Freight Shipping from China to Italy | Rates – Transit times – Duties & Taxes

Do you want to ship freight to Italy? How do you get your products from China and then import them to Italy? You may be thinking, “Of course I do, but is it difficult? In this article, we will give you all the details about the regulations and the different ways of transportation. You will find the transit time, whether by air, rail, or ocean freight, from a Chinese port to an Italian port. But what are the files and documents needed for Italy customs clearance? You've come to the right place. If you follow this article, you may get a surprise.

Sea freight from China to Italy

Overview – Ocean shipping from China to Italy

On March 23, 2019, China and Italy signed the terms of the joint promotion of the construction of the “Belt and Road”, Italy thus became the first in the "Group of Seven" (G7) to formally join the “Belt and Road “The initiative of the developed Western countries. The signing of the “One Belt, One Road” memorandum will not only boost the Italian economy but also create more space for the development of trade between Italy and China.

Italy's main imports from China are electromechanical products and textiles and raw materials, importing $6.78 billion and $2.39 billion from January to June, accounting for 38.3% and 13.5% of total imports from China. Among the mechanical and electrical products, imports of electrical and electrical products were $3.47 billion, up 1.2%, while imports of machinery and equipment were $3.31 billion, up 2.0%.

China was the primary source of imports of Italian textiles and raw materials, furniture and toys, shoes, boots, and umbrellas and other light industrial products, with market shares of 18.3%, 30.6%, and 17.2%, respectively. In addition, China was the second-largest source of imports of Italian mechanical and electrical products, accounting for 16.3% of its market share.

The main shipping seaports in Italy

Gioia Tauro Porto

In 1958, Gioia Tauro was established in Italy as a global shipping port. It is located in Calabria, in southern Italy. In the southeastern Calabria district, in the territory of Gioia Tauro, in the southern part of the Apennine Peninsula, on the eastern shore of the Gulf of Gioia in the west, and on the southeastern side of the Tyrrhenian Sea in the northwest. To the southwest, it is near the port of Messina. Gioia Tauro is a newly developed large container port in Italy. The port serves the Ultra Large Container Ships (ULCS) and acts as a transshipment hub. To this day, it is the largest port in Italy, which is due to its strategic location and up to 18 meters of water depth, which have contributed to its reputation as the 6th largest port in the Mediterranean region.

Website: Gioia Tauro Porto

Port of Venice

The Port of Venice is one of the largest ports in Italy, with a length of 12 km and a total area of 250 hectares, stretching out over a wide area, with more than 10,000 ships entering and leaving the port each year. Apart from its business and travel branches, it deals with various supply chains, such as Agribusiness, Energy, Steel Products, Chemical industry, etc. In a word, all the traffic of Port of Venice lies among the top of the Italien ports, and it plays a significant role in the North of Italy.

Website:Port of Venice

Port of Bari

Bari, the capital of the Puglia district in the southeast, is located in the southeast of the Apennine peninsula, on the southwest side of the Adriatic Sea to the east. To the southeast near the port of Brindisi. Bari is the largest artificial seaport in southern Italy. The port is connected to the rest of the country by rail and is about 10 km from the airport. The port is not only an important center for textile processing, food processing, and oil refining industries but also serves as a gateway to the Balkans and the Middle East.

Website:Port of Bari

Porto di Napoli

It is one of Italy's major seaports. It was founded in the 6th century B.C. and was the summer resort of the Roman emperors. In modern times, it has developed into one of Italy's major oil refining centers, as well as one of the centers of the steel industry. Major industries include oil refining, steel, shipbuilding, machinery, chemicals, automobile assembly, textiles, and food. There are also many ancient art, cultural relics, and scenic tours, and tourism is well-developed. The port is about 8km from the international airport, and there are regular international flights to various places.

Website: Porto di Napoli

How much does it take to ship from China to Italy?

Sea freight from China to Italy usually takes between 22 and 42 days to reach its destination. However, the exact transit time depends on several factors such as the departure location in China, the arrival port in Italy, the shipping method, seasonality, and weather conditions.

	Gioia Tauro	Venezia	Bari	Naples
Shangaï	26	27	31	30
Shenzhen	22	32	25	35
Guangzhou	25	27	26	27
Qingdao	27	28	32	33
Tianjin	30	32	42	35
Ningbo	30	30	33	27
Dalian	29	29	38	32

Other containers except for LCL and FCL

If your products are specific, and you find that you might need other ways for storing of your goods, please check the following specific containers for your reference.

Bulk

Bulk goods are goods transported in the ship's hold, or in ships containing only bulk products. Vessels carrying this type of cargo are called "bulk carriers". There are several types of bulk carriers: coal tankers, ore carriers, etc...

Before choosing the mode of transport, you must distinguish between "bulk" goods and "general" goods.

There are several types of bulk goods:

solid bulk: ferrous and non-ferrous ores and coal
liquid bulk: petroleum products and oil

Reefer container

In refrigerated container (reefer containers) the temperature can be adjusted in -60 ℃ ~ +30 ℃ between the outside and inside of two kinds of containers. The built-in container in the process of transport can start the refrigerator at will, so that the container to maintain the specified temperature; and external type must rely on container's special car, ship and special yard station equipped with refrigerator to refrigeration. This type of box is suitable for transporting butter, chocolate, frozen fish, condensed milk, margarine, etc. in the summer.

Ro-Ro

Roll-on/ Roll-off Ship (English: Roll-on/Roll-off Ship; Ro/Ro Ship) is also known as Roll-on-Roll-off Container Ship or Open-on-Roll-off Container Ship, abbreviated as RO/RO Ship or RoRo Ship. Is a kind of in the bow, stern or side of the ship open door, container tractor trailer, forklift and other mobile loading and unloading handling machinery can be connected with the door through the springboard into and out of the cabin, the container into the cabin or from the cabin container will be carried out to the yard on the container transport ship.

OOG

OOG (Out of Gauge) cargoes are always loaded on a trailer/ platform for transport because of its irregular shape or other special traits.

Air freight from China to Italy

2 Choices of Air Freight to Italy

Most people would like to choose air shipments as well when importing from China since it's really fast, safe, and not to mention efficient.

So what we want you to know is that there are 2 choices of airfreight between China and Italy, or wherever, which are: Express Airfreight and Traditional Airfreight.

These two, of course, are not quite the same as each other, not only in price but also in the service they offered.

Traditional Airfreight: such as Air China, Rome Airport Fiumicino, Air France
Express Airfreight: such as UPS, DHL, TNT, FedEx, …

Why do we choose air transport?

As we have already assisted people who need air transport service from China to Italy, it usually takes within 7 days, actually in most occasions, it only cost 3-5 days. This is actually really faster than around one month that Sea Freight needs.

But here please notice one thing, this does not include the whole import time, it's only transit time!! So if you have any questions just come directly to Docshipper, we can help with the exact time including other procedures.

What is volumetric weight?

Refers to goods whose volumetric converted weight is greater than their actual weight, e.g., wooden chairs, plastic products, cotton, sponges, etc. Blister/throw weight is the volumetric weight of a shipment. Volumetric weight is a flat rate provision in the transportation industry, which is the calculated weight of goods obtained by converting the volume of goods using a conversion formula.

Volumetric weight = (length cm * width cm * height cm) / 6000, when the volume of goods discounted weight greater than the actual weight of goods, generally calculated by the volume weight, when the volume of goods discounted weight less than the actual weight of goods, will be calculated by the actual weight.

How much time does it take to ship air freight from China to Italy?

Air cargo from China to Italy takes an average of 5–7 days to reach its destination. However, the exact transit time may vary depending on several factors, such as airline, departure and arrival airport, weather conditions, customs formalities, and other logistical factors.

It is therefore recommended to contact the airline or DocShipper to obtain a more accurate estimate of the transit time for a specific shipment. Contact us!

Rail freight from China to Italy

Rail transport from China to Italy

On June 5, 2017, China's “Long-Term Group” signed an agreement with the logistics company of the city of Mortara to cooperate in the opening of a rail line starting in Chengdu, China, through Warsaw, Poland, and ending in the city of Mortara, Pavia, Italy. The line will be 10,800 kilometers long.

According to the head of the “Long-Term Group”, railway transport saved at lease two-thirds of the time compared to sea transport, while the cost of rail transport will be reduced by three-quarters compared to air transport. Previously, rail transport from China to Italy took nearly 1.5 months, and some Italian specialty products (such as furniture, wine, etc.) have been trapped in the transport time is too long and can not be carried out smoothly. Therefore, the completion of the special transport line plays a huge role in promoting Sino-Italian trade.

How long does it take to travel by train from China?

As we have stated above that, for air it takes 7 days and for the sea, it takes around a month, here by railway, it only takes half of the month! As we've known the Chinese government has been promoting it's One Belt One Road Initiative, it has shortened the railway speed as a result, now, it only costs around 12 days from Italy to China.

What are the advantages of rail transport between China and Italy?

The railway is becoming more and more competitive nowadays when it comes to shipment from China to Italy. As we pointed out that, the majority of import from China in Italy is the light industry, and the choice of Air Freight is not very cost-efficient. Railway costs far less than Air freight, and it is much faster than the Sea freight.

With the policy of the Belt and Road Initiative, it is beneficial to choose the railway as well. The large transport capacity makes it suitable for long-distance transport of large quantities of low-value products; the large loading capacity of a single vehicle, coupled with a wide range of vehicle types, makes it possible to transport almost any commodity, regardless of weight and volume.

Door to door from China to Italy

Why there is a term named door-to-door? Of course, it's because of the commodity. You just need to focus on your business, sourcing, on marketing, and everything else, leave the shipment to a professional agent and let it handle everything for you.

This is what we do in DocShipper, you just need to inform us of your pickup and delivery address, and the dimensions and volume of your goods, ... Our professional team will quote for you freely, and then we will help you with everything, packing, storage, loading/unloading, customs clearance, international freight services, trucking…

Why is door-to-door service useful?

Time is money. Door-to-door service can save you more time and energy so you can focus on others for the development of your business.

Door-to-door freight transport refers to the goods from the shipper in the delivery of goods loaded at the location of the start, pick-up to the station, transport to the station, delivery and unloading to the consignee to receive the goods at the location of the whole process of transport services. The main measures of door-to-door transport is a one-stop service, a departmental management, a window to accept, a price charge, a system of control. A one-stop service, that is, the railway on the goods from the shipper designated door-to-door pick-up location loading to start, pick-up to the station, transport to the station, delivery and unloading to the consignee designated to the door to receive the goods at the end of the whole process, to provide a one-stop service, unified organization of the whole transport

Know more about our service package: Door-to-door service

Otherwise, you can directly fill in our online form

Customs clearance in Italy for goods imported from China

Customs Clearance is an economic term. It refers to the formalities that should be carried out in accordance with laws, regulations and rules when importing, exporting or transferring goods into or out of a country's customs territory.

Only after the customs clearance has fulfilled its obligations and gone through customs declaration, inspection, taxation and release procedures, the goods can be released and the owner or declarant can take delivery of the goods. Likewise, all means of transport carrying imported and exported goods for entry, exit or transit must be declared to the customs, go through customs formalities and obtain permission from the customs. During customs clearance, whether for import, export or trans-shipment, the goods are under customs control and are not allowed to circulate freely.

Methodology for the collection of customs duties

Tariff collection methods, also known as levy standards, are the standards and calculation methods used by customs of various countries to calculate customs duties on import and export goods. There are mainly ad valorem tax, ad valorem tax, mixed tax and selective tax.

Specific Duty

A specific duty is a tariff based on the weight, quantity, length, area, and volume of goods in units of measurement. It is calculated by the following formula.
specific duty= quantity of goods x specific duty per unit

Most countries levy specific duty in terms of the weight of goods.
However, the weight of taxable goods in each country is calculated in different ways, generally including gross weight, net weight and semi-gross weight. Gross weight, also known as the gross weight method, is calculated according to the weight of the goods including the inner and outer packaging. In other words, the tax is based on the total weight of the goods, including the inner and outer packaging. net weight, also known as the pure weight method. The tax is levied on the total weight of the product excluding the inner and outer packaging. SemigrossWeight (SemigrossWeight), also known as the half weight method. The tax is levied according to the weight of the total weight of the goods minus the weight of the outer packaging.

Ad Valorem Duty

An ad valorem duty is a tariff levied on the price of imported goods. Its rate of duty is expressed as a percentage of the price of the goods. It is the most common method of taxation used by countries around the world. Its formula is as follows.

Ad valorem tax = duty-paid price ad valorem tax rate levy

In the case of ad valorem duties, the important prerequisite is the determination of the duty-paid price (DutiableValue) of the imported goods. The so-called duty-paid price is approved by the customs as the price of goods subject to customs duties, it is an important factor in determining the amount of tax. The criteria for determining the duty-paid price vary from country to country, and there are basically three kinds of criteria: one is the FOB at the port of shipment (FOB), the other is the cost-plus-freight-and-insurance-fee (CIF), and the third is the legal price or the official import price.

Mixed Duty

The mixed tax, also known as the compound tax, is a tariff method that combines both ad valorem and specific taxes on certain imported goods. Its calculation formula is as follows.

Mixed tax = ad valorem tax + specific taxes

The mixed tax is often applied to manufactured industrial products that consume a large amount of raw materials. It is levied in two forms: an ad valorem tax and specific taxes, or specific tax and an ad valorem taxs.

The advantage of the mixed tax is that it combines the advantages of ad valorem tax and specific tax. When prices rise, the mixed tax is more than the single specific tax; when prices fall, it is more than the single ad valorem tax. However, it is complicated and the ratio of ad valorem to ad valorem taxes is difficult to keep track of.

Anti-dumping duties

An anti-dumping duty is a duty imposed by a country on its own importers to prevent dumping by other countries. According to article 6, paragraph 1, of GATT 1994, the export of products of one country to other countries at less than their normal value, thereby causing material injury or threat of material injury to established industries in the territory of a Contracting Party, or seriously hampering the establishment of new industries in that country, constitutes dumping. In practice, the most important and effective measure to counteract dumping is the imposition of anti-dumping duties.

How to calculate customs duties and taxes?

There are three basic concepts for determining customs duties and taxes, which are tariff type, origin, and customs value.

So, our first step is to find out the tariff type of the products. But is there a harmonized system to value the type of all products?

Here we have a system! The customs code, which is the HS code, is short for Harmonized System.

HS “Harmonization” covers the two major classification and coding systems of the CCCN and the United Nations Standard International Trade Classification (SITC), which is a systematic and multipurpose international trade commodity classification system. In addition to being used for customs tariffs and trade statistics, it provides a usable international trade commodity classification system for billing of transported goods, statistics, computer data transmission, simplification of international trade documents, and use of a Generalized System of Preferences tariff codes.

The composition of an HS Code is as follows

How do I find the HS Code?

Absolutely, the best and the fast way to know your products' HS Code is to find your supplier and ask him to tell you directly. But we have a very independent way here for you to check this by yourself.

You can use the "Harmonized System" based on the database by simply entering a keyword, such as “pineapple” in our example.

Calculate applicable tariff with the HS code

Did you found your HS Code ? Now we need to calculate the tariff.

Here our country is Italy, since Italy belongs to EU, so go on this link (Free Trade Agreement Portal European Union), you should reach a page who looks like this :

We will see this together as below with European website customs :

As what we have done on the screenshot, filled out these two blanks:

Your HS Code
Origin of goods

Check the duties and taxes applied to your product

Required documents

Bill of Lading

When the shipper or its agent to the carrier booking is considered to be formed when the contract, so although the terms and conditions are unilaterally prepared by the carrier, the shipper should also be considered to both parties have approved, that is, a contract of carriage. To know everything about the Bill of Lading, you should read this.

Therefore, it has become customary to deal with the future of the carriage of the basis for various problems.

Packing List

The packing list is a supplementary document to the invoice, which sets out the details of packaging matters agreed between the buyer and the seller in the letter of credit (or contract) for the convenience of the foreign buyer when the goods arrive at the port of destination for customs inspection and verification of the goods, and can usually be added to the commercial invoice, but when the letter of credit has specific requirements, it must be made strictly in accordance with the letter of credit.

Original Invoice

Original Invoice is a mandatory no matter where you import or export your products. Try to examine it and make sure it makes no difference than the details in the packing list.

Certificate of Origin

This document is used to indicate where your goods are manufactured instead of where they are shipped from. For the preferential policy of taxes, fill in this form carefully.

Documents of conformity (CE standard)

This means that your products are manufactured in an appliance with the safety standards and the regulations in your selling markets. For instance: declarations of conformity, test reports and product certificates, and technical documentation. Remember to ask your supplier about this for the goods, especially for toys, electronics, equipment electrical...

Your EORI number in Italy (Economic Operator Registration Identification)

This number is a mandatory registration number for all companies operating in Italy and the European Union, especially for import and export businesses.

The EORI number is valid throughout Italy as long as the company is registered with the customs authorities of the country of origin. The EORI number is used in the ENS (Entry Summary Declaration) and must be provided if it is available.

Restricted and prohibited products

There are certain products that are restricted and prohibited by Italy, do some research before your business is going to be carried out.

There is still much room for expansion of economic and trade cooperation between China and Italy

Externally, Italy has expressed the need for closer relations with China. In particular, the Italian official stated that discussions had been held with Chinese representatives on how to "relaunch the strategic partnership from an economic and industrial point of view" and expressed support for China's desire to strengthen relations with China. Moreover, the official described the meeting with Chinese officials as "fruitful". Italy is, of course, very satisfied with this meeting with Chinese officials.

Top 7 freight forwarders in Italy

DocShipper
d'Amico Group
Time Shipping
Arterìa
Transtir
Trans World Shipping
Alltrans

Other logistics services

Transport insurances

How to calculate the insurance by yourself in the first?

It usually should be like: premium rate x reported amount

The rates vary according to the mode of transport and the nature of the goods. The use of the insurance value declared by the user (cost + costs related to the transport) allows an increase of up to 20%. Therefore, you can make an estimate based on this calculation, keeping in mind that the rate varies based on the nature of the products.

More info on our dedicated page: Insurance services

3PL Service

As a company who offers 3PL service, we are a mature consultant for you. Regarding Supply: we can handle supplier research, negotiation of products and production follow-up (in Asia) Quality control: Inspection of products to certify that the quality is in line with your expectations. Regarding International logistics: Our forwarding department manages the chartering of your products (packaging, storage, sea/air freight, customs clearance, etc.). Finally about our 3PL solution: We have a warehouse in Northern Italy that allows us to distribute your products at unbeatable prices! (Special E-Commerce)

Check here to know more information: 3PL Services

FAQ – Freight Shipping From China to Italy

What are the major 3 ways to transport from China to Italy?

Air Freight, Sea Freight, and Railway Freight. Air Freight takes around one week but cost the most; it cost the least when you choose Sea Freight, but you need one month when you choose this way; Railway Freight takes half of the month and cost in the middle of those two.

What are the Italy customs fees for importing goods?

In general, when you import goods into Italy, you must pay customs duties, value-added tax (VAT) and other charges such as excise or anti-dumping duties, if applicable. Customs duties are calculated according to the value of the goods and their classification in the Harmonized System (HS).

To determine the exact customs charges for your specific shipment, you can consult the Italian customs agency or an authorized customs broker such as DocShipper. We can provide you with more detailed information on applicable duties, procedures and documentation required for importing goods into Italy.

What are the advantages of door-to-door shipping from China to Italy?

Door-to-door shipping from China to Italy has several advantages:

Convenience: With door-to-door shipping, the shipping company handles the entire shipping process, from picking up the goods at the point of origin to delivering them to the final destination. This eliminates the need for the importer to arrange transportation and customs clearance at both ends.
Time-saving: Door-to-door shipping can be faster than other shipping methods because the shipping company handles all aspects of the shipping process, including customs clearance. This means the importer can receive the goods faster and with less hassle.
Reduced risk of damage or loss: Because the shipping company handles the entire shipping process, it is responsible for ensuring that the goods are properly packaged, transported, and delivered. This reduces the risk of damage or loss during shipment.
Cost-effectiveness: Door-to-door shipping can be cost-effective because the shipping company can negotiate better shipping rates with carriers and handle all aspects of the shipping process, reducing the need for multiple intermediaries.
Real-time tracking: Most shipping companies provide real-time tracking of the shipment, allowing the importer to monitor the progress of the shipment and receive status updates.

Door-to-door shipping is a convenient, efficient and cost-effective way to import goods into Italy. Please contact us for more information.

How will DocShipper help me?

We've built our business model to assist our clients in the whole product cycle: We provide sourcing services: finding suppliers (usually in China), quality control and compliance.

We provide shipping services: what you will work on for the coming period. We provide distribution services: actually we called it 3PL (Third Party Logistics), we store goods, inventory management, order fulfillment and last-mile delivery ( a focus for E-Merchant) Our goal is :Focus on your marketing/sales, let us handle the rest!

DocShipper Advise : We help you with the entire sourcing process so don't hesitate to contact us if you have any questions!

Having trouble finding the appropriate product? Enjoy our sourcing services, we directly find the right suppliers for you!
You don't trust your supplier? Ask our experts to do quality control to guarantee the condition of your goods!
Do you need help with the logistics? Our international freight department supports you with door to door services!
You don't want to handle distribution? Our 3PL department will handle the storage, order fulfillment, and last-mile delivery!

Freight Shipping from China to Italy | Rates – Transit times – Duties & Taxes – Advices

What is the best method of transport between China and Italy?

Sea freight from China to Italy

Overview – Ocean shipping from China to Italy

The main shipping seaports in Italy

Gioia Tauro Porto

Port of Venice

Port of Bari

How much does it take to ship from China to Italy?

Gioia Tauro

Venezia

Naples

What are the choices I have for shipping containers to Italy?

LCL: Less than Container Load

FCL: Full Container Load

Other containers except for LCL and FCL

Bulk

Reefer container

Ro-Ro

OOG

How much does sea freight between China and Italy cost?

Air freight from China to Italy

2 Choices of Air Freight to Italy

Main Chinese airports

Main Italy airports

Why do we choose air transport?

How much does it cost by air freight transportation between China and Italy?