Shipping from China to Iraq
What it costs, what customs asks for, and how long it actually takes — written for buyers sourcing from Chinese platforms and Chinese factories, delivering into Iraq.
0–30% (many products at a uniform 5%)Standard duty
No general import VATImport VAT
10–18Days by air, door to door
35–45Days by sea LCL
IQDQuote currency
Iraq · العراق
Iraq is the hardest lane we run and we quote it case by case. There is no general VAT, but the Kurdistan Region operates its own customs administration at Erbil and Sulaymaniyah, and customs documents must be legalized. Sea cargo almost never sails direct: it transships through Jebel Ali or Aqaba and moves on a feeder, and the Strait of Hormuz is the real constraint on every sailing.
- Entry points: Umm Qasr (via Jebel Ali / Aqaba transshipment) · Khor al-Zubair · Basra & Baghdad air cargo · Erbil (Kurdistan)
- Transit: 10–18 days air DDP door to door by air, 35–45 days sea LCL by sea LCL
- Taxes: 0–30% (many products at a uniform 5%); No general import VAT
- Threshold: No general VAT; duty follows the HS heading
01The numbers
What you are actually paying.
These are the published rates for Iraq. Duty is confirmed against the HS code of your product before you commit — the band below is the standard rate, not a promise.
Customs duty
0–30% (many products at a uniform 5%)on the CIF value
Import VAT
No general import VATsettled before dispatch on DDP
Air transit
10–18 days air DDPGuangzhou to the door
Sea LCL
35–45 days sea LCLport to port plus clearance
02What decides clearance
The three things that hold a shipment.
Nobody gets held for the reason they expect. It is nearly always the file, the code, or the conformity paperwork — all three of which we can fix before the goods leave China.
- The Kurdistan Region runs separate customs at Erbil, Sulaymaniyah and the land borders — one declaration cannot cover both.
- Commercial invoices and certificates of origin must be legalized; digital signatures are not accepted.
- Direct sailings to Umm Qasr are rare — cargo transships at Jebel Ali or Aqaba and finishes on a feeder vessel, which typically adds 5–10 days and puts the shipment at the mercy of Hormuz conditions.
- The Development Road corridor to Türkiye is under construction; we do not quote it as a settled lane yet.
03How we quote it
The same sheet, in your currency.
| Line | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Goods value | As invoiced by the supplier, checked against the listing |
| Sourcing fee | 8% of goods value, flat, quoted before you pay |
| China domestic freight | Supplier to our Guangzhou warehouse, per parcel |
| International freight | Air express, air DDP or sea LCL, door to door |
| Customs duty | Confirmed against the HS code before dispatch |
| Import VAT | Prepaid and included in the delivered price |
| Delivered total | One figure in IQD, no surcharge on arrival |
04Other markets
Same standard, different regime.
Price a shipment to Iraq.
Send the product link, the quantity and the delivery address. We quote sourcing, freight, duty and VAT as one delivered figure — usually within three to five business days.