Shipping from China to Cairo
China โ Cairo ยท via CAI air / Alexandria sea ยท clearance by Egyptian Customs Authority
Cairo is capital and the largest market in the Arab world, and it is served through CAI air / Alexandria sea. That combination is what actually sets your delivery date on this lane โ allow +1 day for the inland leg on top of clearance.
On the destination side, Egyptian Customs Authority handles clearance; budget 7โ15 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 used | CAI (Cairo), HRG (Hurghada), ALY (Alexandria) |
|---|---|
| Air transit, China to gateway | 4โ7 business days |
| Sea gateways used | Alexandria, Damietta, Port Said |
| Sea transit, China to gateway | 20โ28 calendar days |
| Gateway serving Cairo | CAI air / Alexandria sea |
| Inland leg to Cairo | +1 day from the gateway |
| Typical clearance / dwell | 7โ15 days |
| Peak season to plan around | SepโNov |
Import duty and tax position for Cairo
Egyptian Customs Authority assesses duty and tax on cargo arriving for Cairo consignees. Current regime: VAT 14%; duty 0โ60% depending on commodity, plus development fees on some categories, with a de-minimis position of 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 โ 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 โ 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, sea or overland into Cairo?
| Mode | Transit to gateway | Best suited to |
|---|---|---|
| โ๏ธ Air Freight | 4โ7 business days | time-critical, high-value and low-volume cargo |
| ๐ข Sea Freight | 20โ28 calendar days | volume cargo where cost per kilo matters more than speed |
Transit shown is China departure to the Egypt gateway and excludes the +1 day inland leg to Cairo and 7โ15 days of clearance.
Before you book: Cairo 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.
- Compare gross weight against volumetric weight (LรWรH รท 6000) โ the higher figure is what gets billed on air and express.
- Plan around the China-side windows too: Chinese New Year and Golden Week both compress capacity on the Egypt lane.
- Put the Cairo delivery address, contact name and phone number on the invoice, not just the packing list.
- Get the conformity paperwork moving early: ACID number issued through the Nafeza single window before shipment โ mandatory; GOEIC registration of the foreign factory for many consumer goods.
- Declare lithium batteries, magnets, liquids and powders up front โ retro-declaring after booking usually means re-planning the whole shipment.
Mode guides for Cairo
Frequently asked questions
How long does shipping from China to Cairo take?
China to the Egypt gateway is 4โ7 business days by air, 20โ28 calendar days by sea. On top of that, allow 7โ15 days of clearance with Egyptian Customs Authority and a +1 day inland leg to Cairo.
What duty and tax will I pay importing into Cairo?
Egyptian Customs Authority applies: VAT 14%; duty 0โ60% 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 Cairo.
What certification do I need for Egypt?
For regulated goods, plan for: ACID number issued through the Nafeza single window before shipment โ mandatory; GOEIC registration of the foreign factory for many consumer goods. Missing conformity paperwork is the single most common cause of a hold, and in most cases it cannot be remedied once the cargo has arrived.
Is sea freight cheaper than air freight into Cairo?
Per kilo, yes โ usually by a wide margin. The trade-off is time: 20โ28 calendar days by sea versus 4โ7 business days by air to the Egypt gateway, before clearance and the +1 day inland leg. The crossover point is normally somewhere between 100 and 300 kg depending on the density of your cargo.
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 โ mandatory; GOEIC registration of the foreign factory for many consumer goods). We prepare and file these as part of the service.
How is the chargeable weight calculated for Cairo?
We compare actual gross weight against volumetric weight โ length ร width ร height in centimeters divided by 6000 for air โ and bill the greater of the two, rounded up to the next kilogram. Light, bulky cargo is almost always billed on volume.
Other delivery cities in Egypt
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 โ confirm the current position for your own HS code with Egyptian Customs Authority or your broker before you ship.
- Egyptian Customs Authority
- Nafeza single window (ACID registration)
- WTO โ Tariff Profiles (applied MFN duty by country)
- IATA โ Lithium battery shipping guidance (PI 965โ970)
- World Bank โ Logistics Performance Index
- ICC โ Incoterms 2020 rules (DDP, DAP, FOB definitions)
Page data last reviewed: 10 ๆ 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 โ these guides cover that by commodity.
- Kitchenware Furniture & Home Products
- Home Textiles Textiles, Apparel, Footwear & Leather
- Inflatable Products Toys, Sports, Outdoor & Leisure
- Bolts Metal Products & Industrial Components
- Industrial Boilers General Machinery & Industrial Equipment
- Building Materials Building Materials & Construction Products
- Plumbing Products Building Materials & Construction Products
- Engineering Plastics Plastics, Rubber & Packaging
- Home Furniture Furniture & Home Products
- Garden Products Furniture & Home Products
- Illuminated Signs Retail, Display & Commercial Fixtures
- Metal Products Metal Products & Industrial Components
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.
Classification drives everything downstream: the same carton can attract very different duty depending on the heading it lands in, and the structure those headings come from is the World Customs Organization Harmonized System. If your product sits near a boundary between two headings, resolve it before shipping rather than at the border.
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.
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 Cairo. The video below covers the wider shipping process that sits around it.
LCL vs FCL | Difference Between Full Container Load & Less than Container Load | Which is better ? — 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.
Customs clearance in Egypt
Duty and tax position, certification, typical port dwell and what actually holds shipments at this border โ plus who files the entry.
Egypt clearance requirements →