South Asia

Shipping from China to Lahore

China → Lahore · via LHE air / Karachi sea · clearance by Pakistan Customs (Federal Board of Revenue)

Cargo handling on the China–Lahore lane.

For buyers shipping into Lahore, the practical question is not the ocean or flight time but what happens after arrival. Lahore is Punjab commercial capital; cargo enters through LHE air / Karachi sea, and allow +2 days for the inland leg on top of clearance.

On the destination side, Pakistan Customs (Federal Board of Revenue) handles clearance; budget 5–12 days of dwell before the cargo is released.

Import duty and tax position for Lahore

Pakistan Customs (Federal Board of Revenue) assesses duty and tax on cargo arriving for Lahore consignees. Current regime: Sales tax 18%; customs duty 3–20% plus additional customs duty and regulatory duty on many consumer lines; withholding income tax on imports, with a de-minimis position of No practical de-minimis.

Conformity is the part most first-time importers underestimate: PSQCA standards mark for regulated goods; import against a bank contract or letter of credit for most commercial cargo. Getting this wrong is expensive because it usually cannot be fixed after the cargo has landed.

Restrictions and known friction points for Pakistan: Import payment normally has to route through a bank contract or LC, which constrains DDP structures. Regulatory duty and additional customs duty are revised frequently. Used goods and many consumer categories face import bans or heavy surcharges.

How this lane actually runs

Karachi handles the overwhelming majority of Pakistan's sea volume, with Port Qasim as the second option. The China–Pakistan FTA phase II gives meaningful duty relief on a long list of tariff lines, but only against a properly issued certificate of origin. Regulatory duty on consumer goods changes with each federal budget, so verify the current rate rather than reusing last year's landed-cost model.

Air gateways used	KHI (Karachi), LHE (Lahore), ISB (Islamabad)
Air transit, China to gateway	3–6 business days
Sea gateways used	Karachi (KICT/QICT), Port Qasim, Gwadar
Sea transit, China to gateway	14–22 calendar days
Gateway serving Lahore	LHE air / Karachi sea
Inland leg to Lahore	+2 days from the gateway
Typical clearance / dwell	5–12 days
Peak season to plan around	Sep–Nov

Air cargo build-up used on the China to Lahore (Pakistan) freight lane — Handling on the LHE air / Karachi sea routing serving Lahore.

Pre-shipment checklist for Lahore

Get the conformity paperwork moving early: PSQCA standards mark for regulated goods; import against a bank contract or letter of credit for most commercial cargo.
Book earlier than the transit time suggests during Sep–Nov, when space on this lane tightens.
Confirm the consignee in Lahore can act as importer of record — Pakistan Customs (Federal Board of Revenue) will not release cargo to an unregistered party.
Photograph carton markings and seal numbers before departure — it makes any claim far easier to settle.
Check the de-minimis position (No practical de-minimis) against your invoice value before you decide how to split the shipment.
Put the Lahore delivery address, contact name and phone number on the invoice, not just the packing list.

Air, sea or overland into Lahore?

Mode	Transit to gateway	Best suited to
✈️ Air Freight	3–6 business days	time-critical, high-value and low-volume cargo
🚢 Sea Freight	14–22 calendar days	volume cargo where cost per kilo matters more than speed

Transit shown is China departure to the Pakistan gateway and excludes the +2 days inland leg to Lahore and 5–12 days of clearance.

Mode guides for Lahore

Frequently asked questions

How long does shipping from China to Lahore take?

China to the Pakistan gateway is 3–6 business days by air, 14–22 calendar days by sea. On top of that, allow 5–12 days of clearance with Pakistan Customs (Federal Board of Revenue) and a +2 days inland leg to Lahore.

What duty and tax will I pay importing into Lahore?

Pakistan Customs (Federal Board of Revenue) applies: Sales tax 18%; customs duty 3–20% plus additional customs duty and regulatory duty on many consumer lines; withholding income tax 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 Lahore.

Which port or airport does cargo for Lahore clear through?

Cargo for Lahore is routed via LHE air / Karachi sea. Sea gateways for Pakistan are Karachi (KICT/QICT), Port Qasim, Gwadar; air gateways are KHI (Karachi), LHE (Lahore), ISB (Islamabad). We pick whichever gives the shortest total door time for your address.

Can you ship batteries or sensitive cargo to Lahore?

Yes. Battery cargo by air follows IATA PI 965–970 depending on how the cells are packed, and moves on certified channels via KHI (Karachi), LHE (Lahore), ISB (Islamabad). Surcharges apply and the declaration has to be made before booking.

What documents does Pakistan Customs (Federal Board of Revenue) 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 (PSQCA standards mark for regulated goods; import against a bank contract or letter of credit for most commercial cargo). We prepare and file these as part of the service.

Is sea freight cheaper than air freight into Lahore?

Per kilo, yes — usually by a wide margin. The trade-off is time: 14–22 calendar days by sea versus 3–6 business days by air to the Pakistan gateway, before clearance and the +2 days inland leg. The crossover point is normally somewhere between 100 and 300 kg depending on the density of your cargo.

Other delivery cities in Pakistan

All Pakistan freight information →

References & official sources

Duty rates, thresholds and conformity requirements for Pakistan 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 Pakistan Customs (Federal Board of Revenue) 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 Pakistan duty position yourself

Duty and tax figures on this page are planning estimates. The binding assessment is made by Pakistan Customs (Federal Board of Revenue) 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.

For a wider view of how importing into Pakistan actually works — documentation norms, inspection behavior, the paperwork that tends to hold shipments — the U.S. ITA guide to Pakistan 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 Lahore. 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 Lahore

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 Pakistan route page →

Customs clearance in Pakistan

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

Pakistan clearance requirements →