Examination Service Fee

Examination Service Fee refers to the supporting service fee charged to the cargo owner by the customs broker, freight forwarder, or operator of the supervised premises in import and export trade, due to inspection operations such as container opening, sampling, and technical testing conducted by regulatory authorities including customs and inspection and quarantine agencies. Usage scenarios include: customs targeted inspection, commodity inspection sampling, animal and plant quarantine, dangerous goods inspection, etc. This fee is usually independent of tariffs and VAT, and is an operational service fee rather than an administrative fee. Notes: 1) The party bearing the fee should be clearly stipulated in the contract (commonly borne by the seller or buyer); 2) Fee standards vary greatly across ports and inspection types, so quotations should be obtained from service providers in advance; 3) If inspection is caused by inaccurate declaration by the cargo owner, the fee may be fully borne by the cargo owner; 4) It differs from 'customs inspection fee,' which sometimes refers to fees charged by customs, while 'examination service fee' focuses more on the service costs of the agent or terminal. It differs from 'devannning fee,' 'shifting fee,' etc., in that the examination service fee covers comprehensive services such as coordination, accompaniment, and document processing, while devanning fees are costs for specific operational steps. Foreign trade practitioners should include it in cost budgeting and keep vouchers for verification in case of disputes.