What does Georgia require before the cargo can be imported?
Georgia is served from China by ocean, air and express, and the arrival-side requirements below are the part that most often changes a landed cost or holds a shipment at the port. Each position is the one we publish for this market and is confirmed per shipment against the actual commodity code and destination city.
What duty, tax and levies apply on arrival?
| Duty and tax | Import duty 0%, 5% or 12% by tariff line — nearly 90% of goods enter duty free — plus 18% VAT |
Who is allowed to import into this market?
| Importer of record | The import declaration is filed by a Georgian-registered importer or its representative; the structure is confirmed per shipment |
What thresholds and reliefs change the cost?
| Personal allowance | Consignments up to GEL 500 and 30 kg per 30 days enter free of duty, VAT and excise |
How long does shipping from China to Georgia take?
Typical door-to-door transit on this lane, by mode. These are working ranges rather than carrier-published schedules, so the exact window is confirmed on booking.
| Mode | Typical transit | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Rail via the Middle Corridor | 25–32 days | Station to station 18–22 days to Tbilisi; weekly departures from the main China hubs |
| Ocean freight FCL | Confirmed per shipment | No published direct South China call into Poti or Batumi; routing and transit confirmed at booking |
| Air freight | Confirmed per shipment | No carrier-published transit days for CAN, SZX, HKG or PVG to TBS |
| Express courier | Confirmed per shipment | Carrier transit times for Georgia are confirmed with the booking |
Which gateway does cargo arrive through in Caucasus?
The gateway is the same for every country in Caucasus; what changes between countries is the duty, importer and certification position above.
| Destination gateways | Tbilisi rail terminal; Poti and Batumi on the Black Sea; TBS by air |
| Gateway ports | Poti and Batumi (Georgia), Baku (Azerbaijan, Caspian) |
| Gateway airports | TBS, GYD, EVN |
| Transhipment | Usually via Istanbul, Piraeus or Constanta |
How do you turn this into a landed cost?
Duty is assessed per commodity code, so the positions above tell you what to prepare rather than what you will pay. Screen the official duty range for the HS chapter your product falls in with the HS chapter duty lookup, then put the rate for your actual code through the landed cost calculator to see duty, import tax and levies on the CIF value. Transit times, loading ports and the operating detail for this lane are on the China to Georgia route page.
Positions reviewed 2026-09-15 by Helen Peng. Duty, importer-of-record and certification answers are confirmed per shipment: a change of commodity code, origin documentation or destination city can change the position.
