Shipping from China to Batumi
China โ Batumi ยท via BUS air / Batumi sea ยท clearance by Georgian Revenue Service
We move freight cargo from South China into Batumi through BUS air / Batumi sea. Batumi is Black Sea port and tourism city, which shapes the kind of cargo that moves on this lane and how it should be packed.
On the destination side, Georgian Revenue Service handles clearance; budget 2โ6 days of dwell before the cargo is released.
What the routing looks like in practice
Georgia has had a free trade agreement with China since 2018 โ the only one in the Caucasus โ so most goods enter duty-free with a valid certificate of origin, leaving only 18% VAT. Poti and Batumi also serve as the Black Sea end of the Middle Corridor for cargo continuing to Armenia, Azerbaijan and Central Asia.
| Air gateways used | TBS (Tbilisi), BUS (Batumi) |
|---|---|
| Air transit, China to gateway | 3โ5 business days |
| Sea gateways used | Poti, Batumi, Anaklia (under development) |
| Sea transit, China to gateway | 25โ35 calendar days via Suez to the Black Sea |
| Gateway serving Batumi | BUS air / Batumi sea |
| Inland leg to Batumi | Same day from the gateway |
| Typical clearance / dwell | 2โ6 days |
| Peak season to plan around | SepโNov |
What you will pay on arrival in Georgia
Imports into Georgia are cleared by Georgian Revenue Service. The headline position is: VAT 18%; customs duty of 0%, 5% or 12% only โ and 0% on most goods under the ChinaโGeorgia free trade agreement. The de-minimis threshold is GEL 300 for personal parcels.
Conformity is the part most first-time importers underestimate: Technical regulation conformity for regulated goods; certificate of origin to claim FTA preference. Getting this wrong is expensive because it usually cannot be fixed after the cargo has landed.
Restrictions and known friction points for Georgia: The FTA preference requires a correctly issued certificate of origin; without it the standard 0/5/12% tariff applies. Black Sea sailing schedules can be affected by regional shipping conditions.
Air, sea or overland into Batumi?
| Mode | Transit to gateway | Best suited to |
|---|---|---|
| โ๏ธ Air Freight | 3โ5 business days | time-critical, high-value and low-volume cargo |
| ๐ข Sea Freight | 25โ35 calendar days via Suez to the Black Sea | volume cargo where cost per kilo matters more than speed |
Transit shown is China departure to the Georgia gateway and excludes the same-day inland leg to Batumi and 2โ6 days of clearance.
Before you book: Batumi checklist
- Check the de-minimis position (GEL 300 for personal parcels) against your invoice value before you decide how to split the shipment.
- Plan around the China-side windows too: Chinese New Year and Golden Week both compress capacity on the Georgia lane.
- Budget for the inland leg: same-day delivery beyond gateway clearance to reach Batumi.
- Declare lithium batteries, magnets, liquids and powders up front โ retro-declaring after booking usually means re-planning the whole shipment.
- Put the Batumi delivery address, contact name and phone number on the invoice, not just the packing list.
- Book earlier than the transit time suggests during SepโNov, when space on this lane tightens.
Mode guides for Batumi
Frequently asked questions
How long does shipping from China to Batumi take?
China to the Georgia gateway is 3โ5 business days by air, 25โ35 calendar days via Suez to the Black Sea by sea. On top of that, allow 2โ6 days of clearance with Georgian Revenue Service and a same-day inland leg to Batumi.
What duty and tax will I pay importing into Batumi?
Georgian Revenue Service applies: VAT 18%; customs duty of 0%, 5% or 12% only โ and 0% on most goods under the ChinaโGeorgia free trade agreement. The de-minimis position is GEL 300 for personal parcels. Under a DDP arrangement these are pre-paid, so nothing is collected on arrival in Batumi.
Is sea freight cheaper than air freight into Batumi?
Per kilo, yes โ usually by a wide margin. The trade-off is time: 25โ35 calendar days via Suez to the Black Sea by sea versus 3โ5 business days by air to the Georgia 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.
When is the busiest time on the ChinaโGeorgia lane?
Space and rates tighten around SepโNov, plus the China-side windows of Chinese New Year in January or February and Golden Week in early October. Book one to two weeks earlier in those periods.
Can you ship batteries or sensitive cargo to Batumi?
Yes. Battery cargo by air follows IATA PI 965โ970 depending on how the cells are packed, and moves on certified channels via TBS (Tbilisi), BUS (Batumi). Surcharges apply and the declaration has to be made before booking.
How is the chargeable weight calculated for Batumi?
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 Georgia
References & official sources
Duty rates, thresholds and conformity requirements for Georgia 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 Georgian Revenue Service or your broker before you ship.
- Georgian Revenue Service
- WTO โ Tariff Profiles (applied MFN duty by country)
- IPPC โ ISPM 15 wood packaging standard
- WCO โ Harmonized System nomenclature
- IMO โ IMDG Code for dangerous goods by sea
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.
- Solar Panel New Energy, Power & Electrical
- Prefabricated Building Building Materials & Construction Products
- Pallet Wood, Bamboo & Paper Products
- Conveyor Belts Plastics, Rubber & Packaging
- Hotel Furniture Furniture & Home Products
- Textiles Textiles, Apparel, Footwear & Leather
- Restaurant Furniture Retail, Display & Commercial Fixtures
- Metal Fabrication Metal Products & Industrial Components
- Pressure Vessels Metal Products & Industrial Components
- Switchgear New Energy, Power & Electrical
- Doors & Windows Building Materials & Construction Products
- Corrugated Packaging Wood, Bamboo & Paper Products
Checking the Georgia duty position yourself
Duty and tax figures on this page are planning estimates. The binding assessment is made by Georgian Revenue Service 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.
Watch: the process behind this route
This guide covers routing and clearance for Batumi. The video below covers the wider shipping process that sits around it.
Bills of Lading 101 - What Is a Bill of Lading — Flexport. 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 Georgia
Duty and tax position, certification, typical port dwell and what actually holds shipments at this border โ plus who files the entry.
Georgia clearance requirements →