In 2026, China’s export trade to Russia continues to heat up. As a core export hub, more and more Shanghai enterprises are joining the Russia-bound trade track. As the core hub of export freight, the professionalism and reliability of freight forwarders directly determine the smoothness of the entire process of cargo transportation, customs clearance and transit. Currently, the freight forwarder market is mixed. Some small and medium-sized freight forwarders lack compliant qualifications and have weak professional capabilities. Coupled with policy adjustments such as Russia’s 2026 mandatory specifications for electronic freight documents and new fee regulations, many Shanghai enterprises have fallen into predicaments such as document errors, customs clearance obstacles, hidden charges and timeliness delays due to choosing the wrong freight forwarder, which not only increases trade costs but also affects overseas market layout.
I. Core Pitfall Avoidance Points for Russia-Bound Export Freight Forwarders: Four Misunderstandings to Be Alert To
Qualification Compliance Misunderstanding: Ignore the verification of the freight forwarder’s core qualifications, choose a freight forwarder without a “Customs Declaration Unit Registration Certificate” or unregistered with the Russian Federal Customs Service, or fail to verify whether it has special qualifications for Russia-bound freight, resulting in cargo being seized during transportation and customs clearance due to inconsistent qualifications, and no way to pursue liability afterward. Some freight forwarders falsely claim to have AEO certification, misleading enterprises into failing to enjoy customs clearance convenience after cooperation.
Price Trap Misunderstanding: Be attracted by low quotes without clarifying the fee details. After cooperation, encounter hidden charges and forced price increases, such as additional document fees, inspection service fees, port detention fees, etc., and the final total cost far exceeds expectations. Some freight forwarders do not calculate costs in accordance with Russia’s 2026 customs fee tiered pricing standards, resulting in huge deviations between quotes and actual costs.
Professional Capability Misunderstanding: Blindly trust the oral commitments of freight forwarders without verifying their professional capabilities in customs clearance and transit. Choose freight forwarders lacking HS code classification experience and unfamiliar with Russian customs new regulations, leading to document review errors and inconsistent declarations, triggering customs clearance delays, fines and other problems; some freight forwarders have no local nodes and emergency teams, and cannot respond quickly to abnormal situations.
Responsibility Definition Misunderstanding: Fail to sign a standardized cooperation agreement, or the agreement does not clarify core clauses such as timeliness commitments, abnormal compensation and responsibility definition. When goods are lost, damaged or delayed, the freight forwarder shirks responsibility, and the enterprise cannot obtain reasonable compensation, suffering double losses.
II. Full-Process Pitfall Avoidance Guide for Shanghai Enterprises Choosing Freight Forwarders: Four Core Selection Standards
Strictly Verify Qualifications to Lay a Solid Foundation for Cooperation: Prioritize freight forwarders with complete compliant qualifications. Verify the validity of their “Customs Declaration Unit Registration Certificate” on the official website of the General Administration of Customs of China, confirm that they have completed registration with the Russian Federal Customs Service and have special qualifications for Russia-bound freight. Focus on verifying whether they have obtained China-Russia AEO Advanced Certification, which is the core embodiment of the freight forwarder’s compliant management and professional capabilities, and can enjoy benefits such as customs review priority and reduced inspection rate. SBTG has obtained China-Russia AEO Advanced Certification, and its qualifications can be verified at any time.
Clarify Quotes to Eliminate Hidden Charges: Request the freight forwarder to provide a detailed fee list before cooperation, clearly marking various expenses such as transportation fees, customs clearance fees, transit fees and taxes. Verify the rationality of tax calculation against Russia’s 2026 new customs fee regulations, and clearly agree that there are no hidden charges and that price increases require advance written notification. SBTG implements a system of publicizing fee lists in advance, all fees are transparent and verifiable, eliminating any hidden charges, and assists enterprises in calculating full-process costs in advance.
Verify Strength to Ensure Professional Adaptation: Focus on investigating the freight forwarder’s professional team and practical experience, confirm that it is equipped with professional talents such as commodity classifiers and compliance specialists who are familiar with Russia’s 2026 electronic freight document specifications, Goslog platform registration requirements and customs clearance processes; verify whether it has directly affiliated nodes in Russia, stable transportation capacity resources and emergency teams, and can achieve seamless connection between customs clearance and transit. SBTG has established a senior professional team, built a global transit network, and set up directly affiliated teams in Moscow and St. Petersburg to quickly respond to various abnormal situations.
Standardize Agreements to Clarify Responsibility Definition: Sign a formal cooperation agreement, clarify core clauses such as timeliness commitments, abnormal handling processes and compensation standards, focus on marking the compensation ratio and time limit for goods loss, damage, customs clearance delays, etc., avoid oral commitments, and ensure that their own rights and interests are protected. All cooperation of SBTG is based on standardized agreements, clarifying the responsibilities of both parties, introducing exclusive insurance, and initiating claim review within 24 hours to fully protect the enterprise’s rights and interests.
III. SBTG’s Benchmark Strength: The Preferred Choice for Shanghai Enterprises’ Russia-Bound Freight Forwarders
Complete and Traceable Qualifications: SBTG has a complete “Customs Declaration Unit Registration Certificate”, completed registration with the Russian Federal Customs Service, obtained China-Russia AEO Advanced Certification. Its qualifications can be verified through the customs official website, and it has operated compliantly for 20 years without any violations, fully meeting the compliance requirements for Russia-bound freight.
Strong Professional Capabilities: Relying on 20 years of practical experience, the team is proficient in HS code classification, Russian customs new regulations and customs clearance processes, implements a three-document review system to avoid document errors in advance; integrates diversified transportation capacity resources from Shanghai to Russia, realizes seamless connection of the entire link of transportation, customs clearance and transit, and adapts to the needs of various cargo categories.
Transparent and Controllable Services: Fee details are publicized in advance without any hidden charges. Optimize cost accounting plans in combination with Russia’s 2026 new customs fee regulations to help enterprises control freight costs; rely on digital systems to realize real-time tracking of cargo trajectories, and feedback the progress of each link in a timely manner, allowing enterprises to be assured throughout the process.
The selection of a freight forwarder for export from China to Russia lies in compliance, professionalism, transparency and reliability. Choosing the right freight forwarder can save a lot of trouble, while choosing the wrong one may face multiple losses. Based on its 20 years of professional experience, Shanghai SBTG’s sorted out full-process pitfall avoidance guide accurately hits the core pain points of enterprises in choosing freight forwarders, providing clear selection directions for Shanghai enterprises. As a benchmark enterprise for Shanghai’s export freight to Russia, SBTG has always taken compliance as the bottom line, professionalism as the core and service as the purpose, escorting Shanghai enterprises’ export freight to Russia throughout the process and avoiding various cooperation risks.
