Shipping from China to Lima
China → Lima · via LIM air / Chancay sea · clearance by SUNAT — Superintendencia Nacional de Aduanas

We move freight cargo from South China into Lima through LIM air / Chancay sea. Lima is capital and the destination for most imports, which shapes the kind of cargo that moves on this lane and how it should be packed.
Clearance itself is handled by SUNAT — Superintendencia Nacional de Aduanas, and typical dwell at the gateway runs 3–8 days.
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 Lima | LIM air / Chancay sea |
| Inland leg to Lima | Same day from the gateway |
| Typical clearance / dwell | 3–8 days |
| Peak season to plan around | Sep–Nov |
Import duty and tax position for Lima
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.

Air, sea or overland into Lima?
| 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 Lima and 3–8 days of clearance.
Pre-shipment checklist for Lima
- Put the Lima delivery address, contact name and phone number on the invoice, not just the packing list.
- Get the conformity paperwork moving early: Certificate of origin for FTA preference; DIGEMID or DIGESA registration for health and food products.
- Photograph carton markings and seal numbers before departure — it makes any claim far easier to settle.
- Use ISPM-15 treated pallets. Untreated wood is the most common reason otherwise-clean cargo gets held.
- Budget for the inland leg: same-day delivery beyond gateway clearance to reach Lima.
- Declare lithium batteries, magnets, liquids and powders up front — retro-declaring after booking usually means re-planning the whole shipment.
Mode guides for Lima
Frequently asked questions
How long does shipping from China to Lima 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 Lima.
What duty and tax will I pay importing into Lima?
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 Lima.
Is sea freight cheaper than air freight into Lima?
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.
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.
Can you deliver door-to-door in Lima?
Yes. Delivery to a Lima address is quoted as one figure covering freight, duty and tax owed to SUNAT — Superintendencia Nacional de Aduanas, and the same-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.
Which port or airport does cargo for Lima clear through?
Cargo for Lima is routed via LIM air / Chancay 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.
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: 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.
- 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
- Salon Furniture Beauty, Personal Care & Wellness
- Sheet Metal Metal Products & Industrial Components
- Compressors General Machinery & Industrial Equipment
- Electrical Cabinets New Energy, Power & Electrical
- Flooring Building Materials & Construction Products
- Plastic Products 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.
If this is your first shipment into Peru, the Peru 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 Lima. 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 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
