time, the Customs and Excise Department can carry out effective tax collection and security checks through the import declaration to protect national interests and people's safety. In practice, importers need to strictly follow the requirements of relevant laws and regulations, carefully fill out the import declaration to ensure that the information is accurate and the documents are complete. At the same time, they should actively communicate with the Customs and relevant organizations to solve any problems they may encounter and ensure the import process goes smoothly. With the deep development of globalization, international trade will become more frequent and complex. Only by constantly improving professional knowledge and operational skills can importers be invincible in the fierce market competition and promote the economic development of enterprises and the country.