Shipping guide · Europe

Shipping from China and Hong Kong to Germany

Germany is the largest import market in the European Union and the most procedurally exact. Customs here is not slower than elsewhere, but it is less tolerant of inconsistent paperwork, and that is what decides whether a shipment moves or waits.

Talk to us about Germany
Customs union
European Union, common tariff and common customs code
Customs authority
Generalzolldirektion, German Customs (Zoll)
Declaration system
ATLAS, the German electronic customs platform
Import VAT
Einfuhrumsatzsteuer, standard rate 19 percent
Importer registration
EORI number, issued in Germany by the Zoll
Main entry points
Hamburg, Bremerhaven, Wilhelmshaven by sea, Frankfurt and Leipzig by air

Hamburg is the country freight identity: a river port, deep inland, with the densest rail network of any European container port. A container discharged in Hamburg can be on a train to Munich, Prague or Poland the same week, which is why it handles cargo for half of central Europe and not only for Germany.

Bremerhaven and Wilhelmshaven cover what Hamburg cannot. Bremerhaven is strong on vehicles and reefer, and Wilhelmshaven is the only German deepwater port able to take the largest vessels fully laden regardless of tide, which matters for the biggest Asian services.

A lot of German cargo never touches a German port at all. Rotterdam and Antwerp are closer to the Rhine industrial belt, and barge services up the river to Duisburg, the largest inland port in the world, are a standard routing rather than an exotic one. Getting this choice right is usually worth more than negotiating the ocean freight.

Where cargo lands

Main freight and distribution centres

Hamburg

Port city and the largest logistics cluster in the country, with the deepest pool of customs brokers and warehousing.

Duisburg

The largest inland port in the world, the German end of the Rhine barge corridor and a major terminus for rail from Asia.

Frankfurt

The air cargo capital and the natural distribution point for central Germany.

Munich

Southern industrial hub for automotive, electronics and machinery, well connected by rail to Hamburg and by road to Italy and Austria.

Berlin and Leipzig

The eastern axis, with Leipzig carrying disproportionate air cargo volume as an express hub.

Sea freight

Ports of entry and what they mean for your cargo

Hamburg

The main container gateway, with unmatched rail connectivity inland. Being a river port it has draft limits, so the largest vessels sometimes call elsewhere.

Bremerhaven

Strong on vehicles, reefer cargo and container volume, with good access to the northwest.

Wilhelmshaven (JadeWeserPort)

The only German deepwater container terminal that takes the largest vessels fully laden at any tide, increasingly used by the biggest Asian services.

Rotterdam or Antwerp with Rhine barge

Not German ports, but a normal routing for cargo destined to the Rhine belt. Often cheaper and less congested than discharging in Hamburg and trucking south.

Hamburg rail is the real advantage. If the final destination is in Bavaria, Saxony or beyond into central Europe, rail from Hamburg frequently beats a northern European port plus road, both on cost and on emissions.

For cargo landing in the west, discharging in Rotterdam or Antwerp and moving up the Rhine by barge is standard practice. It is slower than road but predictable and cheap, and it avoids the road driver shortage entirely.

German ports are strict on documentation before release. The time lost in Germany is rarely at sea, it is at the desk.

Air freight

Airports and when air is the right answer

Frankfurt (FRA)

The largest air cargo airport in Europe by volume, with direct freighter services from Asia and every kind of handling capability on site.

Leipzig/Halle (LEJ)

A dedicated freight airport and a major express hub, operating around the clock, which matters for time-critical cargo.

Munich (MUC)

Serves the southern industrial region directly, with good bellyhold capacity from Asia.

Cologne/Bonn (CGN)

Night flight capable and express oriented, useful for urgent shipments into the west.

Germany has more genuine air cargo capacity from Asia than any other European country, so the constraint is rarely the flight. It is customs data and handling slots.

Leipzig and Cologne being night flight capable is a real operational difference. For cargo that has to be on a production line the next morning, that is the routing that delivers it.

Indicative transit times

How long the movement usually takes

  • Sea FCL, South China to HamburgAround 30 to 38 days port to portAdd inland rail or road time to the final destination.
  • Sea LCL, South China to GermanyAround 38 to 50 days door to doorConsolidation at origin and deconsolidation at destination both add days.
  • Rail, China to DuisburgAround 18 to 28 days terminal to terminalFaster than sea and cheaper than air, though capacity and routing have been less stable in recent years.
  • Air freight, Hong Kong or South China to FrankfurtAround 4 to 8 days door to doorStandard consolidated service including pickup, handling and clearance.

These ranges are indicative and exist to help you plan. Real transit time depends on the service, the season, the routing and the clearance itself, and we confirm it per shipment rather than publish it as a promise.

Customs

How clearance into Germany actually works

The competent authority is Generalzolldirektion, German Customs (Zoll).

German declarations are filed electronically through ATLAS. The system itself is efficient, but it is unforgiving about inconsistencies between the invoice, the packing list and the transport document, which is the most common reason a German clearance stalls.

Import VAT is 19 percent, with a reduced rate on certain categories. A VAT registered company recovers it through its regular return, so it is a cash flow question rather than a cost, but unlike France it is normally settled at import unless a deferment account is in place.

A deferment account with the Zoll lets duty and import VAT be paid monthly instead of per shipment. For anyone importing regularly this is one of the most useful arrangements available, and it needs to be set up in advance.

The EORI number for a German importer is issued by the Zoll itself. A company with no EU establishment cannot act as importer of record and needs an Importer of Record arrangement or an indirect representative.

Germany applies the EU Common Customs Tariff, so the duty rate is determined by the HS classification. Binding Tariff Information can be requested where the classification of a product is genuinely uncertain and the volumes justify the certainty.

Documentation

What you need to have ready

Commercial invoice

German customs cross checks this against everything else. Any mismatch is a query.

Packing list

Package level weights and dimensions, consistent with the transport document.

Bill of Lading or Air Waybill

The transport contract and the release instrument.

EORI number

Issued by the Zoll for German established companies, required before the first clearance.

Certificate of origin

Required to claim preferential duty rates where an agreement exists.

CE marking and declaration of conformity

Enforced seriously for electronics, machinery, toys and lighting. Market surveillance in Germany is active, not theoretical.

Battery and packaging registrations

Products with batteries or sold in packaging carry German producer registration obligations that sit outside customs but stop sales if missing.

Product specific certificates

Phytosanitary, veterinary, CITES or dangerous goods documentation as applicable.

Controlled and restricted goods

What gets stopped, and why

  • Market surveillance on CE marked products is genuinely active in Germany. Electronics, chargers, lighting and toys arriving without a proper conformity file are a real risk, not a formality.
  • Products containing batteries, and goods sold in packaging, trigger German producer responsibility registrations. These are not customs requirements, but importing without them creates a problem the moment the goods are sold.
  • Food, plants and animal origin products must enter through an approved border control post with the corresponding sanitary certification.
  • Dual use goods and technology under export control are scrutinised carefully, and Germany enforces this seriously.
  • Counterfeit enforcement at Hamburg is systematic. Branded goods should be accompanied by evidence of legitimate supply.
  • Wood packaging must comply with ISPM 15 and carry the mark.

Working with Velonex

What clients usually bring us in for on this lane

  • Electronics and devices entering a market where conformity documentation is actually checked, so the paperwork has to be right before the cargo sails rather than fixed afterwards.
  • Machinery, components and project cargo for the southern industrial belt, where Hamburg plus rail usually beats a western port plus road.
  • Importers weighing Hamburg against Rotterdam with a Rhine barge leg, where the right answer depends entirely on the delivery postcode.
  • Companies with no German entity that need an Importer of Record or indirect representation arrangement in place before the first shipment.
  • Time-critical cargo that can use the night flight capability at Leipzig or Cologne instead of waiting for a daytime slot at a passenger airport.

Get a quote

Tell us what needs to move to Germany

We listen before we quote. Share the cargo, the deadline and the constraint, and we will come back with a route that accounts for all three, the documents it will need and a timeline we can stand behind.

Your details

Includes your name, company name and email address

Shipment route

Includes your pickup location and destination

Cargo type

Includes the type of cargo you are shipping

Special requirements

Includes a short note about your challenge

Timeline

Includes your desired timeline

Your quote

A tailored response based on everything above

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Corporate logistics partner

Trust, clarity and operational follow through for complex cargo.

Not ready for a quote? Email info@velonex-hk.com or message us on WhatsApp with the question and we will answer it.

Sources

Where this information comes from

General guidance, last reviewed August 2026. Customs rules and product requirements change, and the treatment of any specific shipment depends on its classification, origin and value. Confirm the detail with us or with the authority before you commit to a movement.

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