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Middle East

Shipping from China to Iraq

China → Iraq · clearance by General Commission of Customs, Iraq

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

For buyers shipping into Iraq, the practical question is not the ocean or flight time but what happens after arrival. Iraq is served through Umm Qasr; cargo enters through BSR air / Umm Qasr sea, and the inland leg is same-day, so the clearance date is effectively the delivery date.

The clearing authority is General Commission of Customs, Iraq. Historical dwell on this gateway is around 7–15 days, and it lengthens in Sep–Nov.

How this lane actually runs

Umm Qasr is the sea gateway for federal Iraq, while the Kurdistan Region is more often served by air into Erbil or overland from Turkey and Iran. The two administrations apply customs differently, so the destination city changes the process — not just the trucking leg. A pre-shipment Certificate of Conformity is the single most important document on this lane.

Air gateways usedBGW (Baghdad), EBL (Erbil), BSR (Basra)
Air transit, China to gateway4–7 business days
Sea gateways usedUmm Qasr
Sea transit, China to gateway20–30 calendar days
Gateway serving IraqBSR air / Umm Qasr sea
Inland leg to IraqSame day from the gateway
Typical clearance / dwell7–15 days
Peak season to plan aroundSep–Nov

Delivery cities in Iraq

Principal delivery points: Baghdad, Basra, Erbil, Sulaymaniyah, Mosul, Najaf. Pick a city for the gateway it uses and the inland leg beyond clearance.

Umm Qasr Iraq's only deep-water port BSR air / Umm Qasr sea · inland +1 day Baghdad Capital and the largest consumer market BGW air / Umm Qasr sea · inland +2 days Basra Southern port city adjoining the container terminal BSR air / Umm Qasr sea · inland same day Erbil Kurdistan Region capital with its own customs handling EBL air / Umm Qasr sea · inland +3 days Sulaymaniyah Second Kurdistan Region commercial center ISU air / Umm Qasr sea · inland +3 days Mosul Northern city under reconstruction demand EBL air / Umm Qasr sea · inland +3 days Najaf Southern religious and trading center NJF air / Umm Qasr sea · inland +2 days
Container yard operations used on the China to Iraq (Iraq) freight lane
Consolidation and handling before departure for Iraq.

Import duty and tax position for Iraq

General Commission of Customs, Iraq assesses duty and tax on cargo arriving for Iraq consignees. Current regime: Customs duty 0.5–30% plus a reconstruction levy; regional variations apply in the Kurdistan Region, with a de-minimis position of No practical de-minimis.

Conformity is the part most first-time importers underestimate: Certificate of Conformity (COC) issued pre-shipment under the Iraqi conformity program is mandatory for most goods. Getting this wrong is expensive because it usually cannot be fixed after the cargo has landed.

Restrictions and known friction points for Iraq: A pre-shipment COC is mandatory for most commercial goods; cargo arriving without it faces heavy penalties. Security and route conditions affect inland delivery. Confirm which customs administration applies to the final destination.

Air, sea or overland into Iraq?

ModeTransit to gatewayBest suited to
✈️ Air Freight4–7 business daystime-critical, high-value and low-volume cargo
🚢 Sea Freight20–30 calendar daysvolume cargo where cost per kilo matters more than speed

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

Before you book: Iraq checklist

  • Photograph carton markings and seal numbers before departure — it makes any claim far easier to settle.
  • Budget for the inland leg: same-day delivery beyond gateway clearance to reach Iraq.
  • Book earlier than the transit time suggests during Sep–Nov, when space on this lane tightens.
  • Ask for the HS code in writing from your supplier and verify the Iraq duty rate against it yourself.
  • Get the conformity paperwork moving early: Certificate of Conformity (COC) issued pre-shipment under the Iraqi conformity program is mandatory for most goods.
  • Put the Iraq delivery address, contact name and phone number on the invoice, not just the packing list.

Frequently asked questions

How long does shipping from China to Iraq take?

China to the Iraq gateway is 4–7 business days by air, 20–30 calendar days by sea. On top of that, allow 7–15 days of clearance with General Commission of Customs, Iraq and a same-day inland leg to Iraq.

What duty and tax will I pay importing into Iraq?

General Commission of Customs, Iraq applies: Customs duty 0.5–30% plus a reconstruction levy; regional variations apply in the Kurdistan Region. The de-minimis position is No practical de-minimis. Under a DDP arrangement these are pre-paid, so nothing is collected on arrival in Iraq.

What certification do I need for Iraq?

For regulated goods, plan for: Certificate of Conformity (COC) issued pre-shipment under the Iraqi conformity program is mandatory for most 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.

Can you deliver door-to-door in Iraq?

Yes. Delivery to a Iraq address is quoted as one figure covering freight, duty and tax owed to General Commission of Customs, Iraq, 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.

Can you ship batteries or sensitive cargo to Iraq?

Yes. Battery cargo by air follows IATA PI 965–970 depending on how the cells are packed, and moves on certified channels via BGW (Baghdad), EBL (Erbil), BSR (Basra). Surcharges apply and the declaration has to be made before booking.

When is the busiest time on the China–Iraq 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.

References & official sources

Duty rates, thresholds and conformity requirements for Iraq 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 General Commission of Customs, Iraq 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 Iraq duty position yourself

Duty and tax figures on this page are planning estimates. The binding assessment is made by General Commission of Customs, Iraq 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.

For a wider view of how importing into Iraq actually works — documentation norms, inspection behavior, the paperwork that tends to hold shipments — the U.S. ITA guide to Iraq customs regulations is a useful independent read alongside our own lane notes.

Watch: the process behind this route

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

Marine Insurance Explained - Understand the Cargo Insurance You're Getting — ABTS®. 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 Iraq

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 Iraq route page →

    Customs clearance in Iraq

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

    Iraq clearance requirements →

    Priced routes to Iraq