How long does air freight from China to Tanzania take?

About 12 days from our Guangzhou warehouse to Dar es Salaam for general goods, and about 20 days for goods with batteries.

Who clears my cargo in Tanzania?

A licensed Tanzanian clearing and forwarding agent. Since 28 July 2025 foreigners may not hold these licences, so clearance always goes through our local partner.

Do I need to record my trademark in Tanzania?

If your goods carry a trademark, yes. Since 1 December 2025 the mark must be recorded with the Fair Competition Commission before the goods enter mainland Tanzania.

How much does shipping from China to Tanzania cost?

Air to Dar es Salaam costs USD 12.10 per kg under 100 kg, USD 11.80 from 100 kg and USD 11.55 from 500 kg for general goods. Consolidated sea costs USD 405, 395 or 385 per cubic metre for general goods depending on volume, with a minimum charge of USD 55. Customs clearance is included; prices as of 11 October 2026.

China to Tanzania shipping: sea and air freight to Dar es Salaam (2026)

How it works

01

Tell us what you are buying: product, quantity, weight or dimensions, and your suppliers.
02

We confirm the route, the transit time and what is included for Tanzania.
03

Your suppliers deliver to our warehouse in Guangzhou or Yiwu. We check and consolidate the cargo.
04

We ship by sea or air. Our licensed partner clears customs in Tanzania and delivers as agreed in the quote.

Air freight

Route	General goods	Goods with batteries
Guangzhou to Dar es Salaam (DAR)	about 12 days	about 20 days

Air cargo is cleared through customs at destination by our partner line and charged on the greater of actual and volumetric weight. Goods with batteries travel on a separate service, so tell us about them before booking.

Air freight prices

USD per chargeable kg	Under 100 kg	100 to 499 kg	500 kg and more
Dar es Salaam, general goods	USD 12.10	USD 11.80	USD 11.55
Dar es Salaam, goods with batteries	USD 13.80	USD 13.45	USD 13.20

Minimum charge USD 115 per shipment. Prices from our warehouse in Guangzhou, customs clearance at destination included.

Sea freight

Consolidated LCL from Guangzhou or Yiwu to Dar es Salaam. Minimum 0.1 m³; each m³ covers up to 700 kg, heavier cargo is charged by weight. The declaration is filed in TANCIS at least seven days before arrival, so we need complete documents when the cargo leaves China.

Sea freight prices

USD per chargeable m³	Under 1 m³	1 to 4.99 m³	5 m³ and more
General goods	USD 405	USD 395	USD 385
High-duty goods	USD 460	USD 450	USD 440
Compressed bales	USD 530	USD 520	USD 510

Minimum charge USD 55 per shipment, for the minimum volume of 0.1 m³.

Customs and documents in Tanzania

Rules as checked on 6 October 2026. They change often, so we confirm them for your product before you pay your supplier.

Licensed agent

The importer must appoint a licensed clearing and forwarding agent; TRA lists 1,529 agents for 2026. Under GN 487A of 28 July 2025, foreigners may not hold licences for clearing and forwarding, parcel delivery, wholesale or retail.

Documents

The agent files the declaration in TANCIS at least seven days before arrival, with the invoice, packing list, bill of lading or air waybill, a PVoC certificate of conformity for regulated goods and any permits required for the product.

Trademark recordation

Since 1 December 2025 every trademark on goods imported into mainland Tanzania must be recorded with the Fair Competition Commission. Goods with unrecorded marks are held at the border, even genuine ones.

Certificate of conformity

Regulated goods such as toys, electrical items, cosmetics, textiles, furniture and plastics need a PVoC certificate of conformity for each consignment. Without it TBS charges a penalty of 15% of CIF value, announced on 7 May 2025.

Taxes

Import duty under the EAC tariff on CIF value, VAT 18% on the mainland, a railway development levy of 2% of CIF and a customs processing fee of 0.6% of FOB.

Guides

Beyond shipping

Sourcing and buying. We find the product on 1688, Alibaba and Taobao or directly at factories, negotiate in Chinese, pay the supplier and receive the goods at our warehouse. Commission of 1 to 3% of the order value, depending on the order amount, the product and the number of suppliers.
Supplier verification. We check the supplier's licence, documents and track record, and visit the factory when needed, before you pay.
Quality inspection. We inspect the goods during production or before shipping and send you photos and videos.
Consolidation and storage. We receive orders from several suppliers at our warehouse in Guangzhou or Yiwu, store them and combine them into one shipment.
Repacking, palletizing and labelling. We repack, palletize and label or mark the cartons as you need.
Paying suppliers in China. We pay your Chinese suppliers in CNY or USD on your behalf.
Formalities at destination. Customs clearance in your name and product certificates, on request.

Apart from the sourcing commission, we confirm the cost of each service in your quote.

What we need for a quote

Send us the product name and photos, the number of pieces, weight, dimensions, packing and value, and whether the goods contain batteries, gas, liquids, powders, granules, strong magnets, capacitors, motors or compressors. With that we confirm the route, the transit time and what the price includes.

What the price includes

Prices are in US dollars as of 11 October 2026, from our warehouse in China to the warehouse at destination, with customs clearance in Tanzania included. Delivery to your door is quoted on request. Our partner line prices high-duty goods higher, so the written quote states the category of your product and exactly what is included before you pay.

China to Tanzania freight