🚢 Sea Freight

Sea Freight from China to Moscow

China → Moscow · via SVO air / Manzhouli rail · clearance by Federal Customs Service of Russia (EAEU regime)

Cargo handling on the China–Moscow lane.

Freight from China into Moscow clears through SVO air / Manzhouli rail. Moscow is the largest consumer market and distribution center, and allow +1 day for the inland leg on top of clearance.

Clearance itself is handled by Federal Customs Service of Russia (EAEU regime), and typical dwell at the gateway runs 3–10 days.

Import duty and tax position for Moscow

Imports into Russia are cleared by Federal Customs Service of Russia (EAEU regime). The headline position is: VAT 20%; EAEU common external tariff, typically 0–20%, plus recycling and excise levies on some categories. The de-minimis threshold is EUR 200 for personal parcels under EAEU rules.

Conformity is the part most first-time importers underestimate: EAC conformity mark valid across the Eurasian Economic Union; Russian-language labeling required. Getting this wrong is expensive because it usually cannot be fixed after the cargo has landed.

Restrictions and known friction points for Russia: Export-control and sanctions screening is essential — dual-use goods, electronics and machinery require careful classification and counterparty checks before shipment. EAC certification and Russian labeling are mandatory. Payment routing should be confirmed before booking.

How this lane actually runs

Russia is served three ways from China and the choice matters more here than anywhere else: Vladivostok by sea in under a week then rail west, direct block trains through Manzhouli or Zabaikalsk to Moscow in about 14–20 days, or the long Suez routing to St Petersburg. Rail and Far East capacity are both frequently oversubscribed, so book earlier than the transit time alone would suggest.

Sea gateways used	Vladivostok, Vostochny, Novorossiysk
Sea transit, China to gateway	Vladivostok 3–7 days; St Petersburg 40–55 days via Suez
Gateway serving Moscow	SVO air / Manzhouli rail
Inland leg to Moscow	+1 day from the gateway
Typical clearance / dwell	3–10 days
Peak season to plan around	Sep–Nov

Container terminal operations used on the China to Moscow (Russia) freight lane — Handling on the SVO air / Manzhouli rail routing serving Moscow.

Pre-shipment checklist for Moscow

Confirm the consignee in Moscow can act as importer of record — Federal Customs Service of Russia (EAEU regime) will not release cargo to an unregistered party.
Book earlier than the transit time suggests during Sep–Nov, when space on this lane tightens.
Check the de-minimis position (EUR 200 for personal parcels under EAEU rules) against your invoice value before you decide how to split the shipment.
Budget for the inland leg: +1 day beyond gateway clearance to reach Moscow.
Ask for the HS code in writing from your supplier and verify the Russia duty rate against it yourself.
Use ISPM-15 treated pallets. Untreated wood is the most common reason otherwise-clean cargo gets held.

Frequently asked questions

How long does shipping from China to Moscow take?

China to the Russia gateway is Vladivostok 3–7 days; St Petersburg 40–55 days via Suez. On top of that, allow 3–10 days of clearance with Federal Customs Service of Russia (EAEU regime) and a +1 day inland leg to Moscow.

What duty and tax will I pay importing into Moscow?

Federal Customs Service of Russia (EAEU regime) applies: VAT 20%; EAEU common external tariff, typically 0–20%, plus recycling and excise levies on some categories. The de-minimis position is EUR 200 for personal parcels under EAEU rules. Under a DDP arrangement these are pre-paid, so nothing is collected on arrival in Moscow.

Can you ship batteries or sensitive cargo to Moscow?

Yes. Battery cargo by sea moves under UN3480/UN3481 with an MSDS, and the dangerous-goods documentation is prepared as part of the booking into Vladivostok, Vostochny, Novorossiysk. Surcharges apply and space is more limited than for general cargo.

Can you deliver door-to-door in Moscow?

Yes. Delivery to a Moscow address is quoted as one figure covering freight, duty and tax owed to Federal Customs Service of Russia (EAEU regime), and the +1 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.

What certification do I need for Russia?

For regulated goods, plan for: EAC conformity mark valid across the Eurasian Economic Union; Russian-language labeling required. 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.

How is the chargeable weight calculated for Moscow?

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 Russia

All Russia freight information →

References & official sources

Duty rates, thresholds and conformity requirements for Russia 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 Federal Customs Service of Russia (EAEU regime) or your broker before you ship.

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.

All 139 industry guides →

Checking the Russia duty position yourself

Duty and tax figures on this page are planning estimates. The binding assessment is made by Federal Customs Service of Russia (EAEU regime) 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.

For a wider view of how importing into Russia actually works — documentation norms, inspection behavior, the paperwork that tends to hold shipments — the U.S. ITA guide to Russia 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 Moscow. The video below covers the wider shipping process that sits around it.

LCL vs FCL | Difference Between Full Container Load & Less than Container Load | Which is better ? — 10 Min For Supply Chain. 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 Moscow

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.

Request a quote → See the Russia route page →

Customs clearance in Russia

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

Russia clearance requirements →