Americas

Shipping from China to Lazaro Cardenas

China → Lazaro Cardenas · via LZC air / Lazaro Cardenas sea · clearance by Agencia Nacional de Aduanas de México (ANAM) and SAT

Cargo handling on the China–Lazaro Cardenas lane.

Freight from China into Lazaro Cardenas clears through LZC air / Lazaro Cardenas sea. Lazaro Cardenas is Pacific port with direct rail to the Bajio manufacturing belt, and allow +1 day for the inland leg on top of clearance.

The clearing authority is Agencia Nacional de Aduanas de México (ANAM) and SAT. Historical dwell on this gateway is around 4–10 days, and it lengthens in Aug–Nov.

How this lane actually runs

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
Sea gateways used	Manzanillo, Lázaro Cárdenas, Veracruz
Sea transit, China to gateway	16–24 calendar days
Gateway serving Lazaro Cardenas	LZC air / Lazaro Cardenas sea
Inland leg to Lazaro Cardenas	+1 day from the gateway
Typical clearance / dwell	4–10 days
Peak season to plan around	Aug–Nov

Duty, tax and clearance into Lazaro Cardenas

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 Lazaro Cardenas (Mexico) freight lane — Handling on the LZC air / Lazaro Cardenas sea routing serving Lazaro Cardenas.

Air, sea or overland into Lazaro Cardenas?

Mode	Transit to gateway	Best suited to
✈️ Air Freight	3–5 business days	time-critical, high-value and low-volume cargo
🚢 Sea Freight	16–24 calendar days	volume cargo where cost per kilo matters more than speed

Transit shown is China departure to the Mexico gateway and excludes the +1 day inland leg to Lazaro Cardenas and 4–10 days of clearance.

Pre-shipment checklist for Lazaro Cardenas

Put the Lazaro Cardenas 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.
Compare gross weight against volumetric weight (L×W×H ÷ 6000) — the higher figure is what gets billed on air and express.
Declare lithium batteries, magnets, liquids and powders up front — retro-declaring after booking usually means re-planning the whole shipment.
Confirm the consignee in Lazaro Cardenas can act as importer of record — Agencia Nacional de Aduanas de México (ANAM) and SAT will not release cargo to an unregistered party.
Budget for the inland leg: +1 day beyond gateway clearance to reach Lazaro Cardenas.

Mode guides for Lazaro Cardenas

Frequently asked questions

How long does shipping from China to Lazaro Cardenas take?

China to the Mexico gateway is 3–5 business days by air, 16–24 calendar days by sea. On top of that, allow 4–10 days of clearance with Agencia Nacional de Aduanas de México (ANAM) and SAT and a +1 day inland leg to Lazaro Cardenas.

What duty and tax will I pay importing into Lazaro Cardenas?

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 Lazaro Cardenas.

Can you deliver door-to-door in Lazaro Cardenas?

Yes. Delivery to a Lazaro Cardenas address is quoted as one figure covering freight, duty and tax owed to Agencia Nacional de Aduanas de México (ANAM) and SAT, 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.

Can you ship batteries or sensitive cargo to Lazaro Cardenas?

Yes. Battery cargo by air follows IATA PI 965–970 depending on how the cells are packed, and moves on certified channels via MEX (Mexico City), NLU (Felipe Ángeles), GDL (Guadalajara). Surcharges apply and the declaration has to be made before booking.

What documents does Agencia Nacional de Aduanas de México (ANAM) and SAT 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 (NOM standards compliance for regulated goods; the consignee must be listed on the Padrón de Importadores). We prepare and file these as part of the service.

Is sea freight cheaper than air freight into Lazaro Cardenas?

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 +1 day inland leg. The crossover point is normally somewhere between 100 and 300 kg depending on the density of your cargo.

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.

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 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 Lazaro Cardenas. The video below covers the wider shipping process that sits around it.

Sea Freight from China: How to import from China to your country via Ocean Shipping — 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 Lazaro Cardenas

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 →