China is Côte d’Ivoire’s largest trading partner.

Côte d’Ivoire mainly imports from China: electrical appliances and mechanical equipment, automobiles and agricultural machinery, steel, chemical products, steel products, plastic products, furniture and home furnishings.

CFC is able to take care of all logistics requirements from China to Côte d’Ivoire. We are agile and we work quickly while providing a cost-effective but reliable service. We offer all types of freight forwarding services to Côte d’Ivoire. So, whatever you are sending, and whenever it has to go, we’re here to help.

Import into Côte d’Ivoire

Côte d’Ivoire is a member of ECOWAS. It also includes countries as Benin, Cabo Verde, Togo, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Liberia.

Côte d’Ivoire implements several ECOWAS trade initiatives, including the ECOWAS Common External Tariff (CET) system. Consistent with the CET, Côte d’Ivoire applies five tariff bands to products from China:

1. Zero percent duty on essential social goods (e.g., medicine);
2. Five percent tariff on essential commodities, raw materials, and capital goods;
3. Ten percent tariff on intermediate goods;
4. Twenty percent tariff on consumer goods;
5. Thirty-Five percent tariff on certain goods.

Most of the duties are based on ad valorem rates, which are imposed on the current export price from the country of sale or origin and any shipping and insurance expenses incurred. The method of value assessment is based on the Brussels Definition of Value (BDV).

The national value added tax (VAT) levied on all imported goods is 18 percent. In addition to the 18 percent VAT, the Ivoirian government imposes an additional 2.6 percent tax on all imports.

The international commodity inspection company BIVAC is responsible for the inspection and quarantine of all commodities imported and exported from Côte d’Ivoire. Commodities imported into Côte d’Ivoire should be inspected at BIVAC at the place of export, and the commodity inspection certificate together with the bill of lading should be submitted to the BIVAC office at the port of Côte d’Ivoire (Abidjan or San Pedro) for notarization, and then go to the customs to handle the customs clearance procedures for the goods.

The average time of customs clearance depends on the type of goods being imported. The clearance times for products whose specifications are in customs’ database can vary from 48 hours to a week. Payment of import duties and taxes must be made within 20 days of arrival of the goods.

Sea Freight from China to Côte d’Ivoire

Ocean transportation to Côte d’Ivoire is a very viable and inexpensive means for moving large volumes of merchandise.

FCL provides the user the capability of having a complete, independent use of a container and, thereby, reduces the threat of consignment misplacement, damage, or delay common with LCL shipments during the transit time.

LCL stands for consolidation and grouped together with other shipments then you only pay for the space taken by the cargo in the container. This make LCL advantageous for firms that have small consignments of cargo that cannot meet the minimum volume required for FCL.

Top Container Ports in Côte d’Ivoire

Côte d’Ivoire has two main ports: Abidjan and San Pedro.

Abidjan, the economic capital, has the largest port in West Africa and is a major shipping route on the west coast of Africa, radiating to surrounding inland countries such as Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger.

Abidjan is the second largest port in Africa, after Durban South Africa.

The Port of San Pedro is the world’s largest cocoa export port.

Sea Freight Cost from China to Côte d’Ivoire

If you have a large shipment, FCL will normally cost less per unit than LCL.

For instance, the FCL container rate from Shenzhen China to Abidjan is rough US$3,000 for 1x20ft container, US$3,500 for 1x40ft container.

Sea Freight Transit Time from China to Côte d’Ivoire

It usually takes 30-40 days for the container transport to Abidjan.

Air Freight from China to Côte d’Ivoire

Air freight is the fastest and most effective mode of transport for moving goods from to Côte d’Ivoire.

With China’s status as a global manufacturing hub and Côte d’Ivoire’s growing economy, air freight serves as a key logistics option for a wide range of industries, including electronics, machinery, pharmaceuticals, and consumer products.

Top Airports in Côte d’Ivoire

Abidjan Airport is the largest airport in French-speaking Africa.

Côte d’Ivoire has opened more than 30 routes, with direct flights to Burkina Faso, Mali, Ghana, Benin, Guinea, Senegal, Togo, Nigeria, Niger, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Gabon, Congo (Brazzaville) and Congo (Kinshasa) and other Central and West African countries.

Air Freight Cost from China to Côte d’Ivoire

The cost of air freight depends on several factors, including the weight, volume, and nature of the goods, as well as the departure and arrival airports.

Air rate changes often. We can discuss case by case.

Air Freight Transit Time from China to Côte d’Ivoire

There are no direct flights between China and Côte d’Ivoire, and flights must be transferred through Paris France, Nairobi Kenya, Dubai UAE, Addis Ababa Ethiopia, and Cairo Egypt.

The transit time is typically between 5 and 7 days to Abidjan Airport, depending on the specific route, airline, and logistics services chosen.

Working with CFC

At CFC, we can assist you with all your freight forwardings from China to Côte d’Ivoire. We offer a completely bespoke service for international traders. Whatever you need to send to Cote d’Ivoire, from a small parcel to a large item of machinery, we’ve got you covered by sea or air.

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