Consignments to China are subject to import duty and tax. Low value items such as gifts, personal effects or business samples to China under a value of 250 Renminbi (Around £25) will not normally incur any import duty or tax.

China applies a VAT rate of 17% on most items, however some products may be charged at a lower rate of 13%. Some items such as laptops and other electronic products can be imported duty free, however most products will incur duty, with the average duty charge being around 12%. To find out how much duty and tax your shipment will incur, you first need to check the harmonisation code for your product, then check the rates for each product.

If you're shipping from China to the UK then your goods will be subject to customs clearance in the UK, and may also undergo clearance before leaving China. Learn more about importing from China to the UK

If you want to send food to China, both the sender and receiver will need to register with CIQ (China inspection and quarantine).

Depending on the type of food your sending you may need to also provide additional paperwork for customs clearance.

China has seven national holidays each year, including Chinese New Year. Deliveries are not made on public holidays.

2024 Public Holidays in China *

• 1. New Year's Day – 1st January
• 2. Chinese New Year – 8th February to 12th February
• 3. Qingming – 4th April
• 4. May Day – 2ndMay
• 5. Dragon Boat – 9th & 10th June
• 6. Mid-Autumn Day – 15th & 16th September
• 7. National Day – 3rd – 7th October

* Only working days shown, some public holidays above also include weekends which are not detailed as deliveries are only made on working days.

Whether you're sending a parcel to Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong or any other territory of China, it's really important you package your items safely for international parcel delivery.

If you're shipping large or heavy items to China, we recommend palletising any packages weighing more than 50 kg in weight. For boxes weighing over 10 kg we recommend using a double lined box. Regardless of the size or weight of your shipment, we recommend you follow our packaging guidelines

As a minimum you should always:

1. Use a strong, unused box (double lined boxes are recommended)
2. Fill out the box with packaging material to make sure there is no movement inside the box.
3. ake sure all the items are suspended inside the box and the product is not touching the inside walls of the box as this can make them more susceptible to damage.