Shipping from China to Sixth of October City
China → Sixth of October City · via CAI air / Alexandria sea · clearance by Egyptian Customs Authority
Freight from China into Sixth of October City clears through CAI air / Alexandria sea. Sixth of October City is planned industrial city west of Cairo, and allow +1 day for the inland leg on top of clearance.
Clearance itself is handled by Egyptian Customs Authority, and typical dwell at the gateway runs 7–15 days.
Duty, tax and clearance into Sixth of October City
Imports into Egypt are cleared by Egyptian Customs Authority. The headline position is: VAT 14%; duty 0–60% depending on commodity, plus development fees on some categories. The de-minimis threshold is No practical de-minimis for commercial cargo.
Conformity is the part most first-time importers underestimate: ACID number issued through the Nafeza single window before shipment — mandatory; GOEIC registration of the foreign factory for many consumer goods. Getting this wrong is expensive because it usually cannot be fixed after the cargo has landed.
Restrictions and known friction points for Egypt: ACID/Nafeza registration must be completed pre-shipment — this is the single most common cause of rejected cargo. GOEIC registration of the exporting factory is required for a long list of consumer goods. Letters of credit are required for many commercial imports.
How this lane actually runs
Egypt's Advance Cargo Information system is the decisive requirement on this lane: the importer must obtain an ACID number through Nafeza and the exporter must reference it on the shipping documents before the goods leave China. Cargo arriving without a valid ACID is refused entry. On top of that, GOEIC factory registration is required for many consumer categories and takes months to obtain.
| Air gateways used | CAI (Cairo), HRG (Hurghada), ALY (Alexandria) |
|---|---|
| Air transit, China to gateway | 4–7 business days |
| Sea gateways used | Alexandria, Damietta, Port Said |
| Sea transit, China to gateway | 20–28 calendar days |
| Gateway serving Sixth of October City | CAI air / Alexandria sea |
| Inland leg to Sixth of October City | +1 day from the gateway |
| Typical clearance / dwell | 7–15 days |
| Peak season to plan around | Sep–Nov |
What to sort out before the cargo leaves China
- Book earlier than the transit time suggests during Sep–Nov, when space on this lane tightens.
- Compare gross weight against volumetric weight (L×W×H ÷ 6000) — the higher figure is what gets billed on air and express.
- Confirm the consignee in Sixth of October City can act as importer of record — Egyptian Customs Authority will not release cargo to an unregistered party.
- Check the de-minimis position (No practical de-minimis for commercial cargo) against your invoice value before you decide how to split the shipment.
- Get the conformity paperwork moving early: ACID number issued through the Nafeza single window before shipment — mandatory; GOEIC registration of the foreign factory for many consumer goods.
- Declare lithium batteries, magnets, liquids and powders up front — retro-declaring after booking usually means re-planning the whole shipment.
Air, sea or overland into Sixth of October City?
| Mode | Transit to gateway | Best suited to |
|---|---|---|
| ✈️ Air Freight | 4–7 business days | time-critical, high-value and low-volume cargo |
| 🚢 Sea Freight | 20–28 calendar days | volume cargo where cost per kilo matters more than speed |
Transit shown is China departure to the Egypt gateway and excludes the +1 day inland leg to Sixth of October City and 7–15 days of clearance.
Mode guides for Sixth of October City
Frequently asked questions
How long does shipping from China to Sixth of October City take?
China to the Egypt gateway is 4–7 business days by air, 20–28 calendar days by sea. On top of that, allow 7–15 days of clearance with Egyptian Customs Authority and a +1 day inland leg to Sixth of October City.
What duty and tax will I pay importing into Sixth of October City?
Egyptian Customs Authority applies: VAT 14%; duty 0–60% depending on commodity, plus development fees on some categories. The de-minimis position is No practical de-minimis for commercial cargo. Under a DDP arrangement these are pre-paid, so nothing is collected on arrival in Sixth of October City.
What certification do I need for Egypt?
For regulated goods, plan for: ACID number issued through the Nafeza single window before shipment — mandatory; GOEIC registration of the foreign factory for many consumer goods. Missing conformity paperwork is the single most common cause of a hold, and in most cases it cannot be remedied once the cargo has arrived.
When is the busiest time on the China–Egypt lane?
Space and rates tighten around Sep–Nov, plus the China-side windows of Chinese New Year in January or February and Golden Week in early October. Book one to two weeks earlier in those periods.
Can you ship batteries or sensitive cargo to Sixth of October City?
Yes. Battery cargo by air follows IATA PI 965–970 depending on how the cells are packed, and moves on certified channels via CAI (Cairo), HRG (Hurghada), ALY (Alexandria). Surcharges apply and the declaration has to be made before booking.
Is sea freight cheaper than air freight into Sixth of October City?
Per kilo, yes — usually by a wide margin. The trade-off is time: 20–28 calendar days by sea versus 4–7 business days by air to the Egypt gateway, before clearance and the +1 day inland leg. The crossover point is normally somewhere between 100 and 300 kg depending on the density of your cargo.
Other delivery cities in Egypt
References & official sources
Duty rates, thresholds and conformity requirements for Egypt change by ministerial decision, sometimes mid-year. The figures on this page are buyer-planning references, not a customs ruling — confirm the current position for your own HS code with Egyptian Customs Authority or your broker before you ship.
- Egyptian Customs Authority
- Nafeza single window (ACID registration)
- WTO — Tariff Profiles (applied MFN duty by country)
- IATA — Lithium battery shipping guidance (PI 965–970)
- World Bank — Logistics Performance Index
- ICC — Incoterms 2020 rules (DDP, DAP, FOB definitions)
Page data last reviewed: November 2026.
Shipping by industry
This page covers the route and clearance picture for the destination. Packing, classification and the compliance step that actually holds a shipment depend on what you are sending — these guides cover that by commodity.
- Doors & Windows Building Materials & Construction Products
- Corrugated Packaging Wood, Bamboo & Paper Products
- Glass Packaging Plastics, Rubber & Packaging
- Kitchenware Furniture & Home Products
- Home Textiles Textiles, Apparel, Footwear & Leather
- Inflatable Products Toys, Sports, Outdoor & Leisure
- Bolts Metal Products & Industrial Components
- Industrial Boilers General Machinery & Industrial Equipment
- Building Materials Building Materials & Construction Products
- Plumbing Products Building Materials & Construction Products
- Engineering Plastics Plastics, Rubber & Packaging
- Home Furniture Furniture & Home Products
Checking the Egypt duty position yourself
Duty and tax figures on this page are planning estimates. The binding assessment is made by Egyptian Customs Authority against your declared HS code at the time of entry; where the amount is material, verify the current rate through ITC Market Access Map before committing to an order.
Classification drives everything downstream: the same carton can attract very different duty depending on the heading it lands in, and the structure those headings come from is the World Customs Organization Harmonized System. If your product sits near a boundary between two headings, resolve it before shipping rather than at the border.
For ocean cargo, restricted commodities move under the IMO's IMDG Code, and the container has to be declared and stowed accordingly. Batteries, flammables and corrosives all have a compliant ocean path; what causes rolled bookings is finding out about them after the container is packed.
For a wider view of how importing into Egypt actually works — documentation norms, inspection behavior, the paperwork that tends to hold shipments — the U.S. ITA guide to Egypt customs regulations is a useful independent read alongside our own lane notes.
Watch: the process behind this route
This guide covers routing and clearance for Sixth of October City. The video below covers the wider shipping process that sits around it.
Ocean Freight 101 - What Is LCL Ocean Freight — Flexport. Published on YouTube by a third party; we link it because it explains the process well, not because we produced it or endorse the provider.
Customs clearance in Egypt
Duty and tax position, certification, typical port dwell and what actually holds shipments at this border — plus who files the entry.
Egypt clearance requirements →