Asia Pacific

Shipping from China to Medan

China → Medan · via KNO air / Belawan sea · clearance by Directorate General of Customs and Excise (Bea Cukai)

Cargo handling on the China–Medan lane.

Freight from China into Medan clears through KNO air / Belawan sea. Medan is North Sumatra hub for plantation and consumer goods, and the inland leg is same-day, so the clearance date is effectively the delivery date.

Clearance itself is handled by Directorate General of Customs and Excise (Bea Cukai), and typical dwell at the gateway runs 4–10 days.

What the routing looks like in practice

Indonesia is the most paperwork-heavy market in ASEAN. The USD 3 de-minimis means practically every shipment is dutiable, and Permendag import restrictions cover exactly the categories most China buyers ship — textiles, footwear, electronics, toys and cosmetics. Plan the license position before booking, not after arrival.

Air gateways used	CGK (Jakarta), SUB (Surabaya), DPS (Denpasar)
Air transit, China to gateway	3–5 business days
Sea gateways used	Tanjung Priok (Jakarta), Tanjung Perak (Surabaya), Belawan (Medan)
Sea transit, China to gateway	6–11 calendar days
Gateway serving Medan	KNO air / Belawan sea
Inland leg to Medan	Same day from the gateway
Typical clearance / dwell	4–10 days
Peak season to plan around	Sep–Nov

Import duty and tax position for Medan

Imports into Indonesia are cleared by Directorate General of Customs and Excise (Bea Cukai). The headline position is: VAT 11%; duty 0–150%, with a 7.5% flat rate applied to many consumer parcels, plus income-tax prepayment (PPh) of 0.5–10%. The de-minimis threshold is USD 3 FOB — one of the lowest thresholds in the world.

Conformity is the part most first-time importers underestimate: SNI mandatory standard for a long list of products; import license (API-U/API-P) held by the consignee; Permendag restricted-goods rules for textiles, footwear, electronics and toys. Getting this wrong is expensive because it usually cannot be fixed after the cargo has landed.

Restrictions and known friction points for Indonesia: Goods on the lartas restricted list need a license issued before the vessel arrives; retro-fixing after arrival is expensive. Used goods are broadly banned. Cosmetics and food need BPOM registration held locally.

Air cargo build-up used on the China to Medan (Indonesia) freight lane — Handling on the KNO air / Belawan sea routing serving Medan.

Air, sea or overland into Medan?

Mode	Transit to gateway	Best suited to
✈️ Air Freight	3–5 business days	time-critical, high-value and low-volume cargo
🚢 Sea Freight	6–11 calendar days	volume cargo where cost per kilo matters more than speed

Transit shown is China departure to the Indonesia gateway and excludes the same-day inland leg to Medan and 4–10 days of clearance.

What to sort out before the cargo leaves China

Check the de-minimis position (USD 3 FOB — one of the lowest thresholds in the world) against your invoice value before you decide how to split the shipment.
Ask for the HS code in writing from your supplier and verify the Indonesia duty rate against it yourself.
Compare gross weight against volumetric weight (L×W×H ÷ 6000) — the higher figure is what gets billed on air and express.
Book earlier than the transit time suggests during Sep–Nov, when space on this lane tightens.
Plan around the China-side windows too: Chinese New Year and Golden Week both compress capacity on the Indonesia lane.
Budget for the inland leg: same-day delivery beyond gateway clearance to reach Medan.

Mode guides for Medan

Frequently asked questions

How long does shipping from China to Medan take?

China to the Indonesia gateway is 3–5 business days by air, 6–11 calendar days by sea. On top of that, allow 4–10 days of clearance with Directorate General of Customs and Excise (Bea Cukai) and a same-day inland leg to Medan.

What duty and tax will I pay importing into Medan?

Directorate General of Customs and Excise (Bea Cukai) applies: VAT 11%; duty 0–150%, with a 7.5% flat rate applied to many consumer parcels, plus income-tax prepayment (PPh) of 0.5–10%. The de-minimis position is USD 3 FOB — one of the lowest thresholds in the world. Under a DDP arrangement these are pre-paid, so nothing is collected on arrival in Medan.

Can you deliver door-to-door in Medan?

Yes. Delivery to a Medan address is quoted as one figure covering freight, duty and tax owed to Directorate General of Customs and Excise (Bea Cukai), and the same-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.

When is the busiest time on the China–Indonesia lane?

Space and rates tighten around Sep–Nov, 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.

Which port or airport does cargo for Medan clear through?

Cargo for Medan is routed via KNO air / Belawan sea. Sea gateways for Indonesia are Tanjung Priok (Jakarta), Tanjung Perak (Surabaya), Belawan (Medan); air gateways are CGK (Jakarta), SUB (Surabaya), DPS (Denpasar). We pick whichever gives the shortest total door time for your address.

Can you ship batteries or sensitive cargo to Medan?

Yes. Battery cargo by air follows IATA PI 965–970 depending on how the cells are packed, and moves on certified channels via CGK (Jakarta), SUB (Surabaya), DPS (Denpasar). Surcharges apply and the declaration has to be made before booking.

Other delivery cities in Indonesia

All Indonesia freight information →

References & official sources

Duty rates, thresholds and conformity requirements for Indonesia 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 Directorate General of Customs and Excise (Bea Cukai) 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 Indonesia duty position yourself

We publish these figures so you can budget, but the assessment that binds is the one Indonesian Directorate General of Customs and Excise makes on your declaration. Where a shipment is large enough that a percentage point matters, check their current tariff guidance rather than ours.

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 Indonesia, the Indonesia 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 Medan. The video below covers the wider shipping process that sits around it.

Sea Freight Shipping Process for Beginners: Complete Factory-to-Door Guide (Every Step Explained) — Vixnk - English. 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 Medan

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.

What are you shipping?*

Destination*

Weight*

Cartons*

ctn

Carton sizeoptional

× × cm

Total volumeopt

m³

Containeropt

How manyopt

ctr

Built-in battery?* Lithium cells are dangerous goods.

Yes No

Someone else's brand?* Logos you are not authorised to ship.

Yes No

Magnetic product?* Speakers, motors, magnets.

Yes No

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?*

Sea freight Air freight

Tick both and we quote both.

When should it move?optional

Not before Not after

Your name

Email*

Phone / WhatsApp

Photographs of the goodsoptional

Add images PNG or JPG · up to 5 · 10 MB each

Your details are used to prepare this quotation and nothing else.

See the Indonesia route page →

Customs clearance in Indonesia

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

Indonesia clearance requirements →

Shipping from China to Medan

What the routing looks like in practice

Import duty and tax position for Medan

Air, sea or overland into Medan?

What to sort out before the cargo leaves China

Mode guides for Medan

Frequently asked questions

Other delivery cities in Indonesia

References & official sources

Shipping by industry

Checking the Indonesia duty position yourself

Watch: the process behind this route

Get a rate for Medan

Got it — your enquiry is in.

Freight Rates to Indonesia

Customs clearance in Indonesia

Priced routes to Indonesia

Got it — your enquiry is in.