Looking for the destination side of this lane — duty, importer of record and certification? Open the Georgia destination guide.
How long does shipping from China take?
| Mode | Typical time | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
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 | Xi’an, Chengdu, Chongqing, Zhengzhou, Wuhan, Guangzhou and Yiwu rail hubs; Shenzhen and Shanghai for sea |
| Destination gateways | Tbilisi rail terminal; Poti and Batumi on the Black Sea; TBS by air |
| Routing | Alashankou or Khorgos exit, gauge change at Dostyk, rail across Kazakhstan to Aktau, Caspian feeder to Baku, rail to Tbilisi |
| Rail frequency | Weekly departures from the main China rail hubs |
| Container options | 20GP, 40GP and 40HQ; LCL accepted from 1 CBM |
| Duty and tax | Import duty 0%, 5% or 12% by tariff line — nearly 90% of goods enter duty free — plus 18% VAT |
| Personal allowance | Consignments up to GEL 500 and 30 kg per 30 days enter free of duty, VAT and excise |
| Importer of record | The import declaration is filed by a Georgian-registered importer or its representative; the structure is confirmed per shipment |
| Quote turnaround | A formal quotation is issued within one hour once the cargo details are complete |
What does this cover?
Georgia is served by Black Sea ports, by the Middle Corridor rail and Caspian route, and by air into Tbilisi. We confirm which combination fits once the commodity, volume and required date are known.
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 and checked at the warehouse)
- Consolidation and rail loading: Typically 3–7 days until the next block train departs (calculated from Cargo accepted at the warehouse to Container loaded on the train)
- Export and rail transit: Typically 18–22 days to Tbilisi station, including the Caspian crossing (calculated from Container loaded on the train to Arrival at the destination rail terminal)
- Import clearance and duty handling: Typically 1–3 days when the declaration and payment are in order (calculated from Arrival at the destination rail terminal to Customs released)
- Final delivery: Typically 1–2 days inside Tbilisi (calculated from Customs released to Delivered to the consignee)
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?
- Direct ocean transit from South China to Poti or Batumi is not published, so sea freight is quoted as a transhipment with the routing confirmed at booking
- Caspian feeder capacity tightens in peak season and wagon shortages can add days; no quantified dwell figures are published
- Air and express transit times are confirmed per shipment because carriers do not publish static days for this lane
- Certification and labelling requirements for specific goods are confirmed from the product details
- Transit estimates are provided after the routing is confirmed, not before
What mistakes should we avoid?
- Assuming a delivered duty-paid price is available without confirming the import arrangement
- Supplying a declared value that does not match the commercial invoice
- Leaving certification or registration until the cargo has already arrived
- Treating the transit range as a guaranteed arrival date