Air Freight from China to Manila
China → Manila · via MNL air / MICT sea · clearance by Bureau of Customs (BOC)
For buyers shipping into Manila, the practical question is not the ocean or flight time but what happens after arrival. Manila is capital region and the largest single import destination; cargo enters through MNL air / MICT sea, and the inland leg is same-day, so the clearance date is effectively the delivery date.
Clearance itself is handled by Bureau of Customs (BOC), and typical dwell at the gateway runs 4–9 days.
What the routing looks like in practice
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.
| Air gateways used | MNL (Manila), CEB (Cebu), CRK (Clark) |
|---|---|
| Air transit, China to gateway | 3–5 business days |
| Gateway serving Manila | MNL air / MICT sea |
| Inland leg to Manila | Same day from the gateway |
| Typical clearance / dwell | 4–9 days |
| Peak season to plan around | Sep–Nov |
Duty, tax and clearance into Manila
Bureau of Customs (BOC) assesses duty and tax on cargo arriving for Manila 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.
What to sort out before the cargo leaves China
- Check the de-minimis position (PHP 10,000) against your invoice value before you decide how to split the shipment.
- Put the Manila delivery address, contact name and phone number on the invoice, not just the packing list.
- 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: same-day delivery beyond gateway clearance to reach Manila.
- Get the conformity paperwork moving early: BPS Import Commodity Clearance for regulated products; FDA license for food, cosmetics and devices; NTC for radio equipment.
- Plan around the China-side windows too: Chinese New Year and Golden Week both compress capacity on the Philippines lane.
Frequently asked questions
How long does shipping from China to Manila take?
China to the Philippines gateway is 3–5 business days. On top of that, allow 4–9 days of clearance with Bureau of Customs (BOC) and a same-day inland leg to Manila.
What duty and tax will I pay importing into Manila?
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 Manila.
Can you deliver door-to-door in Manila?
Yes. Delivery to a Manila 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.
When is the busiest time on the China–Philippines 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 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.
Is sea freight cheaper than air freight into Manila?
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.
Other delivery cities in Philippines
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.
- Bureau of Customs
- Bureau of Product Standards
- WTO — Tariff Profiles (applied MFN duty by country)
- World Bank — Logistics Performance Index
- ICC — Incoterms 2020 rules (DDP, DAP, FOB definitions)
- IPPC — ISPM 15 wood packaging standard
- WCO — Harmonized System nomenclature
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.
- 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
- Ceramic Tableware Glass & Ceramic Products
- Tableware Furniture & Home Products
- Display Stands Retail, Display & Commercial Fixtures
- Umbrellas Consumer Goods & Gifts
- Bearings Metal Products & Industrial Components
- Solar Panel New Energy, Power & Electrical
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.
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.
If this is your first shipment into Philippines, the Philippines 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 Manila. The video below covers the wider shipping process that sits around it.
Air Freight from China: Soaring Through the Skies of Global Trade — 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 Philippines
Duty and tax position, certification, typical port dwell and what actually holds shipments at this border — plus who files the entry.
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