“From China to Spain – Shipping Guide
As a highly developed country with one of the largest economies in the European Union, Spain is a freight destination with continued growth in imports from China. As trade relations between China and Spain continue to strengthen, more companies in both countries will gain demand for their exports.
Perhaps your business has identified a market for Asian goods in Western Europe and is ready to import from China to Spain, or has already started the process and is looking for a better international shipping solution. This page will provide some advice and guidance to make it easier and more economical for you to do business by sea and air from China to Spain.
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Shipping method
Air Freight from China to Spain
The biggest advantage of air freight is its speed. Items leaving China can arrive in Spain within 8 days. This is the best option for high-value items as they take less time in transit. However, with this speed, there are some tradeoffs.
Air freight is usually more expensive than rail or sea. It’s also better for small items, as airlines have weight and volume restrictions. Air freight also uses more fuel than alternatives, so if carbon footprint is an issue for you and your company’s ethics, you’ll want to choose ocean or rail freight.
Keep in mind that air freight usually only involves delivering the goods to an airport in Spain, not to the final destination of the inventory. Additional shipping facilities must be provided to deliver your shipment to its final destination. The exception is, of course, if you have arranged door-to-door shipping. As mentioned above, door-to-door delivery allows arranging the transport of the goods from the airport to the final destination, as well as clearance through Spanish customs.
Air freight is divided into two categories: general cargo and special cargo. As the name suggests, most items are considered ordinary goods.
Shipping from China to Spain
Less than Container Load (LCL): When you choose LCL, your shipment will share space in one container with other shippers’ consignments. This can be ideal when you’re only shipping a small amount of cargo and don’t need an entire container to ship. Importing from China to Spain via LCL is usually the most affordable option for small batches.
Full Container Load (FCL): Full Container Load means paying for the exclusive use and shipping of a sea container from China to Spain. This shipping method may be cheaper than LCL for larger, heavier shipments since you will pay a flat fee.
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Transportation time
How long does it take to ship from China to Spain?
It is impossible to have an exact timetable for sea freight as it depends on the port of departure and arrival. Shenzhen to Barcelona can take around 26 days, while Shanghai to Valencia can take around 35 days and Guangzhou to Bilbao can take 41 days. As you can see, the time frame is around 25-50 days.
How long does it take to ship from China to Spain?
On average, you can expect your air freight to take about 8 days between China and Spain. This applies to all indirect and direct flights, although consignments between Shanghai and Barcelona generally run a bit faster, averaging 6 days.
How much does it cost to ship goods from China to Spain?
Global freight costs vary by route and depend on a range of conditions such as speed, seasonality, demand for capacity and mode of transport.
In most cases, air freight will incur more charges than LCL or FCL sea freight. Nonetheless, for shipments weighing up to 100kg, the difference may be negligible. Air freight becomes more expensive as your cargo increases in weight and volume, making bulk shipments very costly.
On the other hand, sea freight costs less than air freight, but it will take longer to get your goods from China to Spain. However, unless you’re shipping a high-value product or must ship quickly, the lower cost will make ocean shipping a more favorable method.
Customs clearance process when shipping from China to Spain
When it comes to customs clearance, the sooner you get through customs, the better for you.
One of the ways to achieve this is to understand your customs clearance requirements.
This section simplifies your customs clearance process with what you need to know about customs.
There are import documents and paperwork
You need to have the proper documents and paperwork ready to make the customs clearance process quick and straightforward.
Bill of lading
Some of the documents you will need include:
Single Administrative Document (SAD) Form
The information that Customs requires on the SAD includes who the goods are imported from, how they are imported and what you are importing.
commercial invoice
The importance of this document is that customs will use it to calculate the amount of VAT you will pay for your goods.
A customs invoice contains the basic information needed to clear the goods.
Necessary licenses for your goods
If you are importing restricted goods, you must hold a basic license that allows you to import goods.
Lack of these documents will mean customs will confiscate your shipment or even charge you.
shipping documents
Depending on how the goods are imported into Spain, you must complete any necessary shipping documents.
Some shipping documents include road bills of lading, air waybills, railroad bills of lading, ocean bills of lading or bills of lading.
You will then present this document to customs.
Cargo Insurance Document
You will need this document if your commercial invoice does not show information on your insurance premium amount
packing list
Another document you will need to prepare when clearing customs is a packing list.
Information in this document includes package quantity, net weight, date of issue, and package type.
Custom value declaration
If your goods are worth more than EUR 20,000, you must present this document to customs.
The importance of this document is to help determine the value of the goods to calculate the customs value.
This is the customs value used by customs to collect duties, also known as the taxable value.
Shipping from China to Spain – Frequently Asked Questions:
What import duties do I need to pay at Spanish customs?
Spanish customs charge VAT between 10% and 21% of the value of the goods depending on what you import. You may also have to pay customs and excise taxes and other charges. The good news is that Spain also allows duty-free imports of some goods. This includes items such as laptops, cell phones, digital cameras, and game consoles.
It is vital to know the current Spanish import charges and disclose all the contents of your shipment to your forwarder so they can provide you with an accurate estimate
When is my payment due?
Payment is made before shipment. If you choose to have us pick up your order at your supplier facility, payment should be made after pickup.
What payment methods do you accept?
wire transfer
Paypal
Western Union
RMB Cash (Chinese Currency)
in conclusion,
If you want to import from China to Spain, and have other questions, then drop me a message online now.”
