China is Colombia’s second largest trading partner.

CFC is here to help you ship to Colombia like a pro. For reliable and efficient transport delivery, partnering with a trusted service provider can ease the process. We support easy and affordable to ship from China to Colombia by offering economical modes of transportation including air freight and sea freight, as well as accommodating your preferred transit time.

Colombia Customs Entry

The first step in ensuring smooth delivery of goods to Colombia is navigating through the country’s customs regulations.

Importers in Colombia must follow the basic steps below to complete an import transaction into Colombia from China:

• Buy and fill out the Import Registration form. The form requires a complete product description and tariff classification.
• Customs inspects the merchandise, when they consider it necessary, and then authorizes withdrawal of goods.
• Fill out the “Andean Custom Value Declaration” (Declaración Andina de Valor en Aduana) when the import value is equal to or more than USD 5,000 FOB.
• Fill out the Import Declaration (‘Declaración de Importación’). When the import value is equal or more than USD 1,000 Customs Brokers should do all the paperwork and get the shipment out of Customs.
• Go to an authorized financial entity and pay the import duties, VAT, surcharges, and other fees.
• Make arrangements with a Customs Agency to receive the merchandise and get it out of customs.

Most of Colombia’s duties have been consolidated into three tariff levels: zero percent to five percent on capital goods, industrial goods, and raw materials not produced in Colombia; ten percent on manufactured goods, with some exceptions; and 15 percent to 20 percent on consumer and “sensitive” goods.

Most of Colombia’s foreign trade procedures have been streamlined through the Unified Portal for Foreign Trade (VUCE), which gives users access to forms, online payments and follow-up on requests and processes related to an import or export operation.

Colombian customs can detain shipments indefinitely because of improper tariff schedule classification, incorrect address, or even simple typing errors. When mistakes are made by the importer, the goods may be refused entry into Colombia and be returned at considerable expense to the importer. Colombian customs statutes provide for significant fines and penalties for light infringement of procedures and errors in freight forwarding documents by customs agencies (Agencias Aduaneras).

Air Freight from China to Colombia

In today’s fast-paced market environment where consumers expect quick deliveries; speed is of the essence.

Colombia is located on the northwestern edge of South America. It is the gateway to South America from the United States, Central America and even Europe. Air transportation is extremely convenient and the cost is relatively low.

Top Airports in Colombia

Colombia has 731 runways connecting to 514 cities.

El Dorado International Airport – BOG in Bogotá is the largest airport in Latin America in terms of cargo volume and fourth in terms of passenger volume. Chances are, if you are planning to ship goods into Colombia by plane, they will land at this airport.

El Dorado International Airport, the main air transport hub in Colombia is the gateway to a vast network of destinations, offering unparalleled connectivity conditions between North, Central, South America, and the Caribbean.

Some other cities such as Cartagena, Medellin and Cali also have international flights.

Air Freight Cost from China to Colombia

Estimating your air shipping rate to Colombia is crucial for budgeting and avoiding surprises. Rates can vary widely depending on factors like package size, weight, and speed of delivery.

Starting from US$9.0 per kg express door-to-door, CFC is also great at offering the lower shipping prices, if you’re looking for the cheaper way to ship to Colombia. Be prepared for slightly longer delivery times compared to premium options.

Air Freight Transit Time from China to Colombia

There are no direct flights between China and Colombia. Freight from China to Colombia mostly chooses the United States (New York) or Europe (Paris, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Madrid, etc.) as transit points.

At CFC we have the express delivery service to Colombia, which has a delivery time of 72 hours. When the shipment is not urgent or express, delivery times are 5 to 7 days.

Sea Freight from China to Colombia

CFC provides different services for ocean shipping from China to Colombia, i.e. door to door, door to port, port to port and port to door. Our vast ocean freight carriers network allows us to give a broad range of sea shipping resolutions that will provide any cargo or project type to Colombia.

Bill of Lading

Colombian Customs has started accepting electronic Bills of Lading (eBL), though Original Bills of Lading (OBL) remain the mainstream practice.

Mandatory Information on the Bill of Lading:

• Name, address, phone number, fax, and Tax ID (NIT NO.) for both the Consignee and the Notify Party.
• The Consignee must be a local Colombian company.

Top Container Ports in Colombia

Colombia has a coastline of 2,900 kilometers and is the only country in South America with both the North Pacific and Caribbean coastlines. Colombian ports connect more than 4,300 routes and provide services to 27 shipping companies and 355 ports around the world.

Colombia has the Pacific coast port of Buenaventura, the largest bulk cargo port of Barranquilla, and the largest container port of Cartagena.

The Port of Cartagena Group is the main logistics platform in the Caribbean. Thanks to its strategic location and its highly efficient maritime terminals, it has established itself as a key hub for the transshipment of cargo both regionally and globally.

Sea Freight Cost from China to Colombia

Container shipping cost for Colombia can cost as little as $2,500 for 1x20ft container, $3,500 for 1x40ft container from port of Shanghai to port of Cartagena.

Sea Freight Transit Time from China to Colombia

The transit time to transport a container from China to Colombia is estimated between 22 to 30 days from port to port. The duration of transit time will differ depending on the required service route and sailing plan.

Working with CFC

Not all shipping providers are created equal. Look for a forwarder like CFC with more than 20 years of reliable delivery to Colombia from China. Shipping to Colombia doesn’t have to be a headache. With CFC, our knowledge and experience will get your goods delivered hassle-free.

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