Getting Your Goods Through Customs the Easy Way

If you're moving goods into Australia, you may be staring at a minefield of legal requirements. Unless you are a freight forwarding professional yourself, attempting to navigate the maze of forms and complex requirements inherent in international logistics can be time consuming and frustrating and can even end in financial disaster. If you'd prefer to do away with the legal pitfalls, a customs clearance service is essential in ensuring the goods you ship arrive quickly and efficiently.

What is a customs clearance service?

A customs clearance service is an agency that aims to streamline the legalities of international shipping. Customs clearance agents, or customs brokers, are accustomed to dealing with the extensive paperwork surrounding customs duties, port fees and taxes, and they are fully prepared to resolve any emerging customs problems.

Because no two importing and exporting cases are the same, a customs clearance service will work hard to tailor their services to your unique needs. Typically, they will be responsible for:

1. Ensuring all paperwork is completed impeccably, and all required documents are present. This includes all government forms, invoices, bills of lading, insurance documents, certificates of origin from your supplier and packing lists.

2. Correctly classifying your goods so that their passage through customs is not delayed.

3. Ensuring your goods do not fall into the category of prohibited or restricted goods, which can result in costly legal problems.

4. Making sure you meet all mandatory compliance standards. This can include paying applicable customs duties and taxes on your behalf, complying with the customs rules of both countries, ensuring you have all necessary permits and obtaining quarantine permissions.

5. Protecting the proprietary information of your company.

6. Obtaining the legal permissions you need to have your cargo released from the bonded warehouse in which it is assessed.

7. Dispatching your goods to their final destination, once they have cleared customs.

What may take you weeks or even months to navigate is all in a day's work for a customs clearance service. With extensive networks within the industry and a thorough understanding of every legal requirement you face, your customs clearance agent is equipped to tackle any challenge that arises, head on.

Whether you are just starting out in the importing business or you have a long-standing company that regularly imports goods on a large scale, an investment in customs clearance services is a sound choice. When you engage a reputable customs clearance service, you'll experience fuss-free importing, allowing you to get on with the important things, like selling your product.