Analysis of Primary and Secondary Customs Declaration

The Difference Between Primary Customs Clearance and Secondary Customs Clearance

I. Primary Customs Clearance

Primary customs clearance generally refers to the department or process responsible for directly declaring and inspecting import and export goods at the border of our country. In the customs supervision process, the primary department's main task is to supervise and manage the entry and exit activities of goods, transport vehicles, and personnel, collect tariffs and other taxes, compile customs statistics, and enforce trade controls. In practice, the work of customs management is achieved through various levels of institutions. Specifically, this includes departments that handle on-site declaration and inspection of goods, departments responsible for the supervision of imported and exported goods, and departments that implement import and export approval procedures.

The primary department is the main battlefield for international trade control, with most import and export supervision taking place in the primary customs clearance process. The core of their work is the clearance business, which typically involves the consignors or consignees or their agents handling import and export procedures under customs supervision.

II. Secondary Customs Clearance

Secondary customs clearance, as opposed to primary customs clearance, refers to internal customs supervision. It means implementing regulation on special links of import and export goods based on the primary customs clearance supervision.

Goods prohibited or restricted from entering or leaving the country under customs supervision at the primary level are subject to scrutiny at the secondary level, which focuses on the circulation of goods and items between domestic areas and foreign countries.

III. Differences Between Primary and Secondary Customs Clearance

1. Regulatory Intensity The primary level has stronger regulatory power, strictly prohibiting sensitive or banned goods from passing through. The secondary level is relatively more relaxed but still imposes certain restrictions on the flow of goods. Secondary checkpoints are usually designated for specific countries and serve as inspection points for goods exempted from quarantine agreements. Customs will conduct inspections according to regulations and deal with problematic goods by returning them or destroying them.

2. Product Categories The primary customs clearance targets sensitive or banned goods; whereas the secondary level focuses on regulating goods related to our own country’s imports and exports.

3. Operational Methods The primary level mainly relies on electronic data declarations supplemented by relevant documents; while the secondary level primarily uses paper customs declarations.

There are clear differences between primary and secondary customs clearance in terms of regulatory intensity, product categories, and operational methods. In actual operations, enterprises should choose an appropriate customs clearance method based on the situation to minimize costs and maximize efficiency. At the same time, customs authorities also need to strengthen the management and supervision of secondary customs clearance to ensure compliance and security in import and export trade.