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Africa

Shipping from China to Saint-Paul

China → Saint-Paul · via RUN air / Port Reunion sea · clearance by Douane française (EU customs territory)

Freight forwarding from China to Saint-Paul, Reunion — container and air cargo handling
Cargo handling on the China–Saint-Paul lane.

For buyers shipping into Saint-Paul, the practical question is not the ocean or flight time but what happens after arrival. Saint-Paul is western coastal commercial area; cargo enters through RUN air / Port Reunion sea, and the inland leg is same-day, so the clearance date is effectively the delivery date.

On the destination side, Douane française (EU customs territory) handles clearance; budget 3–8 days of dwell before the cargo is released.

Routing and transit on this lane

Réunion is part of the EU customs territory, so EU tariff and CE marking rules apply — but the octroi de mer dock due, which does not exist in mainland France, can add far more to landed cost than the customs duty itself. Its rate depends on whether an equivalent product is made locally, so classification research genuinely pays here.

Air gateways usedRUN (Saint-Denis Roland Garros)
Air transit, China to gateway5–8 business days
Sea gateways usedPort Réunion (Le Port)
Sea transit, China to gateway24–34 calendar days
Gateway serving Saint-PaulRUN air / Port Reunion sea
Inland leg to Saint-PaulSame day from the gateway
Typical clearance / dwell3–8 days
Peak season to plan aroundSep–Nov

What you will pay on arrival in Reunion

Douane française (EU customs territory) assesses duty and tax on cargo arriving for Saint-Paul consignees. Current regime: Reduced VAT of 8.5% plus octroi de mer — a local dock due of 6.5–60% that is unique to the French overseas departments, with a de-minimis position of EUR 150 for duty; VAT applies from the first euro.

Conformity is the part most first-time importers underestimate: CE marking under EU rules; French labeling requirements. Getting this wrong is expensive because it usually cannot be fixed after the cargo has landed.

Restrictions and known friction points for Reunion: Octroi de mer is the dominant cost element and varies by product and local production status. EU rules otherwise apply in full, including CE marking and French labeling.

Air cargo build-up used on the China to Saint-Paul (Reunion) freight lane
Handling on the RUN air / Port Reunion sea routing serving Saint-Paul.

Air, sea or overland into Saint-Paul?

ModeTransit to gatewayBest suited to
✈️ Air Freight5–8 business daystime-critical, high-value and low-volume cargo
🚢 Sea Freight24–34 calendar daysvolume cargo where cost per kilo matters more than speed

Transit shown is China departure to the Reunion gateway and excludes the same-day inland leg to Saint-Paul and 3–8 days of clearance.

Pre-shipment checklist for Saint-Paul

  • Photograph carton markings and seal numbers before departure — it makes any claim far easier to settle.
  • Compare gross weight against volumetric weight (L×W×H ÷ 6000) — the higher figure is what gets billed on air and express.
  • Declare lithium batteries, magnets, liquids and powders up front — retro-declaring after booking usually means re-planning the whole shipment.
  • Confirm the consignee in Saint-Paul can act as importer of record — Douane française (EU customs territory) will not release cargo to an unregistered party.
  • Put the Saint-Paul delivery address, contact name and phone number on the invoice, not just the packing list.
  • Get the conformity paperwork moving early: CE marking under EU rules; French labeling requirements.

Mode guides for Saint-Paul

Frequently asked questions

How long does shipping from China to Saint-Paul take?

China to the Reunion gateway is 5–8 business days by air, 24–34 calendar days by sea. On top of that, allow 3–8 days of clearance with Douane française (EU customs territory) and a same-day inland leg to Saint-Paul.

What duty and tax will I pay importing into Saint-Paul?

Douane française (EU customs territory) applies: Reduced VAT of 8.5% plus octroi de mer — a local dock due of 6.5–60% that is unique to the French overseas departments. The de-minimis position is EUR 150 for duty; VAT applies from the first euro. Under a DDP arrangement these are pre-paid, so nothing is collected on arrival in Saint-Paul.

Can you deliver door-to-door in Saint-Paul?

Yes. Delivery to a Saint-Paul address is quoted as one figure covering freight, duty and tax owed to Douane française (EU customs territory), 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.

How is the chargeable weight calculated for Saint-Paul?

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 certification do I need for Reunion?

For regulated goods, plan for: CE marking under EU rules; French labeling requirements. 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 Douane française (EU customs territory) 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 (CE marking under EU rules; French labeling requirements). We prepare and file these as part of the service.

Other delivery cities in Reunion

All Reunion freight information →

References & official sources

Duty rates, thresholds and conformity requirements for Reunion 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 Douane française (EU customs territory) 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 Reunion duty position yourself

Duty and tax figures on this page are planning estimates. The binding assessment is made by Douane française (EU customs territory) 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.

Watch: the process behind this route

This guide covers routing and clearance for Saint-Paul. 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 Saint-Paul

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.

    Customs clearance in Reunion

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

    Reunion clearance requirements →