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Africa

Shipping from China to Alexandria

China → Alexandria · via CAI air / Alexandria sea · clearance by Egyptian Customs Authority

Freight forwarding from China to Alexandria, Egypt — container and air cargo handling
Cargo handling on the China–Alexandria lane.

Freight from China into Alexandria clears through CAI air / Alexandria sea. Alexandria is the main port city and industrial center, and the inland leg is same-day, so the clearance date is effectively the delivery date.

On the destination side, Egyptian Customs Authority handles clearance; budget 7–15 days of dwell before the cargo is released.

Routing and transit on this lane

Egypt's Advance Cargo Information system is the decisive requirement on this lane: the importer must obtain an ACID number through Nafeza and the exporter must reference it on the shipping documents before the goods leave China. Cargo arriving without a valid ACID is refused entry. On top of that, GOEIC factory registration is required for many consumer categories and takes months to obtain.

Air gateways usedCAI (Cairo), HRG (Hurghada), ALY (Alexandria)
Air transit, China to gateway4–7 business days
Sea gateways usedAlexandria, Damietta, Port Said
Sea transit, China to gateway20–28 calendar days
Gateway serving AlexandriaCAI air / Alexandria sea
Inland leg to AlexandriaSame day from the gateway
Typical clearance / dwell7–15 days
Peak season to plan aroundSep–Nov

Import duty and tax position for Alexandria

Imports into Egypt are cleared by Egyptian Customs Authority. The headline position is: VAT 14%; duty 0–60% depending on commodity, plus development fees on some categories. The de-minimis threshold is No practical de-minimis for commercial cargo.

Conformity is the part most first-time importers underestimate: ACID number issued through the Nafeza single window before shipment — mandatory; GOEIC registration of the foreign factory for many consumer goods. Getting this wrong is expensive because it usually cannot be fixed after the cargo has landed.

Restrictions and known friction points for Egypt: ACID/Nafeza registration must be completed pre-shipment — this is the single most common cause of rejected cargo. GOEIC registration of the exporting factory is required for a long list of consumer goods. Letters of credit are required for many commercial imports.

Air cargo build-up used on the China to Alexandria (Egypt) freight lane
Handling on the CAI air / Alexandria sea routing serving Alexandria.

Air, sea or overland into Alexandria?

ModeTransit to gatewayBest suited to
✈️ Air Freight4–7 business daystime-critical, high-value and low-volume cargo
🚢 Sea Freight20–28 calendar daysvolume cargo where cost per kilo matters more than speed

Transit shown is China departure to the Egypt gateway and excludes the same-day inland leg to Alexandria and 7–15 days of clearance.

Before you book: Alexandria checklist

  • Check the de-minimis position (No practical de-minimis for commercial cargo) against your invoice value before you decide how to split the shipment.
  • Use ISPM-15 treated pallets. Untreated wood is the most common reason otherwise-clean cargo gets held.
  • Budget for the inland leg: same-day delivery beyond gateway clearance to reach Alexandria.
  • Declare lithium batteries, magnets, liquids and powders up front — retro-declaring after booking usually means re-planning the whole shipment.
  • Compare gross weight against volumetric weight (L×W×H ÷ 6000) — the higher figure is what gets billed on air and express.
  • Photograph carton markings and seal numbers before departure — it makes any claim far easier to settle.

Mode guides for Alexandria

Frequently asked questions

How long does shipping from China to Alexandria take?

China to the Egypt gateway is 4–7 business days by air, 20–28 calendar days by sea. On top of that, allow 7–15 days of clearance with Egyptian Customs Authority and a same-day inland leg to Alexandria.

What duty and tax will I pay importing into Alexandria?

Egyptian Customs Authority applies: VAT 14%; duty 0–60% depending on commodity, plus development fees on some categories. The de-minimis position is No practical de-minimis for commercial cargo. Under a DDP arrangement these are pre-paid, so nothing is collected on arrival in Alexandria.

What documents does Egyptian Customs Authority require?

A commercial invoice with HS codes, a packing list, the bill of lading or air waybill, a certificate of origin where it lowers duty, and any product certification (ACID number issued through the Nafeza single window before shipment — mandatory; GOEIC registration of the foreign factory for many consumer goods). We prepare and file these as part of the service.

Is sea freight cheaper than air freight into Alexandria?

Per kilo, yes — usually by a wide margin. The trade-off is time: 20–28 calendar days by sea versus 4–7 business days by air to the Egypt gateway, before clearance and the same-day inland leg. The crossover point is normally somewhere between 100 and 300 kg depending on the density of your cargo.

How is the chargeable weight calculated for Alexandria?

We compare actual gross weight against volumetric weight — length × width × height in centimeters divided by 6000 for air — and bill the greater of the two, rounded up to the next kilogram. Light, bulky cargo is almost always billed on volume.

Which port or airport does cargo for Alexandria clear through?

Cargo for Alexandria is routed via CAI air / Alexandria sea. Sea gateways for Egypt are Alexandria, Damietta, Port Said; air gateways are CAI (Cairo), HRG (Hurghada), ALY (Alexandria). We pick whichever gives the shortest total door time for your address.

Other delivery cities in Egypt

All Egypt freight information →

References & official sources

Duty rates, thresholds and conformity requirements for Egypt change by ministerial decision, sometimes mid-year. The figures on this page are buyer-planning references, not a customs ruling — confirm the current position for your own HS code with Egyptian Customs Authority or your broker before you ship.

Page data last reviewed: 10 月 2026.

Shipping by industry

This page covers the route and clearance picture for the destination. Packing, classification and the compliance step that actually holds a shipment depend on what you are sending — these guides cover that by commodity.

All 60 industry guides →

Checking the Egypt duty position yourself

Duty and tax figures on this page are planning estimates. The binding assessment is made by Egyptian Customs Authority against your declared HS code at the time of entry; where the amount is material, verify the current rate through ITC Market Access Map before committing to an order.

If you want to sanity-check a duty figure yourself, start from the heading rather than the product name — the WCO Harmonized System is the underlying nomenclature, and the WTO Tariff & Trade Data portal holds the applied rates by country pair.

For ocean cargo, restricted commodities move under the IMO's IMDG Code, and the container has to be declared and stowed accordingly. Batteries, flammables and corrosives all have a compliant ocean path; what causes rolled bookings is finding out about them after the container is packed.

On the origin side, export declaration and any commodity inspection requirement fall under China Customs (GACC); we handle that filing as part of the service, but the requirement is theirs, not ours.

If this is your first shipment into Egypt, the Egypt Country Commercial Guide covers the practical import environment in more depth than a rate page reasonably can, and it is written by a party with no stake in your booking.

Watch: the process behind this route

This guide covers routing and clearance for Alexandria. The video below covers the wider shipping process that sits around it.

How to Calculate CBM in Shipping | Volume vs Weight Explained | CBM Formula & Freight Cost Guide — 10 Min For Supply Chain. Published on YouTube by a third party; we link it because it explains the process well, not because we produced it or endorse the provider.

Get a rate for Alexandria

This lane is quoted per shipment rather than from a rate card: the landed cost depends on the commodity, its density, the conformity requirements above and the delivery point. Send the cargo details and we price it properly.

Answer these and you get a real price, not a range. These are the exact figures a carrier needs before it will quote. Fill them in once and we can price your cargo the same day — leave them out and we have to come back and ask, which is what turns an hour into a week.

kg
ctn
Carton sizeoptional
× × cm
m³
ctr
Built-in battery?* Lithium cells are dangerous goods.
Someone else's brand?* Logos you are not authorised to ship.
Magnetic product?* Speakers, motors, magnets.
Why these three decide everything

They determine whether your cargo can fly, and on which service. A declared battery changes the price; an undeclared one grounds the shipment at the airport and you pay storage while it sits. Unauthorised brands are seized at customs and the freight is lost with them. Magnetic goods need a field test — routine, but it has to be booked ahead. Telling us now costs a click; telling us later costs the shipment.

Sea or air?*
Tick both and we quote both.
When should it move?optional
Photographs of the goodsoptional
    Your details are used to prepare this quotation and nothing else.

    See the Egypt route page →

    Customs clearance in Egypt

    Duty and tax position, certification, typical port dwell and what actually holds shipments at this border — plus who files the entry.

    Egypt clearance requirements →

    Priced routes to Egypt