Sea Freight from China to Acajutla
China → Acajutla · via SAL air / Acajutla sea · clearance by Dirección General de Aduanas de El Salvador
For buyers shipping into Acajutla, the practical question is not the ocean or flight time but what happens after arrival. Acajutla is the country's main Pacific port; cargo enters through SAL air / Acajutla sea, and the inland leg is same-day, so the clearance date is effectively the delivery date.
On the destination side, Dirección General de Aduanas de El Salvador handles clearance; budget 3–8 days of dwell before the cargo is released.
What you will pay on arrival in El Salvador
Dirección General de Aduanas de El Salvador assesses duty and tax on cargo arriving for Acajutla consignees. Current regime: IVA 13%; Central American common tariff 0–15%, with a de-minimis position of USD 200 for courier consignments.
Conformity is the part most first-time importers underestimate: Health registration for food and cosmetics; conformity for regulated goods. Getting this wrong is expensive because it usually cannot be fixed after the cargo has landed.
Restrictions and known friction points for El Salvador: Acajutla has limited direct Asian calls — most cargo transships. Compare the Guatemala routing, which is sometimes faster overall.
Routing and transit on this lane
El Salvador uses the US dollar, which simplifies pricing, and Acajutla on the Pacific gives a shorter routing from China than the Atlantic Central American ports. Many consignees also clear through Puerto Quetzal in Guatemala and truck across, so it is worth comparing both when quoting.
| Sea gateways used | Acajutla |
|---|---|
| Sea transit, China to gateway | 22–30 calendar days |
| Gateway serving Acajutla | SAL air / Acajutla sea |
| Inland leg to Acajutla | Same day from the gateway |
| Typical clearance / dwell | 3–8 days |
| Peak season to plan around | Sep–Nov |
What to sort out before the cargo leaves China
- Get the conformity paperwork moving early: Health registration for food and cosmetics; conformity for regulated goods.
- Check the de-minimis position (USD 200 for courier consignments) against your invoice value before you decide how to split the shipment.
- Ask for the HS code in writing from your supplier and verify the El Salvador duty rate against it yourself.
- Use ISPM-15 treated pallets. Untreated wood is the most common reason otherwise-clean cargo gets held.
- Confirm the consignee in Acajutla can act as importer of record — Dirección General de Aduanas de El Salvador will not release cargo to an unregistered party.
- Plan around the China-side windows too: Chinese New Year and Golden Week both compress capacity on the El Salvador lane.
Frequently asked questions
How long does shipping from China to Acajutla take?
China to the El Salvador gateway is 22–30 calendar days. On top of that, allow 3–8 days of clearance with Dirección General de Aduanas de El Salvador and a same-day inland leg to Acajutla.
What duty and tax will I pay importing into Acajutla?
Dirección General de Aduanas de El Salvador applies: IVA 13%; Central American common tariff 0–15%. The de-minimis position is USD 200 for courier consignments. Under a DDP arrangement these are pre-paid, so nothing is collected on arrival in Acajutla.
Which port or airport does cargo for Acajutla clear through?
Cargo for Acajutla is routed via SAL air / Acajutla sea. Sea gateways for El Salvador are Acajutla; air gateways are SAL (San Salvador). We pick whichever gives the shortest total door time for your address.
What certification do I need for El Salvador?
For regulated goods, plan for: Health registration for food and cosmetics; conformity for regulated 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.
Can you ship batteries or sensitive cargo to Acajutla?
Yes. Battery cargo by sea moves under UN3480/UN3481 with an MSDS, and the dangerous-goods documentation is prepared as part of the booking into Acajutla. Surcharges apply and space is more limited than for general cargo.
How is the chargeable weight calculated for Acajutla?
We compare actual gross weight against volumetric weight — length × width × height in centimeters divided by 6000 for air — and bill the greater of the two, rounded up to the next kilogram. Light, bulky cargo is almost always billed on volume.
Other delivery cities in El Salvador
References & official sources
Duty rates, thresholds and conformity requirements for El Salvador 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 Dirección General de Aduanas de El Salvador or your broker before you ship.
- Dirección General de Aduanas
- WTO — Tariff Profiles (applied MFN duty by country)
- World Bank — Logistics Performance Index
- ICC — Incoterms 2020 rules (DDP, DAP, FOB definitions)
- IPPC — ISPM 15 wood packaging standard
- WCO — Harmonized System nomenclature
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.
- Plastic Products Plastics, Rubber & Packaging
- Ceramic Tableware Glass & Ceramic Products
- Tableware Furniture & Home Products
- Display Stands Retail, Display & Commercial Fixtures
- Umbrellas Consumer Goods & Gifts
- Bearings Metal Products & Industrial Components
- Solar Panel New Energy, Power & Electrical
- Prefabricated Building Building Materials & Construction Products
- Pallet Wood, Bamboo & Paper Products
- Conveyor Belts Plastics, Rubber & Packaging
- Hotel Furniture Furniture & Home Products
- Textiles Textiles, Apparel, Footwear & Leather
Checking the El Salvador duty position yourself
Duty and tax figures on this page are planning estimates. The binding assessment is made by Dirección General de Aduanas de El Salvador 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 El Salvador actually works — documentation norms, inspection behavior, the paperwork that tends to hold shipments — the U.S. ITA guide to El Salvador 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 Acajutla. The video below covers the wider shipping process that sits around it.
LCL vs FCL | Difference Between Full Container Load & Less than Container Load | Which is better ? — 10 Min For Supply Chain. 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 El Salvador
Duty and tax position, certification, typical port dwell and what actually holds shipments at this border — plus who files the entry.
El Salvador clearance requirements →