What is Customs Brokerage?

Customs Brokerage is a profession which specializes in customs and tariffs laws, rules and regulations for clearing the exported or imported merchandise or goods from the customs authority. Customs brokers also see the preparation of export-import documents like payment and computation of duties, taxes etc., and they streamline the shipping or transporting of goods.

Customs Brokerage Firms

Customs Brokerage firms help in the shipment or transportation of goods or merchandise across the geographical borders for both organizations and individuals.

Without in-depth knowledge of the trade system, understanding the number of goods or raw materials crossing international borders each day is astounding; and therefore, one can imagine the sheer amount of tasks that need to be done for clearing this merchandise through customs in many different countries as the rules and regulations of countries differ when a product reaches their respective border.

Customs Brokerage smoothens and expedites the trade process for their clients. They are very important for the export and import of goods for every country around the world. Each country is operating under many different types of laws regarding the transport of goods going inside or coming outside of the country. And these customs rules and regulations are dynamic and are ever-changing; at times even daily. Customs brokerage firms are up to date with all the rules and they are expected to ensure that these rules are followed so that the shipment or transfer is smooth and streamlined. They take much of the hassle off their clients’ shoulders so that they can get use their time to deal with the other aspects of running their organization. A Customs Brokerage takes the responsibility of the difficult tasks that involve communicating with the government and the agencies throughout the transfer process to ensure all the legal paperwork and procedures are complete.

Why do you need Customs Brokers?

• Getting the shipment cleared through customs at the border
• Lengthy data has to be produced, like the origin country, destination, tariff classification, routings, supplier data, the intended use of the commodity shipped. This data is prepared by Customs Brokers
• They help importers leverage the specific information
• This information can be transformed into critical Business Intelligence data

How to choose a Customs Broker?

• Industry Relationships: Relationships are important as they help you to move ahead with the approval process and also help with the pricing deals
• Analysis and Research: Recommendations are very important in this business as the broker should be deeply aware of all the aspects of the market
• Being Proactive: How proactive a broke is, is important.
• Trust: Having total faith and trust in your Broker is essential.
• Future Trends: The Broker should know about the future trends to not lag behind in this dynamic industry