Air Freight from China to Saint-Paul
China → Saint-Paul · via RUN air / Port Reunion sea · clearance by Douane française (EU customs territory)
We move air freight cargo from South China into Saint-Paul through RUN air / Port Reunion sea. Saint-Paul is western coastal commercial area, which shapes the kind of cargo that moves on this lane and how it should be packed.
On the destination side, Douane française (EU customs territory) handles clearance; budget 3–8 days of dwell before the cargo is released.
What the routing looks like in practice
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 used | RUN (Saint-Denis Roland Garros) |
|---|---|
| Air transit, China to gateway | 5–8 business days |
| Gateway serving Saint-Paul | RUN air / Port Reunion sea |
| Inland leg to Saint-Paul | Same day from the gateway |
| Typical clearance / dwell | 3–8 days |
| Peak season to plan around | Sep–Nov |
Import duty and tax position for Saint-Paul
Imports into Reunion are cleared by Douane française (EU customs territory). The headline position is: 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 threshold is 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.
Before you book: Saint-Paul checklist
- Use ISPM-15 treated pallets. Untreated wood is the most common reason otherwise-clean cargo gets held.
- 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.
- Check the de-minimis position (EUR 150 for duty; VAT applies from the first euro) against your invoice value before you decide how to split the shipment.
- Declare lithium batteries, magnets, liquids and powders up front — retro-declaring after booking usually means re-planning the whole shipment.
- Budget for the inland leg: same-day delivery beyond gateway clearance to reach Saint-Paul.
- Book earlier than the transit time suggests during Sep–Nov, when space on this lane tightens.
Frequently asked questions
How long does shipping from China to Saint-Paul take?
China to the Reunion gateway is 5–8 business days. 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 ship batteries or sensitive cargo to Saint-Paul?
Yes. Battery cargo by air follows IATA PI 965–970 depending on how the cells are packed, and moves on certified channels via RUN (Saint-Denis Roland Garros). Surcharges apply and the declaration has to be made before booking.
Is sea freight cheaper than air freight into Saint-Paul?
Per kilo, yes — usually by a wide margin. The trade-off is time: 24–34 calendar days by sea versus 5–8 business days by air to the Reunion 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.
Which port or airport does cargo for Saint-Paul clear through?
Cargo for Saint-Paul is routed via RUN air / Port Reunion sea. Sea gateways for Reunion are Port Réunion (Le Port); air gateways are RUN (Saint-Denis Roland Garros). We pick whichever gives the shortest total door time for your address.
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.
Other delivery cities in Reunion
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.
- Douane française
- Octroi de mer — French overseas dock dues
- WTO — Tariff Profiles (applied MFN duty by country)
- ICC — Incoterms 2020 rules (DDP, DAP, FOB definitions)
- IPPC — ISPM 15 wood packaging standard
- WCO — Harmonized System nomenclature
- IMO — IMDG Code for dangerous goods by sea
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.
- Salon Furniture Beauty, Personal Care & Wellness
- Pet Products Consumer Goods & Gifts
- Umbrellas Consumer Goods & Gifts
- Private Label Products E-commerce & Retail Channels
- Bolts Metal Products & Industrial Components
- CNC Machines General Machinery & Industrial Equipment
- Industrial Furnaces General Machinery & Industrial Equipment
- Solar Inverter New Energy, Power & Electrical
- Energy Storage System New Energy, Power & Electrical
- Building Materials Building Materials & Construction Products
- Construction Hardware Building Materials & Construction Products
- Plastic Products Plastics, Rubber & Packaging
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.
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.
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.
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.
Get a rate for Saint-Paul
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 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 →