customs clearance agents are inseparable from cargo handling and more specifically would be from freight forwarding, the process that keeps stores and business running smoothly. They act as a safeguarding element and chemical grease that support the whole system. 

However, for some of us, their missions and role seems quite vague and if you are like me, living in Malaysia and interested in the cargo handling industry then this is an article about what a custom clearance agent in Malaysia is for you. 

What does a custom clearance agent do?

A custom clearance agent in Malaysia or anywhere requires quite an amount of practical skill sets from bureaucracy to successfully take it out. Without the right amount of knowledge and experience, the freight forwarding process will face possibilities of sanctions that could bring down the deal or even the whole firm. They are perfect expert in international trading with cleaning of legal duties and paperworks on behalf of the exporting and importing procedures. 

Beside that, the custom clearance Malaysia also take responsibility for security guarantee and ensures the smooth operation of foreign trade by having all of the essential task done and maintained. 

What can they help with? 

Documentation: 

Having shipments in and out countries requires an abundant amount of papers and the necessary knowledge to deal with them. In order for a custom clearance agent in Malaysia to perform his specialty, both the importers and exporters must give him access with certain essential detail papers. This includes information about the product’s origin, deliver destination, the suppliers and cargo’s details,… A custom clearance agent in Malaysia will then compile these articles and prepare for any situation when they are asked for. 

Evaluation: custom clearance agent in Malaysia will evaluate the cargo’s conditions as well as predicting and evaluating the possibilities of having the goods imported or exported under strict regulations. 

Registration: they are also in hand with the registration practice, making sure that all of the assigned/booked details are filled in correctly and forwarded to the relevant governing outlets. They could also generate an electric entry for the cargos if needed.  

Follow-Up: they keep in touch with the stakeholders and be on top of everything to manage and speed things up.

But wait, does not the aforementioned make custom clearance agent in Malaysia nothing different from freight forwarder? 

Not really 

How is a custom clearance agent different from a freight agent? 

Depositing the similarities in tasking and dealing with papers just like a freight forwarder does,  managing and planning for everything. The custom clearance agent in Malaysia is not responsible for calculating the freight rates and monitoring the cargo. They are more like a local outlet rather than an international range freight forwarding person. If your shipments want to leave the origin country, they need an custom clearance agent in the origin country to deal with the customs clearance. The agent job stop when the shipments left the origin country. Then when the shipments reached the final destination country, the freight forwarding company would have to hire a new custom clearance agent in that country to help deal with the customs clearance again. That is how it works.