Shipping from China to Medellin, Colombia — Freight Guide [2026] | Freight Quote China Shipping Cost Inquiry Tool

We move freight cargo from South China into Medellin through MDE air / Cartagena sea. Medellin is textile and manufacturing centre, which shapes the kind of cargo that moves on this lane and how it should be packed.

The clearing authority is DIAN — Dirección de Impuestos y Aduanas Nacionales. Historical dwell on this gateway is around 4–10 days, and it lengthens in Sep–Nov.

What the routing looks like in practice

Cartagena on the Caribbean coast is the fastest and best-connected gateway, and it is the natural choice for Bogotá and Medellín despite the inland trucking. Buenaventura on the Pacific is closer to Cali but has a heavier congestion history. Textile and footwear imports carry protective tariffs designed to slow low-priced Asian goods, so classify these carefully.

Air gateways used	BOG (Bogotá), MDE (Medellín), CLO (Cali)
Air transit, China to gateway	4–6 business days
Sea gateways used	Cartagena, Buenaventura, Barranquilla
Sea transit, China to gateway	26–34 calendar days
Gateway serving Medellin	MDE air / Cartagena sea
Inland leg to Medellin	+1 day from the gateway
Typical clearance / dwell	4–10 days
Peak season to plan around	Sep–Nov

Duty, tax and clearance into Medellin

Imports into Colombia are cleared by DIAN — Dirección de Impuestos y Aduanas Nacionales. The headline position is: IVA 19%; duty 0–20%, with a 10–40% tariff applied to some textile and footwear imports. The de-minimis threshold is USD 200 for courier consignments.

Conformity is the part most first-time importers underestimate: INVIMA registration for food, cosmetics and medical devices; conformity certificates for regulated electricals. Getting this wrong is expensive because it usually cannot be fixed after the cargo has landed.

Restrictions and known friction points for Colombia: Textile and footwear tariffs are set to discourage undervaluation — customs valuation challenges are common. INVIMA registration must be held by the consignee before arrival for regulated goods.

Air, sea or overland into Medellin?

Mode	Transit to gateway	Best suited to
✈️ Air Freight	4–6 business days	time-critical, high-value and low-volume cargo
🚢 Sea Freight	26–34 calendar days	volume cargo where cost per kilo matters more than speed

Transit shown is China departure to the Colombia gateway and excludes the +1 day inland leg to Medellin and 4–10 days of clearance.

Pre-shipment checklist for Medellin

Ask for the HS code in writing from your supplier and verify the Colombia duty rate against it yourself.
Confirm the consignee in Medellin can act as importer of record — DIAN — Dirección de Impuestos y Aduanas Nacionales will not release cargo to an unregistered party.
Put the Medellin delivery address, contact name and phone number on the invoice, not just the packing list.
Use ISPM-15 treated pallets. Untreated wood is the most common reason otherwise-clean cargo gets held.
Check the de-minimis position (USD 200 for courier consignments) against your invoice value before you decide how to split the shipment.
Declare lithium batteries, magnets, liquids and powders up front — retro-declaring after booking usually means re-planning the whole shipment.

Mode guides for Medellin

Frequently asked questions

How long does shipping from China to Medellin take?

China to the Colombia gateway is 4–6 business days by air, 26–34 calendar days by sea. On top of that, allow 4–10 days of clearance with DIAN — Dirección de Impuestos y Aduanas Nacionales and a +1 day inland leg to Medellin.

What duty and tax will I pay importing into Medellin?

DIAN — Dirección de Impuestos y Aduanas Nacionales applies: IVA 19%; duty 0–20%, with a 10–40% tariff applied to some textile and footwear imports. The de-minimis position is USD 200 for courier consignments. Under a DDP arrangement these are pre-paid, so nothing is collected on arrival in Medellin.

When is the busiest time on the China–Colombia lane?

Space and rates tighten around Sep–Nov, plus the China-side windows of Chinese New Year in January or February and Golden Week in early October. Book one to two weeks earlier in those periods.

How is the chargeable weight calculated for Medellin?

We compare actual gross weight against volumetric weight — length × width × height in centimetres divided by 6000 for air — and bill the greater of the two, rounded up to the next kilogram. Light, bulky cargo is almost always billed on volume.

Is sea freight cheaper than air freight into Medellin?

Per kilo, yes — usually by a wide margin. The trade-off is time: 26–34 calendar days by sea versus 4–6 business days by air to the Colombia gateway, before clearance and the +1 day inland leg. The crossover point is normally somewhere between 100 and 300 kg depending on the density of your cargo.

What certification do I need for Colombia?

For regulated goods, plan for: INVIMA registration for food, cosmetics and medical devices; conformity certificates for regulated electricals. Missing conformity paperwork is the single most common cause of a hold, and in most cases it cannot be remedied once the cargo has arrived.

Other delivery cities in Colombia

All Colombia freight information →

References & official sources

Duty rates, thresholds and conformity requirements for Colombia change by ministerial decision, sometimes mid-year. The figures on this page are buyer-planning references, not a customs ruling — confirm the current position for your own HS code with DIAN — Dirección de Impuestos y Aduanas Nacionales or your broker before you ship.

Page data last reviewed: July 2026.

Get a rate for Medellin

This lane is quoted per shipment rather than from a published rate card, because the landed cost depends on the commodity, its density, the conformity requirements above and the delivery point. Send the cargo details and we will come back with a full DDP figure.

Request a quote → See the Colombia route page →

Shipping from China to Medellin, Colombia — Freight Guide [2026]