Shipping from China to Rustavi
China โ Rustavi ยท via TBS air / Poti sea ยท clearance by Georgian Revenue Service
Freight from China into Rustavi clears through TBS air / Poti sea. Rustavi is metallurgy and manufacturing center, and allow +1 day for the inland leg on top of clearance.
The clearing authority is Georgian Revenue Service. Historical dwell on this gateway is around 2โ6 days, and it lengthens in SepโNov.
Import duty and tax position for Rustavi
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.
Routing and transit on this lane
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 Rustavi | TBS air / Poti sea |
| Inland leg to Rustavi | +1 day from the gateway |
| Typical clearance / dwell | 2โ6 days |
| Peak season to plan around | SepโNov |
Pre-shipment checklist for Rustavi
- Get the conformity paperwork moving early: Technical regulation conformity for regulated goods; certificate of origin to claim FTA preference.
- Check the de-minimis position (GEL 300 for personal parcels) against your invoice value before you decide how to split the shipment.
- Confirm the consignee in Rustavi can act as importer of record โ Georgian Revenue Service will not release cargo to an unregistered party.
- Put the Rustavi delivery address, contact name and phone number on the invoice, not just the packing list.
- Ask for the HS code in writing from your supplier and verify the Georgia duty rate against it yourself.
- Budget for the inland leg: +1 day beyond gateway clearance to reach Rustavi.
Air, sea or overland into Rustavi?
| 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 +1 day inland leg to Rustavi and 2โ6 days of clearance.
Mode guides for Rustavi
Frequently asked questions
How long does shipping from China to Rustavi 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 +1 day inland leg to Rustavi.
What duty and tax will I pay importing into Rustavi?
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 Rustavi.
What documents does Georgian Revenue Service 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 (Technical regulation conformity for regulated goods; certificate of origin to claim FTA preference). We prepare and file these as part of the service.
What certification do I need for Georgia?
For regulated goods, plan for: Technical regulation conformity for regulated goods; certificate of origin to claim FTA preference. 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.
Can you deliver door-to-door in Rustavi?
Yes. Delivery to a Rustavi address is quoted as one figure covering freight, duty and tax owed to Georgian Revenue Service, and the +1 day inland leg. Confirm whether your consignee wants the goods at a warehouse, a marketplace fulfillment center or a shop front, because the last-mile requirement differs.
How is the chargeable weight calculated for Rustavi?
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.
- Corrugated Packaging Wood, Bamboo & Paper Products
- Glass Packaging Plastics, Rubber & Packaging
- 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
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 Rustavi. The video below covers the wider shipping process that sits around it.
Ocean Freight 101 - What Is LCL Ocean Freight — 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 →