International Removals to China (2026)
Moving to China is one of the more paperwork-heavy relocations in the world, and getting the details wrong can leave your belongings stuck at the port for weeks. Flyto Relocation handles complete door-to-door international removals to China from across Europe, whether you are settling into a Shanghai high-rise, a Beijing apartment, a gated compound in Shenzhen, or a company flat in Guangzhou. From your first box in Europe to your sofa arriving in China, you deal with one dedicated, English-speaking coordinator who knows exactly what China Customs will ask for.
With a 4.9 rating from more than 500 reviews, fully insured shipments, and an honest operating model, we help European expats, returning professionals, and families move to China with far less stress and no unpleasant surprises at the border.
How Flyto works: our own European hubs plus vetted local partners in China
We believe in being straight with you about how we operate. Flyto is a European international mover. We run our own logistics hubs across Northern, Central, and Southern Europe, which means we control the quality of the packing, collection, and export handling at the origin end, the part of the move where most damage and delays actually happen.
For the China leg, your goods travel by sea or air, and customs clearance and final home delivery are carried out by vetted local partners we know and trust. We are transparent about this: we do not run a Flyto office in Shanghai or Beijing. What we do run is a single point of coordination, so you are not left chasing a foreign agent in another time zone who has never heard of you. Your Flyto coordinator manages the European origin, the ocean or air freight, and the destination partner as one continuous chain, and stays your contact until the job is done.
By sea, we ship to China’s major container ports, chiefly Shanghai, Ningbo-Zhoushan, and Shenzhen, the three busiest container ports in the world, with onward road delivery to your door in Beijing, Guangzhou, or wherever you are settling. When time is tight, we also arrange air freight for smaller or urgent shipments.
Our services: FCL, LCL and full door-to-door removals
Every move is different, so we size the service to your shipment:
- Full Container Load (FCL) — a dedicated 20ft or 40ft container for larger homes and full households. Fastest customs handling and the best protection for a whole home of furniture.
- Less than Container Load (LCL) and groupage — you pay only for the space your goods occupy in a shared container. Ideal for apartments, partial moves, and cost-conscious relocations.
- Air freight — for essentials you need quickly or for high-value, low-volume shipments.
Beyond the freight, we provide full professional packing with export-grade materials, custom crating for artwork and fragile items, and a detailed inventory (which China Customs requires anyway). We offer secure storage at origin or destination if your residence permit or apartment is not ready in time, a common situation given the visa timeline. And we handle genuine door-to-door delivery, including the practical realities of Chinese cities: gated compound access rules, service-lift bookings in high-rise blocks, and unpacking in your new home.
What does an international removal to China cost?
We do not publish fixed price lists, because an honest quote for China depends on real variables rather than a headline number. The main drivers are:
- Volume — how many cubic metres you ship, and whether that justifies FCL or LCL.
- Origin — which European city you move from, and access at the property (stairs, parking, lift).
- Sea versus air — air freight is far faster but costs considerably more per kilo.
- Destination and access — a compound in Shenzhen differs from a 30th-floor apartment in central Shanghai.
- Services and customs — packing, crating, insurance, and storage all affect the total, and non-diplomatic household shipments can attract import duties.
Tell us your origin, destination, and roughly what you are moving, and we will give you a clear, itemised quote with no hidden extras.
Customs, paperwork and your China visa
This is where China differs sharply from most destinations, and where good coordination earns its keep. Customs is administered by the General Administration of Customs of China (GACC), and the rules for used household goods are strict and conditional.
Importing used household goods is conditional on your immigration status. As a foreigner, you can only import your used personal effects duty-considered if you hold a valid residence permit and a valid work permit (typically each valid for at least 12 months). Without the residence permit in place, your used household goods generally cannot be cleared as a personal-effects import. This single condition catches out more movers to China than any other, which is why we plan your shipment timing around it.
A few more GACC rules that shape how we run your move:
- Declaration timing — your personal effects import should be declared within roughly six months of your arrival in China. Leave it too late and you lose the personal-effects treatment.
- One shipment — typically only one sea shipment and one air shipment are permitted per person under this personal-effects regime, so you should send everything together rather than in dribs and drabs.
- Detailed inventory — Customs requires a full, itemised packing list, in the shipper’s own name, with quantities and values. High-value items must be declared.
- Restricted and censored items — China inspects, and may hold or reject, used printed matter, books, films, discs, media, and photographs deemed contrary to its political, cultural, or moral interests, along with items such as drones, radio transmitters, and certain electronics. Used garments are also restricted. We flag these before you pack so nothing derails your whole shipment.
Your visa route matters. Most people relocating to work in China enter on a Z work visa, which is converted, after arrival and a medical check, into a Work Permit and a Residence Permit. Because your used-goods import depends on that residence permit, the sequence is critical: your goods should not arrive for clearance before the residence permit is issued. We coordinate the shipping schedule and, where needed, hold your goods in storage so freight and paperwork line up. We are not immigration lawyers, but we know exactly how the GACC residence-permit condition interacts with your shipment, and we plan around it.
Why choose Flyto for your move to China
- Rated 4.9 from 500+ reviews — a track record built on doing what we say we will.
- Honest hubs-plus-partners model — our own European hubs for quality control at origin, trusted vetted partners in China, and one coordinator holding it all together.
- Fully insured — comprehensive transit cover so your belongings are protected door to door.
- English-speaking coordination — no language barrier, no time-zone runaround.
- We understand the GACC residence-permit condition — the single detail that most often traps movers to China, planned for from day one.
How long does shipping to China take?
Sea freight from Europe to the main Chinese ports takes several weeks in transit, plus collection and packing in Europe, clearance in China, and final delivery, so plan for roughly one and a half to two and a half months end to end for an ocean move. LCL groupage sits at the longer end because of consolidation. Air freight is far quicker, often days in the air, and is the choice when you need essentials fast. Because your residence permit must be in place for clearance, the paperwork timeline, not the ship, is often the real deadline. We build your schedule around it.
Frequently asked questions
Can I ship my used furniture to China before I have my residence permit?
It is risky. China Customs clears used household goods as personal effects only when you hold a valid residence permit and work permit. We usually time the shipment, or hold your goods in storage, so they arrive for clearance once your residence permit is issued.
Which Chinese ports do you ship to?
Primarily Shanghai, Ningbo-Zhoushan, and Shenzhen for sea freight, with onward door delivery anywhere in the country, including Beijing and Guangzhou. Air freight can serve major airports directly.
What items can’t I ship to China?
China restricts or censors used printed matter, books, films, discs, and other media deemed contrary to its interests, plus drones, transmitters, certain electronics, and used garments. Weapons, drugs, and similar goods are prohibited outright. We review your inventory before packing to keep your shipment clean.
Do you offer door-to-door delivery in Chinese cities?
Yes. Our destination partners handle compound access, high-rise service-lift bookings, and in-home unpacking, coordinated by your Flyto contact.
Should I choose FCL or LCL?
A full household usually justifies a dedicated container (FCL), which also clears customs faster. Apartments and partial moves are often cheaper by LCL groupage, where you pay only for the space you use. We will advise based on your volume.
Do you have your own office in China?
No, and we will never pretend otherwise. We run our own hubs in Europe and work with vetted local partners in China, with a single Flyto coordinator managing the whole move so you always have one accountable contact.
Get your China removal quote
Tell us where you are moving from, where you are heading in China, and roughly what you need to ship. You will get a clear, honest quote and a coordinator who knows how to get your belongings there without drama.
Get your free China removal quote