Importing from China into the EU

Importing into the EU: on our EORI or on yours

The question that decides everything else is not which port or which carrier. It is who is the importer of record — because that party declares the goods, pays the duty, carries the compliance obligations and answers if something is wrong. We can be that party, or we can support you being it.

EU entity: SIA DEXTROEORI LV44103144015VAT LV44103144015Verifiable in VIES

Who is the importer of record

To bring goods into the European Union, someone established in the EU has to declare them. That party needs an EORI number, becomes liable for the customs debt, and inherits the obligations that come with placing products on the EU market — conformity documentation, labelling, and answering the market surveillance authority if a product is questioned.

A supplier registered in China or Hong Kong cannot be that party. This is why so many sourcing arrangements quietly push the entire European legal burden onto the buyer, whether or not the buyer realised they were accepting it.

Declares the goods and is liable for the customs debt

Pays duty and import VAT, and reclaims the VAT if entitled

Holds the conformity file and must produce it on request

Is named on the product or packaging in many categories

Answers the authorities if the product is challenged

The practical pointOur Latvian company holds a valid EU VAT number and EORI, which means we can genuinely take this role rather than help you carry it. Whether we should depends on your situation — both structures below are legitimate and we use both.

Pick before production starts, not at the port

Changing this later means re-issuing documents and, sometimes, re-declaring goods. It is a five-minute conversation at the start and an expensive one at the end.

Structure A

We import, you buy inside the EU

Goods enter on SIA DEXTRO

We buy from the factory, ship, declare the goods on our own EORI, pay duty and import VAT, and sell to you as a normal intra-EU or domestic supply. You receive an EU invoice from an EU company.

No customs procedures needed on your side
No non-EU counterparty on your purchase ledger
We are GPSR responsible person by default
Customs valuation and classification risk sits with us

Best when you are new to importing, or when the compliance burden is the thing you are actually trying to outsource.

Structure B

You import, we run China

You clear on your own EORI

You remain importer of record and keep the customs relationship. We handle sourcing, production oversight, inspection, consolidation, export documentation and freight up to the port of entry you nominate.

You control classification and customs valuation
You reclaim import VAT directly in your own return
We can still act as EU responsible person separately
Usually the lower landed cost if you have the capability

Best when you already import, know your commodity codes and have a broker you trust.

Mixed

Different by product line

Because one size rarely fits

Nothing forces a single answer across your whole range. Regulated or unfamiliar categories can come in on our entity while your established lines stay on yours.

New categories piloted under structure A
Proven lines moved to structure B over time
One supplier relationship either way

Best when you are expanding a range and the risk profile varies across it.

Documents, and why each one matters

The paperwork is not bureaucracy for its own sake — each document answers a question somebody will eventually ask you.

Commercial invoice — the basis for customs valuation and for your accounts

Packing list — what is physically in each carton and on each pallet

Bill of lading or air waybill — title and proof of carriage

Customs entry reference — proof the goods are in free circulation

Declaration of conformity and technical file — for CE-marked categories

Certificate of origin — where a preference or a rule of origin applies

A warning worth repeatingThe most expensive mistake in EU import is not duty — it is discovering after arrival that a product category needed documentation nobody obtained. That check belongs at the quotation stage, before a factory is paid, which is exactly where we put it.

Common questions

Which structure is cheaper?

Neither, once you compare like with like. If we import, our price includes duty, import VAT financing, clearance and the risk we carry — you buy inside the EU and reclaim VAT the ordinary way. If you import, you pay those costs directly and our fee is smaller. The real difference is not price but who carries the customs and compliance risk.

Can we start with you as importer and switch later?

Yes, and many do. Starting with us as importer of record is the low-friction way to run a first project without opening customs procedures on your side. Once the flow is proven and your own EORI is in place, switching is a paperwork change, not a new relationship.

What documents do we receive?

Under structure A you get an EU commercial invoice from SIA DEXTRO, a delivery note and the customs entry reference, plus product documentation. Under structure B you get the export documents you need to clear the goods yourself: commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading or air waybill, certificate of origin where relevant, and the conformity documentation from the manufacturer.

Who decides the customs classification?

The importer of record is legally responsible for the declared code, so it follows whoever holds that role. In practice we agree the classification together before shipment — the code drives the duty rate, and finding out at the port that everyone assumed something different is the expensive way to learn it.

Do you handle duty and import VAT deferral?

Where the goods enter on our entity, duty and import VAT are settled by us as part of the transaction. Where you are the importer, the deferral schemes available depend on your member state and your own authorisations — we will tell you what applies but we do not pretend to replace your customs broker or your tax adviser.

Which structure fits your case?

Describe the product and the volume. We come back with a workable structure, a quote including landed cost, and an honest lead time — or with the reasons we would not take it on.

+852 6214 4877 — fastest way to reach us

@silentium_trade

info@silentium-trade.com

Phone

+86 136 0045 3256 — China office

Working hours

Mon–Fri, 09:00–18:00 China time (UTC+8) — mornings in Europe, afternoons in the Gulf

Working languages

English · Chinese

EU entity

SIA DEXTRO · VAT LV44103144015 · EORI LV44103144015 — verifiable in the Latvian register and VIES

China entity

Hainan Silent International Trade Co., Ltd · USCC 91460204MADNWQ6808

Importing into the EU: on our EORI or on yours

Who is the importer of record

Pick before production starts, not at the port

We import, you buy inside the EU

You import, we run China

Different by product line

Documents, and why each one matters

Next steps

Common questions

Which structure fits your case?