Americas

Shipping from China to David

China → David · via PTY air / Balboa sea · clearance by Autoridad Nacional de Aduanas de Panamá

Cargo handling on the China–David lane.

We move freight cargo from South China into David through PTY air / Balboa sea. David is western regional commercial center, which shapes the kind of cargo that moves on this lane and how it should be packed.

The clearing authority is Autoridad Nacional de Aduanas de Panamá. Historical dwell on this gateway is around 2–5 days, and it lengthens in Sep–Nov.

How this lane actually runs

The Colón Free Zone is the largest free port in the Americas and the natural staging point for Chinese goods distributed across Central America, the Caribbean and northern South America. Cargo can sit in the zone duty-free and be re-exported in smaller lots, which is a far more efficient structure than shipping direct to a dozen small markets.

Air gateways used	PTY (Panama City Tocumen)
Air transit, China to gateway	4–6 business days
Sea gateways used	Balboa (Pacific), Colón / Manzanillo (Atlantic)
Sea transit, China to gateway	22–30 calendar days
Gateway serving David	PTY air / Balboa sea
Inland leg to David	+1 day from the gateway
Typical clearance / dwell	2–5 days
Peak season to plan around	Sep–Nov

Duty, tax and clearance into David

Imports into Panama are cleared by Autoridad Nacional de Aduanas de Panamá. The headline position is: ITBMS 7%; duty 0–15%, with 0% inside the Colón Free Zone. The de-minimis threshold is USD 100 for courier consignments.

Conformity is the part most first-time importers underestimate: Conformity requirements for regulated goods; health registration for food and cosmetics. Getting this wrong is expensive because it usually cannot be fixed after the cargo has landed.

Restrictions and known friction points for Panama: Free Zone re-export and Panamanian domestic import are different regimes — clarify which applies. Canal transit conditions can affect Atlantic-side schedules during low-water periods.

Air cargo build-up used on the China to David (Panama) freight lane — Handling on the PTY air / Balboa sea routing serving David.

Air, sea or overland into David?

Mode	Transit to gateway	Best suited to
✈️ Air Freight	4–6 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 Panama gateway and excludes the +1 day inland leg to David and 2–5 days of clearance.

Pre-shipment checklist for David

Check the de-minimis position (USD 100 for courier consignments) against your invoice value before you decide how to split the shipment.
Get the conformity paperwork moving early: Conformity requirements for regulated goods; health registration for food and cosmetics.
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: +1 day beyond gateway clearance to reach David.
Use ISPM-15 treated pallets. Untreated wood is the most common reason otherwise-clean cargo gets held.
Put the David delivery address, contact name and phone number on the invoice, not just the packing list.

Mode guides for David

Frequently asked questions

How long does shipping from China to David take?

China to the Panama gateway is 4–6 business days by air, 22–30 calendar days by sea. On top of that, allow 2–5 days of clearance with Autoridad Nacional de Aduanas de Panamá and a +1 day inland leg to David.

What duty and tax will I pay importing into David?

Autoridad Nacional de Aduanas de Panamá applies: ITBMS 7%; duty 0–15%, with 0% inside the Colón Free Zone. The de-minimis position is USD 100 for courier consignments. Under a DDP arrangement these are pre-paid, so nothing is collected on arrival in David.

How is the chargeable weight calculated for David?

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–Panama lane?

Space and rates tighten around Sep–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.

Can you deliver door-to-door in David?

Yes. Delivery to a David address is quoted as one figure covering freight, duty and tax owed to Autoridad Nacional de Aduanas de Panamá, 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 David?

Yes. Battery cargo by air follows IATA PI 965–970 depending on how the cells are packed, and moves on certified channels via PTY (Panama City Tocumen). Surcharges apply and the declaration has to be made before booking.

Other delivery cities in Panama

All Panama freight information →

References & official sources

Duty rates, thresholds and conformity requirements for Panama 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 Autoridad Nacional de Aduanas de Panamá 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 Panama duty position yourself

Duty and tax figures on this page are planning estimates. The binding assessment is made by Autoridad Nacional de Aduanas de Panamá 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.

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

How to Ship Internationally via Ocean Freight | Step-by-Step Process, Documents & Cost Explained — 10 Min For Supply Chain. 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 David

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 Panama route page →

Customs clearance in Panama

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

Panama clearance requirements →