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Pillar guide

Importing from China: the complete guide for companies

Everything a company needs to import from China safely: how to define the product, find and validate suppliers, control quality and calculate real costs. Written from our experience managing sourcing and production in China for European companies.

Updated: September 9, 2026

Content prepared by the EC HolaHome team, based on our experience coordinating imports between China and Europe.

1. What importing from China means today

Importing from China is no longer just about finding the lowest price: it means managing a complete supply chain. Companies that do it well treat every import as a project, with clear specifications, milestones and owners.

  • China remains the world's leading manufacturing power, with capacity across almost every product category.
  • The real advantage is not the unit price, but a well-calculated total cost and a reliable supply.
  • The usual risks — inconsistent quality, delays, specification misunderstandings — are reduced with process, not luck.
  • A local partner with presence in China shortens lead times and prevents the most expensive mistakes of first-time imports.

2. Defining the product and specifications

Everything starts with a clear technical brief. The more precise the specification sheet, the more comparable supplier quotes will be and the fewer surprises there will be in production.

  • Document materials, dimensions, tolerances, finishes, colours, packaging and marking before asking for prices.
  • Define the applicable EU regulations from the start: CE marking, REACH, food-contact safety or sector-specific requirements.
  • A reference sample or technical dossier prevents every factory from interpreting the product its own way.
  • Decide whether you need a standard product with your brand (OEM) or a custom development (ODM): lead times, costs and risks differ.

3. Finding and validating suppliers

Choosing the supplier is the most important decision in the project. A good price from the wrong factory ends up expensive; a validated supplier is a long-term asset.

  • Compare at least 3-5 candidates per category and weigh capacity, export experience and references, not just price.
  • Verify licences, certificates and the factory's actual ownership; an on-site audit clears most doubts.
  • Be wary of prices well below market: they usually hide material substitutions or later surcharges.

4. Negotiation, samples and Incoterms

Negotiation does not end with the price: it includes minimum quantities, lead times, payment terms and logistics responsibilities. Everything must be in writing.

  • Always request pre-production samples and approve them in writing before launching the full order.
  • The Incoterm (EXW, FOB, CIF, DAP) defines who pays and who is liable at each leg of transport: choose it consciously.
  • Standard payment terms combine a deposit (30%) and the balance against document copies or after inspection.
  • A bilingual contract with specifications, penalties and clear jurisdiction protects the operation.

5. Quality control and compliance

Quality is controlled at the factory, not at destination. By the time the container arrives in Spain, fixing a defect is already too late and very expensive.

  • Inspect during production (DUPRO) and before shipment (PSI) using checklists based on your specification.
  • Laboratory tests and certificates must match the European regulations for the product, not only the Chinese ones.
  • Document everything: inspection reports, photos, test results and sample approvals.

6. Shipping, customs and real costs

The final leg concentrates much of the cost and the lead time. Planning transport and customs in advance prevents surcharges and blockages.

  • Sea freight is the standard option for volume; air freight is reserved for samples, urgencies or high-value goods.
  • At Spanish customs you settle the duty (based on the TARIC code) and import VAT, plus clearance costs.
  • The real cost is the total landed cost: factory + freight + insurance + duties + VAT + handling.
  • Allow time margin: production, inspection, shipping and clearance usually add up to 8 to 14 weeks.

7. Import duties and taxes when bringing Chinese goods into the EU

Duty is set by the goods' classification, not by the supplier's invoice wording. Every product entering the EU is classified under the Combined Nomenclature and checked against TARIC, the EU's integrated tariff database, which shows the third-country duty rate and any additional measures that apply to China.

  • Classify first: an 8-digit CN code (10 digits in TARIC) determines the duty rate, and a wrong code is the single most common cause of customs corrections and penalties.
  • Third-country duty rates for consumer goods commonly fall between 0% and 12% (many electronics under the ITA are duty-free, textiles and footwear sit at the higher end), but the only reliable figure is the one TARIC returns for your code.
  • Import VAT is charged in the country of clearance on the customs value plus duty plus freight and insurance to the EU border: 21% in Spain, 22% in Italy, 19% in Germany.
  • China-specific trade defence measures matter: the EU maintains anti-dumping or countervailing duties on a range of Chinese-origin goods (steel and aluminium products, ceramic tableware and tiles, bicycles and e-bikes, and battery electric vehicles since 2024), and those rates can far exceed the normal tariff.
  • Customs value is normally the transaction value: check whether tooling, moulds, royalties or design work supplied to the factory must be added under the EU Union Customs Code.
  • Preferential origin does not apply: there is no EU-China free trade agreement, so Chinese-origin goods pay the full third-country rate. Non-preferential origin still needs to be documented correctly.

8. Licences, certificates and documents you need on both sides

Most goods move without an import licence, but almost nothing moves without the right paperwork. Chinese export formalities and EU import compliance are two separate sets of requirements, and both have to be satisfied before the container sails.

  • On the EU side you need an EORI number for your company; without it the declaration cannot be filed, and registration is free through your national customs authority.
  • Product compliance is the importer's legal responsibility: CE marking with an EU Declaration of Conformity and technical file, plus regime-specific rules such as REACH for chemicals, RoHS for electronics, EU 1935/2004 for food-contact materials, GPSR for consumer goods, and the EU Toy Safety Directive.
  • Since 2021 many products sold into the EU need a named EU-based responsible person or authorised representative — a Chinese factory cannot fill that role.
  • On the Chinese side, the factory or its agent files an export declaration with the General Administration of Customs (GACC); food and some other categories require GACC registration of the overseas manufacturer.
  • Certain goods sold in China also carry the CCC mark; CCC is a Chinese domestic requirement and is never a substitute for CE or EU testing.
  • Standard shipment documents: commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading or air waybill, and where relevant a fumigation certificate for wooden packaging under ISPM 15, plus MSDS and dangerous-goods paperwork for batteries and chemicals.
  • Restricted categories — dual-use items, some chemicals, wildlife-derived materials, certain steel products under EU safeguards — need licences or surveillance documents arranged well before shipment.

9. Shipping options and realistic transit times from China

China's export gateways are concentrated in a handful of ports and airports. Shanghai and Ningbo-Zhoushan are the world's two busiest container ports, followed by Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Qingdao, and the port you ship from is usually decided by where your factory sits.

  • Sea FCL (20ft or 40ft container) is the default for volume; sea LCL groupage suits part loads but adds destination handling charges that can erase the saving on small shipments.
  • Typical port-to-port sea transit from South or East China to Western Mediterranean ports such as Valencia, Barcelona or Algeciras runs about 28-40 days, plus inland haulage on both ends; Northern Europe via Rotterdam or Hamburg is broadly similar.
  • Rail on the China-Europe corridors takes roughly 18-30 days to Central Europe and suits mid-value cargo, though capacity and routing have been volatile since 2022.
  • Air freight from Shanghai, Shenzhen or Hong Kong takes about 5-9 days door to door and is priced per chargeable weight — sensible for samples, launch stock and high-value-per-kilo goods.
  • Build calendar risk in: Chinese New Year (late January to mid-February) shuts factories for two to four weeks and congests capacity for weeks before and after, and Golden Week in early October has a smaller version of the same effect.
  • Sea freight rates are cyclical and route disruptions (Red Sea rerouting around the Cape of Good Hope since late 2023) can add roughly 10-14 days to Asia-Europe sailings — quote freight close to shipment, not months ahead.

10. Where the suppliers are: China's manufacturing clusters

Chinese manufacturing is organised in dense regional clusters. Sourcing inside the right cluster gives you competing factories, a mature component supply chain and better prices for the same specification — sourcing outside it usually means paying a trader.

  • Guangdong (Shenzhen, Dongguan, Huizhou) for electronics and electromechanical assemblies; Foshan and Shunde for furniture, kitchen and home appliances; Chaozhou and Shantou for ceramics and toys.
  • Zhejiang: Yiwu for small commodities and promotional goods, Ningbo for tools and hardware, Keqiao (Shaoxing) for textiles, Wenzhou for footwear and electrical fittings.
  • Jiangsu and Shanghai for higher-end industrial, machinery and technical components; Fujian (Jinjiang, Quanzhou) for footwear and sportswear; Hebei and Shandong for steel, building materials and heavy hardware.
  • The Canton Fair in Guangzhou runs twice a year (April-May and October-November) and remains the most efficient way to meet many export-ready manufacturers in person.
  • B2B platforms are a starting point, not a verification: listings mix factories and trading companies, and paid membership tiers say nothing about production capability.
  • Verify before you commit: check the business licence on China's national enterprise credit system, confirm the registered scope covers manufacturing, match the bank account to the legal entity name, and run an on-site audit for any meaningful order.

Duties by product

Import duty by product type

Rates, VAT and compliance requirements for the categories we import most from China.

Checklist

Checklist for your first import

The minimum points you should have closed before placing an order in China.

  • Technical product brief with specifications and applicable EU regulations
  • 3-5 benchmarked suppliers and at least one verified on site
  • Pre-production sample approved in writing
  • Incoterm and payment terms agreed and documented
  • Bilingual contract with specifications and penalties
  • Quality inspection plan (DUPRO + PSI)
  • TARIC code confirmed and duty and VAT calculated
  • Landed-cost budget with a contingency margin

Frequently asked questions

Common questions about importing from China

How long does an import from China take?
As a general reference: 2-4 weeks for negotiation and samples, 4-8 weeks for production, 4-6 weeks of sea freight and a few days of customs clearance. In total, 8 to 14 weeks for a well-planned first operation.
What minimum order quantity (MOQ) is usual?
It depends on the product and the factory: from hundreds of units for simple goods to full containers in industrial categories. MOQ negotiation is part of the project and can often be adjusted for a first order.
Do I need a company in China to import?
No. You can import with your Spanish or European company. What you do need is management capacity at origin — in-house or through a partner like EC HolaHome — to validate factories, control quality and coordinate the operation.
How do I avoid quality problems?
With three tools: a detailed technical specification, a sample approved in writing and independent inspections during and at the end of production, before paying the balance and loading the container.

Important note

This guide is general and informative and does not replace technical, legal or customs advice specific to each operation. Regulations and tax rates can change; always verify the current situation before closing a transaction.

Want to import from China without improvising?

Tell us what product you need and we will propose a sourcing plan with validated suppliers, estimated costs and a timeline.

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