HS Footwear Co. Weighs in on How to Import Shoes and Boots from Vietnam

The Vietnamese footwear market has been exploding with growth in recent years. Due mainly to significantly lower labor rates, Vietnam has taken a sizable percentage of business from its competitors.

In 2018, Vietnam exported over 16 billion dollars’ worth of footwear around the globe and ranked second for overall footwear exports, just behind China. Vietnam is quickly becoming a very attractive country to do business with, as long as you understand what’s involved.

HS Footwear Co. has been working in the international footwear manufacturing industry for over 20 years and with a factory in Vietnam, they know exactly what it takes to work effectively with Vietnamese authorities. What follows is a short summary of everything necessary to know about exporting footwear from Vietnam:

Establish a Trading Company:

Establishing a local trading company makes every other step in your process simpler. Sourcing, purchasing, quality control, and exporting are all significantly easier when you have local agents operating within the country. Trading companies are relatively inexpensive to set up, and they pay for themselves in terms of cost savings across the entire export process.

Foreign investors are required to register with the Department of Planning and Investment. You’ll also need to secure an Investment Certificate, a process which involves demonstrating the intent and the methods of your investment project. These certificates represent the legal grounding for your exporting concerns, so they can’t be ignored.

Make Sure Duties Are Paid and Your Paperwork Is in Order:

Most products, footwear included, are subject to export duties when they cross the Vietnamese border. Make certain you’re aware of the duties involved and arrange to have them paid accordingly. Vietnamese customs agents will also verify that all necessary duties are paid, as well as check the voluminous amounts of paperwork required to export products out of the country. It’s fairly common for foreign exporters to hire local customs experts to handle this part of the process.

Prepare US Customs Paperwork Ahead:

All of the paperwork required to import products into the U.S. must be presented to customs officials at the port of entry. You’ll also need to be prepared to satisfy any required import tariffs. The Harmonized Tariff Schedule is available online and should be consulted to be certain the proper tariff rate is applied to the type of footwear you’re looking to import into the country.

Exporting footwear from Vietnam is a fairly simple process as long as you make certain all necessary legal requirements are covered, that you’ve secured local transport for your products to and from your ports of exit and entry, and that all necessary paperwork and fees are filed properly. If you have any questions, feel free to contact HS Footwear Co. for more information.

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