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🚢 Sea Freight

Sea Freight from China to Cavite

China → Cavite · via MNL air / MICT sea · clearance by Bureau of Customs (BOC)

Sea Freight from China to Cavite, Philippines — cargo handling at the departure terminal
Cargo handling on the China–Cavite lane.

For buyers shipping into Cavite, the practical question is not the ocean or flight time but what happens after arrival. Cavite is industrial estates and export processing zones south of Manila; cargo enters through MNL air / MICT sea, and the inland leg is same-day, so the clearance date is effectively the delivery date.

On the destination side, Bureau of Customs (BOC) handles clearance; budget 4–9 days of dwell before the cargo is released.

Import duty and tax position for Cavite

Bureau of Customs (BOC) assesses duty and tax on cargo arriving for Cavite consignees. Current regime: VAT 12%; duty 0–30%, with ACFTA preference available on a Form E, with a de-minimis position of PHP 10,000.

Conformity is the part most first-time importers underestimate: BPS Import Commodity Clearance for regulated products; FDA license for food, cosmetics and devices; NTC for radio equipment. Getting this wrong is expensive because it usually cannot be fixed after the cargo has landed.

Restrictions and known friction points for Philippines: Consolidated 'balikbayan'-style mixed cargo attracts extra scrutiny. Used clothing is prohibited. Alert Orders and physical examination are common, so allow buffer days on any deadline-driven shipment.

Routing and transit on this lane

Manila port congestion is the defining risk on this lane — dwell can double during the Q4 retail build-up. Cebu and Davao are viable direct calls for Visayas and Mindanao consignees and often clear faster than Manila, so it is worth quoting the regional port rather than trucking from MICT.

Sea gateways usedManila (MICT and South Harbor), Cebu, Davao
Sea transit, China to gateway5–10 calendar days
Gateway serving CaviteMNL air / MICT sea
Inland leg to CaviteSame day from the gateway
Typical clearance / dwell4–9 days
Peak season to plan aroundSep–Nov
Container terminal operations used on the China to Cavite (Philippines) freight lane
Handling on the MNL air / MICT sea routing serving Cavite.

Pre-shipment checklist for Cavite

  • Get the conformity paperwork moving early: BPS Import Commodity Clearance for regulated products; FDA license for food, cosmetics and devices; NTC for radio equipment.
  • Book earlier than the transit time suggests during Sep–Nov, when space on this lane tightens.
  • Confirm the consignee in Cavite can act as importer of record — Bureau of Customs (BOC) will not release cargo to an unregistered party.
  • Put the Cavite delivery address, contact name and phone number on the invoice, not just the packing list.
  • Use ISPM-15 treated pallets. Untreated wood is the most common reason otherwise-clean cargo gets held.
  • Ask for the HS code in writing from your supplier and verify the Philippines duty rate against it yourself.

Frequently asked questions

How long does shipping from China to Cavite take?

China to the Philippines gateway is 5–10 calendar days. On top of that, allow 4–9 days of clearance with Bureau of Customs (BOC) and a same-day inland leg to Cavite.

What duty and tax will I pay importing into Cavite?

Bureau of Customs (BOC) applies: VAT 12%; duty 0–30%, with ACFTA preference available on a Form E. The de-minimis position is PHP 10,000. Under a DDP arrangement these are pre-paid, so nothing is collected on arrival in Cavite.

What certification do I need for Philippines?

For regulated goods, plan for: BPS Import Commodity Clearance for regulated products; FDA license for food, cosmetics and devices; NTC for radio equipment. 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.

Is sea freight cheaper than air freight into Cavite?

Per kilo, yes — usually by a wide margin. The trade-off is time: 5–10 calendar days by sea versus 3–5 business days by air to the Philippines 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.

What documents does Bureau of Customs (BOC) 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 (BPS Import Commodity Clearance for regulated products; FDA license for food, cosmetics and devices; NTC for radio equipment). We prepare and file these as part of the service.

Can you deliver door-to-door in Cavite?

Yes. Delivery to a Cavite address is quoted as one figure covering freight, duty and tax owed to Bureau of Customs (BOC), 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.

Other delivery cities in Philippines

All Philippines freight information →

References & official sources

Duty rates, thresholds and conformity requirements for Philippines 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 Bureau of Customs (BOC) or your broker before you ship.

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.

All 60 industry guides →

Checking the Philippines duty position yourself

Treat the landed-cost numbers here as a planning baseline. Philippine Bureau of Customs sets the rate that actually gets charged, assessed against your HS classification at the moment of clearance, so their own guidance is worth reading before a large 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 Philippines actually works — documentation norms, inspection behavior, the paperwork that tends to hold shipments — the U.S. ITA guide to Philippines 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 Cavite. The video below covers the wider shipping process that sits around it.

Bills of Lading 101 - What Is a Bill of Lading — Flexport. 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 Cavite

This lane is quoted per shipment rather than from a rate card: the landed cost depends on the commodity, its density, the conformity requirements above and the delivery point. Send the cargo details and we price it properly.

Answer these and you get a real price, not a range. These are the exact figures a carrier needs before it will quote. Fill them in once and we can price your cargo the same day — leave them out and we have to come back and ask, which is what turns an hour into a week.

kg
ctn
Carton sizeoptional
× × cm
m³
ctr
Built-in battery?* Lithium cells are dangerous goods.
Someone else's brand?* Logos you are not authorised to ship.
Magnetic product?* Speakers, motors, magnets.
Why these three decide everything

They determine whether your cargo can fly, and on which service. A declared battery changes the price; an undeclared one grounds the shipment at the airport and you pay storage while it sits. Unauthorised brands are seized at customs and the freight is lost with them. Magnetic goods need a field test — routine, but it has to be booked ahead. Telling us now costs a click; telling us later costs the shipment.

Sea or air?*
Tick both and we quote both.
When should it move?optional
Photographs of the goodsoptional
    Your details are used to prepare this quotation and nothing else.

    See the Philippines route page →

    Customs clearance in Philippines

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

    Philippines clearance requirements →

    Priced routes to Philippines