Shipping from China to Callao
China → Callao · via LIM air / Callao sea · clearance by SUNAT — Superintendencia Nacional de Aduanas
Freight from China into Callao clears through LIM air / Callao sea. Callao is the port district adjoining Lima, and the inland leg is same-day, so the clearance date is effectively the delivery date.
Clearance itself is handled by SUNAT — Superintendencia Nacional de Aduanas, and typical dwell at the gateway runs 3–8 days.
Duty, tax and clearance into Callao
Imports into Peru are cleared by SUNAT — Superintendencia Nacional de Aduanas. The headline position is: IGV 18%; duty 0–11%, with 0% on most goods under the China–Peru free trade agreement. The de-minimis threshold is 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.
Routing and transit on this lane
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 |
| Sea gateways used | Callao, Chancay, Paita |
| Sea transit, China to gateway | 22–30 calendar days to Chancay, 26–34 to Callao |
| Gateway serving Callao | LIM air / Callao sea |
| Inland leg to Callao | Same day from the gateway |
| Typical clearance / dwell | 3–8 days |
| Peak season to plan around | Sep–Nov |
Pre-shipment checklist for Callao
- Confirm the consignee in Callao can act as importer of record — SUNAT — Superintendencia Nacional de Aduanas will not release cargo to an unregistered party.
- Photograph carton markings and seal numbers before departure — it makes any claim far easier to settle.
- Get the conformity paperwork moving early: Certificate of origin for FTA preference; DIGEMID or DIGESA registration for health and food products.
- Book earlier than the transit time suggests during Sep–Nov, when space on this lane tightens.
- Check the de-minimis position (USD 200 for courier consignments) against your invoice value before you decide how to split the shipment.
- Ask for the HS code in writing from your supplier and verify the Peru duty rate against it yourself.
Air, sea or overland into Callao?
| 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 to Chancay, 26–34 to Callao | volume cargo where cost per kilo matters more than speed |
Transit shown is China departure to the Peru gateway and excludes the same-day inland leg to Callao and 3–8 days of clearance.
Mode guides for Callao
Frequently asked questions
How long does shipping from China to Callao take?
China to the Peru gateway is 4–6 business days by air, 22–30 calendar days to Chancay, 26–34 to Callao by sea. On top of that, allow 3–8 days of clearance with SUNAT — Superintendencia Nacional de Aduanas and a same-day inland leg to Callao.
What duty and tax will I pay importing into Callao?
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 Callao.
Which port or airport does cargo for Callao clear through?
Cargo for Callao is routed via LIM air / Callao sea. Sea gateways for Peru are Callao, Chancay, Paita; air gateways are LIM (Lima Jorge Chávez). We pick whichever gives the shortest total door time for your address.
How is the chargeable weight calculated for Callao?
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.
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.
Is sea freight cheaper than air freight into Callao?
Per kilo, yes — usually by a wide margin. The trade-off is time: 22–30 calendar days to Chancay, 26–34 to Callao by sea versus 4–6 business days by air to the Peru 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 Peru
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.
- SUNAT — Aduanas
- 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: 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.
- Toys Toys, Sports, Outdoor & Leisure
- Baby Products Consumer Goods & Gifts
- Bathroom Accessories Consumer Goods & Gifts
- E-commerce Fulfilment E-commerce & Retail Channels
- Bearings Metal Products & Industrial Components
- Automation Equipment General Machinery & Industrial Equipment
- Electronics Manufacturing Equipment Specialised Production Machinery
- Generators New Energy, Power & Electrical
- Automotive Parts Automotive & Vehicles
- Prefabricated Building Building Materials & Construction Products
- Plumbing Products Building Materials & Construction Products
- Injection Molded Parts Plastics, Rubber & Packaging
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.
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 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 Callao. 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 Callao
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.
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 →Priced routes to Peru
- Ningbo to Callao Container Shipping — 40HQ Rates
- Shanghai to Callao Container Shipping — 40HQ Rates
- Shanghai to Paita FCL Ocean Freight Rates | 20GP & 40HQ
- Ship Ningbo to Chancay — FCL Container Cost from China
- Ship Ningbo to Paita — FCL Container Cost from China
- Ship Shanghai to Chancay — FCL Container Cost from China