Sea Freight from China to Yangon
China → Yangon · via RGN air / Thilawa sea · clearance by Myanmar Customs Department
Freight from China into Yangon clears through RGN air / Thilawa sea. Yangon is commercial capital and the main import gateway, and the inland leg is same-day, so the clearance date is effectively the delivery date.
The clearing authority is Myanmar Customs Department. Historical dwell on this gateway is around 7–14 days, and it lengthens in Oct–Dec.
Routing and transit on this lane
Yangon is the only meaningful sea gateway, and the Muse–Ruili land border with Yunnan carries a large share of China–Myanmar trade when it is open. Border status and banking channels change with little notice on this lane, so confirm both the crossing and the payment route at the time of booking rather than relying on last quarter's arrangement.
| Sea gateways used | Yangon (Thilawa and MITT) |
|---|---|
| Sea transit, China to gateway | 7–12 calendar days |
| Gateway serving Yangon | RGN air / Thilawa sea |
| Inland leg to Yangon | Same day from the gateway |
| Typical clearance / dwell | 7–14 days |
| Peak season to plan around | Oct–Dec |
Import duty and tax position for Yangon
Imports into Myanmar are cleared by Myanmar Customs Department. The headline position is: Commercial tax 5%; duty 0–40%; advance income tax of 2% on imports. The de-minimis threshold is No practical de-minimis.
Conformity is the part most first-time importers underestimate: Import license required for most commodity groups; FDA registration for food, drugs and cosmetics. Getting this wrong is expensive because it usually cannot be fixed after the cargo has landed.
Restrictions and known friction points for Myanmar: An import license is required for most commercial goods and must be issued before arrival. Foreign-currency and banking restrictions can delay duty settlement, which directly affects DDP feasibility. Confirm sanctions screening on the consignee before shipping.
Pre-shipment checklist for Yangon
- Compare gross weight against volumetric weight (L×W×H ÷ 6000) — the higher figure is what gets billed on air and express.
- Budget for the inland leg: same-day delivery beyond gateway clearance to reach Yangon.
- Check the de-minimis position (No practical de-minimis) against your invoice value before you decide how to split the shipment.
- Declare lithium batteries, magnets, liquids and powders up front — retro-declaring after booking usually means re-planning the whole shipment.
- Plan around the China-side windows too: Chinese New Year and Golden Week both compress capacity on the Myanmar lane.
- Book earlier than the transit time suggests during Oct–Dec, when space on this lane tightens.
Frequently asked questions
How long does shipping from China to Yangon take?
China to the Myanmar gateway is 7–12 calendar days. On top of that, allow 7–14 days of clearance with Myanmar Customs Department and a same-day inland leg to Yangon.
What duty and tax will I pay importing into Yangon?
Myanmar Customs Department applies: Commercial tax 5%; duty 0–40%; advance income tax of 2% on imports. The de-minimis position is No practical de-minimis. Under a DDP arrangement these are pre-paid, so nothing is collected on arrival in Yangon.
Can you ship batteries or sensitive cargo to Yangon?
Yes. Battery cargo by sea moves under UN3480/UN3481 with an MSDS, and the dangerous-goods documentation is prepared as part of the booking into Yangon (Thilawa and MITT). Surcharges apply and space is more limited than for general cargo.
How is the chargeable weight calculated for Yangon?
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.
When is the busiest time on the China–Myanmar lane?
Space and rates tighten around Oct–Dec, 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 Myanmar?
For regulated goods, plan for: Import license required for most commodity groups; FDA registration for food, drugs and cosmetics. 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.
Other delivery cities in Myanmar
References & official sources
Duty rates, thresholds and conformity requirements for Myanmar 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 Myanmar Customs Department or your broker before you ship.
- Myanmar Customs Department
- WTO — Tariff Profiles (applied MFN duty by country)
- WCO — Harmonized System nomenclature
- IMO — IMDG Code for dangerous goods by sea
- IATA — Lithium battery shipping guidance (PI 965–970)
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.
- Injection Molded Parts Plastics, Rubber & Packaging
- Furniture Furniture & Home Products
- Home Storage Products Furniture & Home Products
- Exhibition Display Equipment Retail, Display & Commercial Fixtures
- Aluminum Coils Steel & Metal Materials
- 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
Checking the Myanmar duty position yourself
Duty and tax figures on this page are planning estimates. The binding assessment is made by Myanmar Customs Department 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.
Watch: the process behind this route
This guide covers routing and clearance for Yangon. 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 Myanmar
Duty and tax position, certification, typical port dwell and what actually holds shipments at this border — plus who files the entry.
Myanmar clearance requirements →