How far in advance should I start export clearance at Xiamen Gaoqi?
For general cargo, get the documents to the broker three to five working days before departure, which leaves room for classification checks and advance filing. For batteries, chemicals, cold chain and aircraft parts, allow five to seven working days: UN38.3 summaries, transport condition assessments and maintenance end-use documents all take longer. If the flight is tight, file in advance and let the shipment go straight into inspection or release when it reaches the terminal.
What changes for shipments at the end of 2026, when the airport relocates?
Xiang'an International Airport is scheduled to open at the end of 2026 and Gaoqi is to close as a commercial airport at the same time, with the exact switchover and flight migration subject to official and carrier notice. Practically: move fourth-quarter orders ahead of the window, book capacity separately for the two airports on anything that straddles it, prepare documents to the new premises' requirements, and do not stack pickup, filing and uplift into the final week.
Once customs releases my cargo, is it guaranteed to fly?
No. Release ends the customs step; terminal acceptance, security screening, build-up and carrier weight and balance follow. In peak season or for special cargo the queue can take a long time, so we plan around release time plus acceptance time and finish filing with margin before the cut-off rather than at it.
Can cargo from Kunming or Chengdu fly out through Xiamen?
Yes, by air-to-air transit: complete the export declaration and transit formalities at the origin airport, then write off the transit at Xiamen and connect to the international flight. Eligible cargo can use direct apron transfer, moving from the apron into the international warehouse without the domestic warehouse leg or a second screening, saving roughly 24 hours. Eligibility depends on carrier uplift arrangements and terminal conditions, so confirm in advance.
Where do 9610 e-commerce parcels usually get held up?
On three-way consistency. Vague categories, prices well below comparable goods, batteries or alcohol-based items hidden in a general consignment, and returns mixed with new stock all get pulled at the sorting line for line-by-line checks. The center clears on arrival and sorts in-house, but only on clean data — for large, mixed batches we split the filing by category.
Can I export from Xiamen without import-export rights?
Not in your own name. Companies without rights usually export through a licensed foreign trade service provider or an agency arrangement, and the exporter of record, the foreign-exchange receipt and the VAT refund all have to line up. Exporting under someone else's name moves the cargo but forfeits the refund and carries compliance risk.
Do products with batteries always have to move as dangerous goods?
It depends on cell chemistry, capacity and packaging. Lithium-ion cells ship under UN3480 or UN3481 with a UN38.3 summary and MSDS, and usually a DG packing certificate and DGD. Small cells installed in equipment may qualify for relief and move as general cargo, but that has to be supported by documentation rather than assumption. The carrier's acceptance rules decide in the end.
I have already filed and the description or value is wrong. What now?
Before release you can apply to amend or cancel the declaration with reasons and supporting documents. After release, and certainly after departure, amendment is slower and can affect the VAT refund. Air freight has no next sailing to fall back on, so we check contract, invoice, packing list and manifest before filing — amending costs far more than reviewing.
When do I get the documents for the VAT export refund?
After the cargo has actually departed and the manifest closes, the refund copy of the entry can be returned, generally one to three working days after departure. Amendments, inspections or a late manifest closure push that out, and we tell your finance team the revised date rather than waiting to be asked.
Do you only file customs, or can you arrange the flight and pickup too?
Filing and clearance are the core of what we do, and we also arrange pickup in Xiamen, Quanzhou and Zhangzhou, warehousing, trucking and air booking out of Xiamen, so pickup, filing, terminal and uplift sit in one plan. If you already have a nominated forwarder or carrier, we can take the customs and documents scope alone.
