When a customer asks about lead time, the real question is where this particular car gets stuck. Leaving the factory is only the start, and the sailing date on the schedule is not an end you control. Five stages sit in between, each with its own timetable.
Factory to ship is five stages in series: permits, testing, customs declaration, terminal delivery, slot confirmation. The licence has written deadlines and the declaration has a cut-off; testing, terminal delivery and the slot have no official lead time and depend on the lab schedule and the carrier's slot confirmation at the time. The much-quoted 15 to 30 day wait is not voyage time, it is the slot and the terminal receiving window.
✓Permits, test report and destination certificates all in hand before booking
The five stages connect, and the loading date largely follows the carrier schedule
!Book the slot first, do the paperwork after
The slot will not wait for the certificate; by the time it arrives the vessel has sailed and you re-book the next one
!Size the permit quantity as one licence per car
The rule is one licence per batch, up to 20 vehicles under the same HS code; under-declare and you apply again
×Quote the factory release date and leave the waiting time out of the lead time
The customer plans payment and sales on that date, the cars sit at the port, and the dispute starts there
Five stages, five bottlenecks
| Stage | Who handles it | How long | Where it sticks |
|---|
| Permits | Exporting company applies to the provincial commerce authority | Issued within 3 working days if the file is complete; company eligibility review takes 15 working days | One licence per batch, up to 20 vehicles under one HS code; the quantity must match the declaration and clear in one go |
| Testing | Accredited third-party testing body issues the report | According to the testing body's current schedule | Standards are WM/T 8-2022 and WM/T 9-2022, plus a declaration of conformity with destination market access |
| Customs declaration | Exporting company or its customs broker | Declared after the goods reach the supervised area and at least 24 hours before loading | Customs commits to no completion deadline; release depends on documents, inspection and online licence verification |
| Terminal delivery | Trucking fleet brings the car in, terminal receives it | According to the terminal's current receiving schedule | The temporary plate is valid for at most 60 days; an expired car cannot be driven on the road |
| Slot | Carrier confirms the slot and cut-off | According to the carrier's current slot confirmation | RoRo slots are sold by unit and fill first in peak season; waiting time is mostly spent here |
The licence is one per batch, not one per car: up to 20 vehicles under the same commodity code, the quantity applied for must equal the quantity declared and clear in one declaration, and under-declaring means a new application. Declaring 30 cars as 20 plus 10 is not the same rhythm as filing 30 times, one per car.
Five scheduling steps
1Confirm the source and export eligibility first
Company eligibility review takes 15 working days; do not promise a delivery date before it clears
2Obtain the licence and the test report
The licence is issued within 3 working days, the test report follows the lab schedule; both must be in hand before booking
3Complete destination market access documents
PVoC in East Africa, SABER in the Gulf and Russian certification each run on their own cycle; this site covers each of them, and without the file the car cannot load even at the port
4Book the slot and lock the terminal window
RoRo slots are counted by unit; confirm the slot and cut-off before sending trucks to the port
5Declare and load
Declare after the goods reach the supervised area and at least 24 hours before loading; load per terminal instruction once released
Five common misjudgements
- ✓Treating factory release as the start of lead time: release only closes the first stage
- ✓Preparing paperwork on a one-licence-per-car basis: one licence per batch, up to 20 cars, so documents are prepared per batch
- ✓Applying for too many or too few vehicles: the quantity must match the actual declaration, or the licence is re-issued
- ✓Booking the slot before the paperwork is done: the slot does not wait for the certificate, and the vessel may sail
- ✓Removing waiting time from the lead time: the customer schedules sales from the release date, and the port cost comes back to the shipper
To price freight and tax together, start with the duty calculator on this site (/en/duty-calculator), split the landed cost into vehicle price, freight and tax, then work back to whether the lead time is acceptable.
This reflects the position verified on 5 November 2026. Licence and declaration deadlines come from MOFCOM Announcement No. 6 of 2024 and Article 24 of the Customs Law; terminal delivery and slot timing have no official lead time and depend on the carrier's confirmation at the time.
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