✈️ Air Freight

Air Freight from China to Altamira

China → Altamira · via TAM air / Altamira sea · clearance by Agencia Nacional de Aduanas de México (ANAM) and SAT

Cargo handling on the China–Altamira lane.

We move air freight cargo from South China into Altamira through TAM air / Altamira sea. Altamira is Gulf-coast industrial and petrochemical port, which shapes the kind of cargo that moves on this lane and how it should be packed.

On the destination side, Agencia Nacional de Aduanas de México (ANAM) and SAT handles clearance; budget 4–10 days of dwell before the cargo is released.

Routing and transit on this lane

Manzanillo handles the bulk of Asia–Mexico volume and is the congestion point to watch. Two things break DDP quotes here: the importer of record must be registered on the Padrón de Importadores, and Mexico has layered temporary tariffs on a long list of Chinese-origin goods. NOM certification for regulated products is verified at the border, not after.

Air gateways used	MEX (Mexico City), NLU (Felipe Ángeles), GDL (Guadalajara)
Air transit, China to gateway	3–5 business days
Gateway serving Altamira	TAM air / Altamira sea
Inland leg to Altamira	Same day from the gateway
Typical clearance / dwell	4–10 days
Peak season to plan around	Aug–Nov

What you will pay on arrival in Mexico

Imports into Mexico are cleared by Agencia Nacional de Aduanas de México (ANAM) and SAT. The headline position is: IVA 16%; duty 0–35%, with additional temporary tariffs of up to 35% applied to textiles, footwear, steel and several other Chinese-origin categories. The de-minimis threshold is USD 50 for courier consignments.

Conformity is the part most first-time importers underestimate: NOM standards compliance for regulated goods; the consignee must be listed on the Padrón de Importadores. Getting this wrong is expensive because it usually cannot be fixed after the cargo has landed.

Restrictions and known friction points for Mexico: A registered importer of record is mandatory — the forwarder cannot simply act as one. Temporary tariff decrees on Chinese-origin textiles, footwear and steel change periodically; verify the current rate. NOM certification cannot be remedied after arrival.

Air cargo build-up used on the China to Altamira (Mexico) freight lane — Handling on the TAM air / Altamira sea routing serving Altamira.

Pre-shipment checklist for Altamira

Put the Altamira delivery address, contact name and phone number on the invoice, not just the packing list.
Plan around the China-side windows too: Chinese New Year and Golden Week both compress capacity on the Mexico lane.
Use ISPM-15 treated pallets. Untreated wood is the most common reason otherwise-clean cargo gets held.
Declare lithium batteries, magnets, liquids and powders up front — retro-declaring after booking usually means re-planning the whole shipment.
Compare gross weight against volumetric weight (L×W×H ÷ 6000) — the higher figure is what gets billed on air and express.
Photograph carton markings and seal numbers before departure — it makes any claim far easier to settle.

Frequently asked questions

How long does shipping from China to Altamira take?

China to the Mexico gateway is 3–5 business days. On top of that, allow 4–10 days of clearance with Agencia Nacional de Aduanas de México (ANAM) and SAT and a same-day inland leg to Altamira.

What duty and tax will I pay importing into Altamira?

Agencia Nacional de Aduanas de México (ANAM) and SAT applies: IVA 16%; duty 0–35%, with additional temporary tariffs of up to 35% applied to textiles, footwear, steel and several other Chinese-origin categories. The de-minimis position is USD 50 for courier consignments. Under a DDP arrangement these are pre-paid, so nothing is collected on arrival in Altamira.

Is sea freight cheaper than air freight into Altamira?

Per kilo, yes — usually by a wide margin. The trade-off is time: 16–24 calendar days by sea versus 3–5 business days by air to the Mexico 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 China–Mexico lane?

Space and rates tighten around Aug–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.

What certification do I need for Mexico?

For regulated goods, plan for: NOM standards compliance for regulated goods; the consignee must be listed on the Padrón de Importadores. 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.

How is the chargeable weight calculated for Altamira?

We compare actual gross weight against volumetric weight — length × width × height in centimeters divided by 6000 for air — 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 Mexico

All Mexico freight information →

References & official sources

Duty rates, thresholds and conformity requirements for Mexico 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 Agencia Nacional de Aduanas de México (ANAM) and SAT or your broker before you ship.

Page data last reviewed: 8 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 139 industry guides →

Checking the Mexico duty position yourself

Duty and tax figures on this page are planning estimates. The binding assessment is made by Agencia Nacional de Aduanas de México (ANAM) and SAT 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.

On the air side, anything with a cell or a battery in it, plus liquids, powders, magnets and aerosols, is governed by the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations. Those articles are not refused outright, but they need to be declared at booking so the shipment is built correctly — declaring them late is the single most common cause of an air consignment being offloaded.

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.

If this is your first shipment into Mexico, the Mexico 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 Altamira. The video below covers the wider shipping process that sits around it.

Air Freight from China: Soaring Through the Skies of Global Trade — SINO Shipping. 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 Altamira

This lane is quoted per shipment rather than from a published rate card, because the landed cost depends on the commodity, its density, the conformity requirements above and the delivery point. Send the cargo details and we will come back with a full DDP figure.

Request a quote → See the Mexico route page →

Customs clearance in Mexico

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

Mexico clearance requirements →