Questions importers and exporters ask us.

Free days (free time) are the days you can keep a container without extra charges. The shipping line gives free time for the container itself, usually counted from discharge until the empty is returned; the port terminal gives separate free time for storage. Published import free time for dry containers in Egypt is typically only 5–6 days (2026 carrier tariffs), and 3–4 days for reefers. Terminal storage is separate: for example, 7 free days at Alexandria under one major carrier’s tariff. Terms differ by line and can sometimes be negotiated at booking, so we confirm them before you ship.

• Demurrage is charged by the shipping line when a full container stays inside the port after its free days, until it leaves the port.
• Detention is charged by the shipping line when the container stays outside the port after its free days, until the empty is returned to the line’s depot.
• Storage (in Egypt often called ardiyat, أرضيات) is charged by the port or terminal for the space the cargo or container occupies after the terminal’s free period.

All three are charged per container per day and rise the longer the delay. Many lines combine demurrage and detention into one free-time allowance. In 2026, published combined rates after free time run from about USD 45–125 a day for a 20′ and USD 65–185 a day for a 40′, with storage on top.

We prepare the clearance before the vessel arrives: ACI registration, document checks, HS codes and any permits. We count your free days from discharge and book the truck for the day of release. Since June 2026 clearance can start on arrival, without waiting for the line’s delivery order, and we use that.

If something threatens your free days, such as a missing document or an inspection, we tell you at once and agree the fastest fix with you. That is what “no demurrage surprises” means.

For scale: under one major carrier’s 2026 tariff, a 40′ that leaves Alexandria port on day 20 and returns empty on day 22 costs about USD 2,500 in demurrage, detention and storage.

Usually:

• the commercial invoice and the bill of lading (or air waybill), both showing the ACID number, uploaded by your supplier on CargoX;
• a packing list;
• a certificate of origin (EUR.1 or another preferential certificate if you claim reduced duty);
• your importer registration and tax card;
• any permits your goods need, such as food safety approval or import control registration.

Send us the invoice and a description and we will list exactly what your cargo needs.

Usually: the commercial invoice and packing list, your exporter registration, a UCR number from Nafeza (required for every sea export booking since July 2026), and the certificate of origin your buyer’s market needs, issued by GOEIC: EUR.1 or EUR-MED for the EU, EUR-MED for Agadir countries, the Arab League certificate for GAFTA, or the COMESA certificate.

Food and agricultural products also need inspection and certificates such as phytosanitary or health certificates. If you claim the export rebate, keep the customs export certificate, bill of lading and certificate of origin for each shipment; we supply them.

ACI (Advance Cargo Information) is Egypt’s pre-registration system for imports. It applies to every sea import since October 2021 and every air import since 1 January 2026.

1. The Egyptian importer, registered on Nafeza, submits the shipment data (pro-forma invoice and draft B/L if available) at least 48 hours before the cargo leaves the export country.
2. After a risk check, the importer and the exporter receive a 19-digit ACID number.
3. The overseas exporter uploads the invoice, B/L, packing list and certificate of origin on the CargoX platform: for sea freight at least 48 hours before the vessel arrives, for air at least 8 hours before take-off.
4. The ACID must appear on every document, including the B/L or air waybill.

Without a valid ACID the goods are not cleared and are sent back at the carrier’s or agent’s expense. CargoX charges a fee per shipment (about USD 165 at late-2025 rates). We guide you and your supplier through each step.

Nafeza is Egypt’s national single window for foreign trade. Importers, exporters, customs brokers and government agencies use it to register shipments (ACI for imports, UCR for sea exports), file customs declarations, submit documents and track approvals online. Accounts are opened online and finalised in person at a Nafeza service centre, and filings are signed with an e-token or digital signature.

The HS (Harmonized System) code is the international number that classifies every product. Egypt’s customs tariff uses it to set the duty rate and to decide which import rules, permits and inspections apply. A wrong code can mean the wrong duty, a held shipment or a penalty. Give us a product description and, if you have it, your supplier’s code; we confirm the classification before the cargo ships.

Duties are calculated from the HS code and the customs value of the goods (generally the CIF value: cost, insurance and freight). VAT, at the standard rate of 14%, and any other taxes are added on top. Payment is made electronically before release. We estimate the total before arrival and can pay on your behalf, or you can pay directly. Either way you see every amount before it is paid.

It depends on the goods and on customs’ risk assessment. Some shipments are released on documents; others are physically examined. In 2024, customs and inspection took about 2.8 days of the average 8.6-day release at Alexandria; the rest was paperwork and waiting, which good preparation cuts.

Certain products also need checks by other authorities, for example food by the National Food Safety Authority, and many consumer goods by the General Organization for Export and Import Control (GOEIC). We tell you in advance what applies to your cargo and attend the inspection for you.

Goods imported by a company licensed in an Egyptian free zone enter without paying customs duties or VAT, as long as they stay in the zone or are re-exported. Duties and taxes become due only when goods leave the zone for the Egyptian market. We handle the paperwork for moves into, out of and between free zones.

QIZ (Qualifying Industrial Zones) lets products made by qualifying factories in designated Egyptian zones (in Greater Cairo, Alexandria, the Suez Canal area, the Middle Delta, Beni Suef and Minya) enter the United States free of normal US import duty, if they contain at least 35% qualifying content, including 10.5% Israeli input. Garments are the main QIZ product.

Note: since 24 July 2026, Egyptian goods pay an additional 12.5% US duty under Section 301, and no QIZ exemption has been announced, so include it in your landed cost.

As part of a garment group that ships under QIZ, we know the paperwork and the routing. Ask us about QIZ consulting when you request a quote.

A certificate of origin states where goods were made. A preferential certificate lets your buyer pay reduced or zero import duty under a trade agreement, if the goods meet its rules of origin.

In Egypt, GOEIC issues them: EUR.1 or EUR-MED for the European Union (duty-free access under the Association Agreement since 2004), EUR-MED for Agadir countries (Jordan, Tunisia, Morocco), the Arab League certificate for GAFTA (40% local value added) and the COMESA certificate (35% local value added).

Your buyer usually tells you which one they need. We arrange it as part of export clearance.

FCL (full container load) gives you a whole container: faster handling and less risk, best when you have enough cargo to fill most of it. LCL (less than container load) shares a container with other shippers and you pay per cubic metre: cheaper for smaller loads, but with extra handling at consolidation and deconsolidation. Send us the volume and weight and we will price both.

Typical port-to-port sea transit times from Alexandria (actual times depend on the shipping line, routing, transhipment and season):

Since late 2023, attacks in the Red Sea have sent many container services around the Cape of Good Hope instead of through Suez, and routings still change voyage by voyage, which affects Asia, Gulf and East Africa lanes most. Air freight is quoted per flight. Customs clearance in Egypt adds time on top of transit; how much depends on the goods, the documents and any inspection.

These are typical times, not guarantees; we confirm the schedule with every quote.

Incoterms (the ICC’s 2020 rules) set who pays for and controls each part of the journey. For imports, buying FOB or EXW gives you control of the freight and the arrival in Egypt, which helps you protect your free days. For exports, CIF or CFR is common when your buyer wants a delivered-to-port price; FOB when the buyer has its own forwarder. Tell us your contract terms and we will quote the parts that fall to you.

Each quote lists its parts separately: freight (ocean, air or road), origin and destination charges, shipping-line and port charges, customs clearance, trucking and any warehousing. Government duties and taxes are shown as estimates, because they depend on the final customs assessment. Freight rates change with the market, so every quote states how long it is valid.

The basics: what the cargo is, origin and destination (port or city), import or export, mode, container type and count or weight and volume, the ready date and your Incoterm. A packing list or commercial invoice and the HS code, if you have them, make the quote more exact. Our quote form asks for all of this in two minutes.