Looking for the destination side of this lane — duty, importer of record and certification? Open the Egypt destination guide.
How long does shipping from China take?
| Mode | Typical time | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Ocean freight FCL | 20–24 days | Port to port into Ain Sokhna on the direct CULines service from Ningbo, Nansha and Shekou; 34–42 days into Alexandria and Port Said on current forwarder tables, and ONE still routes China–Alexandria via the Cape at 58–68 days |
| Ocean freight LCL | 32–38 days | Port to port on weekly consolidations; door-to-door quoted with the booking |
| Air freight | 3–7 days | Airport to airport to Cairo on forwarder-published transit, 3–5 days on the faster routings |
| Express courier | Confirmed per shipment | Carrier sites publish no readable door-to-door days; DHL requires the ACID number at booking from 1 April 2026 |
Typical ranges measured from supplier pickup to signed delivery. They are not a commitment; the binding range is issued with your quotation.
Lane facts
| Loading from | Ningbo, Nansha and Shekou on the direct service; Shanghai and Yantian via transhipment |
| Destination ports | Ain Sokhna (direct calls), Alexandria Old and El Dekheila, Port Said East and West, Damietta, Abu Kir |
| Direct sailings | Direct CULines China–Sokhna loop since January 2026; Gemini AE11/AE12 Asia–Med services have returned to Suez; other strings still route via the Cape — confirmed per booking |
| Container options | 20GP, 40GP and 40HQ; LCL accepted from 1 CBM |
| Duty and tax | Duty by HS line; VAT 14% standard rate — goods under USD 150 can enter duty free but VAT still applies |
| Pre-arrival registration | An ACID number from NAFEZA/CargoX is mandatory before departure — since 1 January 2026 for air as well as sea — and is valid six months |
| Importer of record | Must be on GOEIC’s Importers Register; the general rule is 51% Egyptian ownership, with a new time-limited foreign route under Decree 271/2026 |
| Certification | GOEIC registration of foreign manufacturers under Decrees 992/2015 and 43/2016 for listed product groups; Egyptian standards from EOS; NFSA governs food |
| Surcharges | From 15 September 2026 MSC applies a USD 55/TEU piracy surcharge and a USD 36/TEU Suez surcharge on Asia–East Med strings |
| Quote turnaround | A formal quotation is issued within one hour once the cargo details are complete |
What does this cover?
Egypt is a document-first lane: the importer must be registered with GOEIC and the shipment must carry an ACID number issued through NAFEZA before it sails. We build the ACID and the certification into the timeline instead of treating them as arrival problems.
Who is this for?
- Commercial imports for wholesale, retail and distribution
- Factory-to-buyer shipments arranged on a delivered or port-to-port basis
- Consolidated cargo from several Chinese suppliers
- Buyers who need a duty-paid door price rather than a port-to-port rate
What is included in the service?
- China pickup, consolidation and warehouse handling where the scope includes it
- The transport combination quoted — ocean, rail, road, air or express
- Export declaration and shipping document guidance
- Destination clearance under the confirmed arrangement where a door scope is quoted
- Delivery to the agreed address within the quoted delivery area
What do you need from us to quote?
- Product name, material, use and photographs
- Declared value with currency and whether the goods carry a brand
- Piece count, gross weight, volume and package dimensions
- China origin city or the supplier address
- Destination city, full address and postcode
- Address type: commercial, residential, warehouse or free zone
- Whether the consignee can act as importer of record if the destination requires it
- Any battery, liquid, powder, magnet or regulated attribute
- Cargo-ready date and any required delivery window
Who is responsible for what?
| Scope | Company | Customer | Responsibility transfers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Door to door |
|
| Responsibility passes on delivery and signature at the agreed destination address. |
What does the quotation cover?
The quotation states the total for the scope described in it. It is built from the cargo data, the origin and destination, the transport mode and the delivery scope agreed at that time.
What is included?
- China pickup and consolidation as quoted
- Export declaration and main transport on the quoted routing
- Destination import clearance under the confirmed arrangement
- Duty and tax for the declared goods where the scope is DDP
- Delivery to the agreed address within the quoted delivery area
What is not included?
- Customs revaluation where the declared value is not accepted
- Certification, registration or testing required by the destination authority
- Storage, demurrage and inspection costs arising at either customs point
- Remote-area delivery outside the quoted area
- Unloading equipment or labour at the destination address
What might cost extra?
- Remote or difficult-access delivery beyond the standard service area
- Customs inspection, holds or revaluation at either end
- Storage where cargo cannot be dispatched inside the agreed free period
- Detention and demurrage when a container or vehicle is held beyond free time
- Oversized, overweight or special loading equipment
- Cargo that arrives without the documents required for the confirmed route
- Special cargo approved after review but requiring extra handling or documentation
- Address change, re-delivery or a failed delivery appointment after dispatch
- Peak-season or fuel surcharges applied by the carrier
- Duty or tax reassessment where customs does not accept the declared value
Freight rates and space change with the market, so each quotation carries its own validity period. Once it expires, or if the rate or space changes before booking, the price is reconfirmed before dispatch.
Cargo is weighed and measured after it reaches the warehouse. If the piece count, weight, volume, packing, cargo attributes or delivery address differ from the original inquiry, the charge is recalculated and sent to you for confirmation before payment and dispatch.
How long does each stage take?
Transit is counted from the stated start point to the stated end point for each stage. Carrier schedules, port and customs conditions, and the destination delivery arrangement all affect the outcome.
- Pickup and warehouse intake: Typically 1–3 days from supplier release (calculated from Pickup arranged from the supplier address to Cargo received, counted, weighed and measured at the warehouse)
- Consolidation and waiting: Typically 2–5 days, longer if later suppliers are still producing (calculated from Cargo accepted at the warehouse to Container loaded and sealed, or cargo handed to the carrier)
- Export and ocean transit: Typically 20–24 days port to port into Ain Sokhna direct; Mediterranean ports run longer on current tables (calculated from Container loaded on board to Vessel arriving at the destination port)
- Import clearance and duty handling: Documents are filed with the ACID at least 48 hours before arrival; 2026 raised inspection levels for some categories, so the clearance window is confirmed at booking (calculated from Vessel arrival at the destination port to Customs released and duty or tax settled where the scope includes it)
- Final delivery: Typically 1–3 days in Cairo and Alexandria; longer to inland industrial zones (calculated from Customs released to Delivered to the agreed address and signed for)
Estimated total: An estimated total is issued with the quotation, expressed as a range with the calculation start and end points stated. It is an estimate, not a guaranteed arrival date.
Last verified 2026-09-15.
How is the shipment handled?
Illustrations generated for this page, showing the handling stages your cargo moves through. They are not photographs of a specific shipment.


What must be confirmed before booking?
- An ACID number must be issued through NAFEZA/CargoX before departure — allow 3–5 working days for the filing — or the shipment risks refusal at load or arrival
- The importer must appear on GOEIC’s Importers Register; a foreign seller cannot act as importer of record
- Suez and Cape routings coexist in 2026; the rotation and its surcharges are confirmed at booking
- Certification requirements are product-group specific and confirmed from the product details before shipping
- Storage and demurrage after the free days fall outside the quoted scope
What mistakes should we avoid?
- Booking the cargo before the ACID is issued — the number must exist before departure and quoting it late risks refusal or fines
- Reading a Cape-era 35–45 day table as current — the direct Sokhna service runs 20–24 days
- Shipping listed product groups without GOEIC registration of the foreign manufacturer
- Assuming a foreign seller can import into Egypt — the register requires an Egyptian entity