🚢 Sea Freight

Sea Freight from China to Kandy

China → Kandy · via CMB air / Colombo sea · clearance by Sri Lanka Customs

Cargo handling on the China–Kandy lane.

Kandy is central highlands commercial center, and it is served through CMB air / Colombo sea. That combination is what actually sets your delivery date on this lane — allow +1 day for the inland leg on top of clearance.

Clearance itself is handled by Sri Lanka Customs, and typical dwell at the gateway runs 3–7 days.

Import duty and tax position for Kandy

Sri Lanka Customs assesses duty and tax on cargo arriving for Kandy consignees. Current regime: VAT 18%; customs duty plus PAL (ports and airports levy) 10% and CESS on selected goods, with a de-minimis position of No practical de-minimis.

Conformity is the part most first-time importers underestimate: SLSI conformity for regulated goods; import control license for restricted categories. Getting this wrong is expensive because it usually cannot be fixed after the cargo has landed.

Restrictions and known friction points for Sri Lanka: Import control licenses apply to a shifting list of non-essential goods. CESS and PAL can add materially to the landed cost on consumer items. Confirm the current license position for your HS code before shipping.

What the routing looks like in practice

Colombo is one of the best-connected transshipment ports in the Indian Ocean, so direct South China sailings are frequent and reliable. Import control licensing has been used repeatedly as a foreign-exchange management tool, so the restricted list should be checked at the time of booking rather than assumed.

Sea gateways used	Colombo, Hambantota, Trincomalee
Sea transit, China to gateway	10–16 calendar days
Gateway serving Kandy	CMB air / Colombo sea
Inland leg to Kandy	+1 day from the gateway
Typical clearance / dwell	3–7 days
Peak season to plan around	Sep–Nov

Container terminal operations used on the China to Kandy (Sri Lanka) freight lane — Handling on the CMB air / Colombo sea routing serving Kandy.

Pre-shipment checklist for Kandy

Photograph carton markings and seal numbers before departure — it makes any claim far easier to settle.
Book earlier than the transit time suggests during Sep–Nov, when space on this lane tightens.
Ask for the HS code in writing from your supplier and verify the Sri Lanka duty rate against it yourself.
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: +1 day beyond gateway clearance to reach Kandy.
Compare gross weight against volumetric weight (L×W×H ÷ 6000) — the higher figure is what gets billed on air and express.

Frequently asked questions

How long does shipping from China to Kandy take?

China to the Sri Lanka gateway is 10–16 calendar days. On top of that, allow 3–7 days of clearance with Sri Lanka Customs and a +1 day inland leg to Kandy.

What duty and tax will I pay importing into Kandy?

Sri Lanka Customs applies: VAT 18%; customs duty plus PAL (ports and airports levy) 10% and CESS on selected goods. The de-minimis position is No practical de-minimis. Under a DDP arrangement these are pre-paid, so nothing is collected on arrival in Kandy.

What documents does Sri Lanka Customs 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 (SLSI conformity for regulated goods; import control license for restricted categories). We prepare and file these as part of the service.

What certification do I need for Sri Lanka?

For regulated goods, plan for: SLSI conformity for regulated goods; import control license for restricted categories. 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.

Can you ship batteries or sensitive cargo to Kandy?

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 Colombo, Hambantota, Trincomalee. Surcharges apply and space is more limited than for general cargo.

Is sea freight cheaper than air freight into Kandy?

Per kilo, yes — usually by a wide margin. The trade-off is time: 10–16 calendar days by sea versus 3–5 business days by air to the Sri Lanka gateway, before clearance and the +1 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 Sri Lanka

All Sri Lanka freight information →

References & official sources

Duty rates, thresholds and conformity requirements for Sri Lanka 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 Sri Lanka Customs 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 Sri Lanka duty position yourself

Duty and tax figures on this page are planning estimates. The binding assessment is made by Sri Lanka Customs 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.

Classification drives everything downstream: the same carton can attract very different duty depending on the heading it lands in, and the structure those headings come from is the World Customs Organization Harmonized System. If your product sits near a boundary between two headings, resolve it before shipping rather than at the border.

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.

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

Sea Freight Shipping Process for Beginners: Complete Factory-to-Door Guide (Every Step Explained) — Vixnk - English. 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 Kandy

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 Sri Lanka route page →

Customs clearance in Sri Lanka

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

Sri Lanka clearance requirements →