Shipping from China to Casablanca
China → Casablanca · via CMN air / Casablanca sea · clearance by Administration des Douanes et Impôts Indirects (ADII)
Casablanca is the economic capital and main port, and it is served through CMN air / Casablanca sea. That combination is what actually sets your delivery date on this lane — the inland leg is same-day, so the clearance date is effectively the delivery date.
The clearing authority is Administration des Douanes et Impôts Indirects (ADII). Historical dwell on this gateway is around 3–8 days, and it lengthens in Sep–Nov.
What you will pay on arrival in Morocco
Administration des Douanes et Impôts Indirects (ADII) assesses duty and tax on cargo arriving for Casablanca consignees. Current regime: VAT 20%; duty 2.5–40%, with reduced rates on industrial inputs, with a de-minimis position of MAD 1,250 for personal consignments.
Conformity is the part most first-time importers underestimate: Certificate of conformity for regulated goods; NM standard mark for some categories. Getting this wrong is expensive because it usually cannot be fixed after the cargo has landed.
Restrictions and known friction points for Morocco: Free-zone and ordinary import regimes are treated very differently. Certificate of conformity requirements apply to consumer electronics and appliances. Arabic or French labeling is expected at retail.
Routing and transit on this lane
Tanger Med is one of the largest ports in Africa and the Mediterranean and takes direct Asian mainline calls, which makes Morocco unusually well connected for the continent. The automotive and aerospace free zones around Tangier and Kenitra operate under separate duty regimes, so an industrial consignee's zone status often matters more to landed cost than the tariff line itself.
| Air gateways used | CMN (Casablanca), RAK (Marrakech), TNG (Tangier) |
|---|---|
| Air transit, China to gateway | 4–7 business days |
| Sea gateways used | Tanger Med, Casablanca, Agadir |
| Sea transit, China to gateway | 22–30 calendar days |
| Gateway serving Casablanca | CMN air / Casablanca sea |
| Inland leg to Casablanca | Same day from the gateway |
| Typical clearance / dwell | 3–8 days |
| Peak season to plan around | Sep–Nov |
Before you book: Casablanca checklist
- Confirm the consignee in Casablanca can act as importer of record — Administration des Douanes et Impôts Indirects (ADII) will not release cargo to an unregistered party.
- Ask for the HS code in writing from your supplier and verify the Morocco duty rate against it yourself.
- Get the conformity paperwork moving early: Certificate of conformity for regulated goods; NM standard mark for some categories.
- Put the Casablanca delivery address, contact name and phone number on the invoice, not just the packing list.
- Check the de-minimis position (MAD 1,250 for personal consignments) against your invoice value before you decide how to split the shipment.
- Use ISPM-15 treated pallets. Untreated wood is the most common reason otherwise-clean cargo gets held.
Air, sea or overland into Casablanca?
| Mode | Transit to gateway | Best suited to |
|---|---|---|
| ✈️ Air Freight | 4–7 business days | time-critical, high-value and low-volume cargo |
| 🚢 Sea Freight | 22–30 calendar days | volume cargo where cost per kilo matters more than speed |
Transit shown is China departure to the Morocco gateway and excludes the same-day inland leg to Casablanca and 3–8 days of clearance.
Mode guides for Casablanca
Frequently asked questions
How long does shipping from China to Casablanca take?
China to the Morocco gateway is 4–7 business days by air, 22–30 calendar days by sea. On top of that, allow 3–8 days of clearance with Administration des Douanes et Impôts Indirects (ADII) and a same-day inland leg to Casablanca.
What duty and tax will I pay importing into Casablanca?
Administration des Douanes et Impôts Indirects (ADII) applies: VAT 20%; duty 2.5–40%, with reduced rates on industrial inputs. The de-minimis position is MAD 1,250 for personal consignments. Under a DDP arrangement these are pre-paid, so nothing is collected on arrival in Casablanca.
Which port or airport does cargo for Casablanca clear through?
Cargo for Casablanca is routed via CMN air / Casablanca sea. Sea gateways for Morocco are Tanger Med, Casablanca, Agadir; air gateways are CMN (Casablanca), RAK (Marrakech), TNG (Tangier). We pick whichever gives the shortest total door time for your address.
Can you ship batteries or sensitive cargo to Casablanca?
Yes. Battery cargo by air follows IATA PI 965–970 depending on how the cells are packed, and moves on certified channels via CMN (Casablanca), RAK (Marrakech), TNG (Tangier). Surcharges apply and the declaration has to be made before booking.
What certification do I need for Morocco?
For regulated goods, plan for: Certificate of conformity for regulated goods; NM standard mark for some categories. 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.
Is sea freight cheaper than air freight into Casablanca?
Per kilo, yes — usually by a wide margin. The trade-off is time: 22–30 calendar days by sea versus 4–7 business days by air to the Morocco 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.
Other delivery cities in Morocco
References & official sources
Duty rates, thresholds and conformity requirements for Morocco 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 Administration des Douanes et Impôts Indirects (ADII) or your broker before you ship.
- Administration des Douanes (ADII)
- Tanger Med Port Authority
- WTO — Tariff Profiles (applied MFN duty by country)
- IATA — Lithium battery shipping guidance (PI 965–970)
- World Bank — Logistics Performance Index
- ICC — Incoterms 2020 rules (DDP, DAP, FOB definitions)
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.
- Pipe Fittings Metal Products & Industrial Components
- Generators New Energy, Power & Electrical
- Ceramic Tiles Building Materials & Construction Products
- Paper Packaging Wood, Bamboo & Paper Products
- Packaging Materials Plastics, Rubber & Packaging
- Laboratory Furniture Furniture & Home Products
- Fabric Textiles, Apparel, Footwear & Leather
- Salon Furniture Beauty, Personal Care & Wellness
- Sheet Metal Metal Products & Industrial Components
- Compressors General Machinery & Industrial Equipment
- Electrical Cabinets New Energy, Power & Electrical
- Flooring Building Materials & Construction Products
Checking the Morocco duty position yourself
Duty and tax figures on this page are planning estimates. The binding assessment is made by Administration des Douanes et Impôts Indirects (ADII) 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 Morocco actually works — documentation norms, inspection behavior, the paperwork that tends to hold shipments — the U.S. ITA guide to Morocco 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 Casablanca. 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.
Customs clearance in Morocco
Duty and tax position, certification, typical port dwell and what actually holds shipments at this border — plus who files the entry.
Morocco clearance requirements →