✈️ Air Freight

Air Freight from China to Arequipa

China → Arequipa · via AQP air / Matarani sea · clearance by SUNAT — Superintendencia Nacional de Aduanas

Cargo handling on the China–Arequipa lane.

For buyers shipping into Arequipa, the practical question is not the ocean or flight time but what happens after arrival. Arequipa is southern commercial and mining center; cargo enters through AQP air / Matarani sea, and allow +2 days for the inland leg on top of clearance.

The clearing authority is SUNAT — Superintendencia Nacional de Aduanas. Historical dwell on this gateway is around 3–8 days, and it lengthens in Sep–Nov.

Duty, tax and clearance into Arequipa

SUNAT — Superintendencia Nacional de Aduanas assesses duty and tax on cargo arriving for Arequipa consignees. Current regime: IGV 18%; duty 0–11%, with 0% on most goods under the China–Peru free trade agreement, with a de-minimis position of USD 200 for courier consignments.

Conformity is the part most first-time importers underestimate: Certificate of origin for FTA preference; DIGEMID or DIGESA registration for health and food products. Getting this wrong is expensive because it usually cannot be fixed after the cargo has landed.

Restrictions and known friction points for Peru: FTA preference requires a valid certificate of origin. Health, food and cosmetic products need consignee-side registration before arrival. Chancay's inland connections are still maturing — confirm the final trucking arrangement.

What the routing looks like in practice

The Chancay megaport opened in late 2024 and created the first direct Shanghai–South America service, cutting roughly a week off the traditional Callao routing that transships in Mexico or Panama. For cargo destined to Lima it is now worth quoting Chancay and Callao separately — the difference in transit is material, and Chancay is positioning itself as a redistribution hub for the whole west coast.

Air gateways used	LIM (Lima Jorge Chávez)
Air transit, China to gateway	4–6 business days
Gateway serving Arequipa	AQP air / Matarani sea
Inland leg to Arequipa	+2 days from the gateway
Typical clearance / dwell	3–8 days
Peak season to plan around	Sep–Nov

Air cargo build-up used on the China to Arequipa (Peru) freight lane — Handling on the AQP air / Matarani sea routing serving Arequipa.

Pre-shipment checklist for Arequipa

Confirm the consignee in Arequipa can act as importer of record — SUNAT — Superintendencia Nacional de Aduanas will not release cargo to an unregistered party.
Declare lithium batteries, magnets, liquids and powders up front — retro-declaring after booking usually means re-planning the whole shipment.
Ask for the HS code in writing from your supplier and verify the Peru duty rate against it yourself.
Plan around the China-side windows too: Chinese New Year and Golden Week both compress capacity on the Peru lane.
Book earlier than the transit time suggests during Sep–Nov, when space on this lane tightens.
Photograph carton markings and seal numbers before departure — it makes any claim far easier to settle.

Frequently asked questions

How long does shipping from China to Arequipa take?

China to the Peru gateway is 4–6 business days. On top of that, allow 3–8 days of clearance with SUNAT — Superintendencia Nacional de Aduanas and a +2 days inland leg to Arequipa.

What duty and tax will I pay importing into Arequipa?

SUNAT — Superintendencia Nacional de Aduanas applies: IGV 18%; duty 0–11%, with 0% on most goods under the China–Peru free trade agreement. The de-minimis position is USD 200 for courier consignments. Under a DDP arrangement these are pre-paid, so nothing is collected on arrival in Arequipa.

Can you ship batteries or sensitive cargo to Arequipa?

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

When is the busiest time on the China–Peru 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.

What certification do I need for Peru?

For regulated goods, plan for: Certificate of origin for FTA preference; DIGEMID or DIGESA registration for health and food products. 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.

What documents does SUNAT — Superintendencia Nacional de Aduanas 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 (Certificate of origin for FTA preference; DIGEMID or DIGESA registration for health and food products). We prepare and file these as part of the service.

Other delivery cities in Peru

All Peru freight information →

References & official sources

Duty rates, thresholds and conformity requirements for Peru 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 SUNAT — Superintendencia Nacional de Aduanas 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 Peru duty position yourself

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

On the air side, anything with a cell or a battery in it, plus liquids, powders, magnets and aerosols, is governed by the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations. Those articles are not refused outright, but they need to be declared at booking so the shipment is built correctly — declaring them late is the single most common cause of an air consignment being offloaded.

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 Peru actually works — documentation norms, inspection behavior, the paperwork that tends to hold shipments — the U.S. ITA guide to Peru 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 Arequipa. The video below covers the wider shipping process that sits around it.

Customs Clearance & Export/Import Procedures Explained | International Trade Made Simple — International Trade Talk. 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 Arequipa

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 Peru route page →

Customs clearance in Peru

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

Peru clearance requirements →