Exporter Verification Checklist: Seven Steps Before You Pay

The single most common failure: the "exporter" is a middleman with no legal entity, or worse, none at all. Money must go to a company that actually exists and is licensed to trade.

• Look the company up on the national enterprise credit registry (国家企业信用信息公示系统, gsxt.gov.cn) — exact registered name, legal representative, registration date and business scope.
• The business scope must cover used-car export (二手车出口), not just "trading".
• Get the contract signed by the same legal entity as the licence and the bank account — company name on all three must match character for character.
• Check how long they have operated and whether a physical office/address exists. Push for a video call at the office, not just chat apps.

RED FLAG — payments requested to a personal bank account, WeChat, or a company whose name differs from the contract.

Step 1 completed — verify the company verified for this deal.

Used-car export from China runs through a licensed channel: only approved exporters may obtain export licences for used vehicles, and near-new vehicles carry an extra after-sales requirement.

• Ask for the company’s used-car export licence evidence and check it against MOFCOM’s licence regime (export licences for used cars are issued through the licensing platform; the 2024 announcements put licence issuance at 3 working days once paperwork is complete).
• If the vehicle was registered less than 180 days, a manufacturer after-sales service confirmation is required — without it there is no export licence.
• Ask which third-party testing body issued the product test report required for the export channel.

RED FLAG — "licence not needed" or refusal to name the licensed exporting entity.

Step 2 completed — verify export eligibility verified for this deal.

Condition, mileage and history are the second concentration point of risk. Independent condition data is scarce and cross-border recourse is weak — what you verify before payment is what you own.

• Require a written condition report per unit: mileage with evidence (maintenance records, OBD reading), accident and repair history, flood/fire damage disclosure.
• For EVs and hybrids, demand a battery health report (SOH, cycle count where available) — see our guide on checking a used EV battery before buying.
• Ask for dated photos and video of the actual VIN plate, odometer, interior and underbody — not marketing shots of the same model.

RED FLAG — "guaranteed condition" without a written per-unit report, or pressure to skip inspection.

Step 3 completed — verify the vehicle verified for this deal.

The car must be legally exportable: ownership transferred to the exporter, deregistered for export, and documented consistently. Any mismatch between VIN and paperwork can stop the car at the port — or at your customs.

• Cross-check the VIN on the vehicle, the commercial invoice, the contract and the bill of lading — all must match.
• Demand copies of: ownership/deregistration papers, commercial invoice, and China customs export declaration.
• Where your destination requires it, confirm the certificate of origin and the pre-shipment inspection certificate are being prepared before departure — several destinations reject late applications.

RED FLAG — VIN plates that look re-riveted, or "documents will follow later".

Step 4 completed — verify vin and documents verified for this deal.

The cheapest insurance in this trade: an independent third party looks at the car at the port before loading, when you still have leverage.

• Commission an independent inspection at the export port before loading — an accredited firm, not one introduced and paid by the seller alone.
• If your destination runs a pre-shipment conformity regime (e.g. PVoC for Kenya, SONCAP for Nigeria), the appointed agent must certify before departure — build this into the timeline.
• Put inspection costs and consequences in the contract: who pays, and what happens if the car fails.

RED FLAG — seller insists on "their own inspection report" as sufficient.

Step 5 completed — independent inspection verified for this deal.

Never send 100% before anything verifiable exists. Stage the money so that every payment unlocks a document or a fact you can check.

• Typical structure: a deposit to start the process; the balance against a copy of the bill of lading (B/L) — not against "the car is on the truck".
• Pay only to the verified company account from step 1; get a formal invoice for every transfer.
• Ask whether an escrow service is available and what it actually covers; understand that cross-border recourse after a completed transfer is weak.
• Keep the payment schedule in the contract with document conditions per tranche.

RED FLAG — discounts for full prepayment, urgency pressure, or account "temporarily" changed by email.

Step 6 completed — safe payment structure verified for this deal.

A perfectly verified deal can still fail at destination: age limits, fuel rules, steering side and spec regimes block registration in some markets. Check before the money moves — and before the vessel sails.

• Check your country’s age limit, steering requirement and spec/certification regime in our country guides — or run the Eligibility Checker tool.
• Estimate the full landed cost (duty, VAT, levies) with the Landed Cost Calculator so the deal still makes sense after taxes.
• Confirm anything marked "Verification required" directly with the destination customs authority or a licensed broker — in writing, before booking freight.

RED FLAG — shipping first and "sorting the rules out at arrival" — that is how cars end up unregistrable.

Step 7 completed — confirm destination eligibility before shipping verified for this deal.