Shipping from China to Malta

If you import from China into Malta, you have an unusual advantage for a small island: the Malta Freeport is a top Mediterranean transshipment hub, so it often gets direct China sailings that bigger inland markets reach only by feeder. This guide covers what shipping from China to Malta actually costs, how long each option takes, which ports your cargo moves through, and the Maltese and EU customs rules you need to plan for. As a freight forwarder, we move cargo on this lane every week, so the figures and steps below reflect how shipments really run. You have four main ways to ship: sea freight in a full container (FCL), sea freight in shared container space (LCL), air freight, and express courier. Sea freight is the cheapest for anything large or heavy and takes roughly 28 to 40 days. Air freight costs more but arrives in about 5 to 9 days. Malta is in the EU, so you need an EORI number to clear customs, and the import VAT is 18 percent, the lowest standard rate in the EU, plus any duty. Request a live quote any time and we will price your exact shipment.

Cost of Shipping From China to Malta

How much you pay depends on the method, the size and weight of your cargo, and the season. The ranges below are indicative and have been elevated in 2026 because Red Sea diversions around the Cape of Good Hope keep Mediterranean ocean rates high. Treat them as a planning guide, then request a live quote for pricing on your exact shipment, ports, and dates.

• Mode: sea is cheapest, air is faster and dearer, express is fastest and dearest.
• Routing: in 2026, Red Sea diversions around the Cape of Good Hope have added time and cost to Mediterranean services.
• Island logistics: there is no road or rail backup, so a missed sailing can mean a full extra week.
• Volume: the more you ship, the lower your cost per unit, especially once you fill a container.
• Service level: door-to-door (DDP) bundles duty, VAT, and delivery into one price, which costs more than port-to-port but removes the work.

Sea freight is priced per container (FCL) or per cubic meter (LCL). Air and express are priced on chargeable weight, the greater of actual weight or volumetric weight, so bulky-but-light cargo costs more than it looks. None of these ranges include Maltese import VAT, EU duty, or the forwarder’s customs clearance fee, which are covered in the customs section below.

Indicative ranges only. Request a live quote for pricing on your exact shipment.

Sea Freight From China to Malta

Sea freight is the backbone of China to Malta shipping and the cheapest way to move anything large or heavy. You have two choices. A full container (FCL) means you book a whole 20ft or 40ft box for your cargo alone, which is most cost-effective once you have roughly 15 cubic meters (CBM) or more. Shared container space (LCL) means your goods travel in a container with other importers’ cargo and you pay only for the space you use, which is the better deal for smaller loads. Malta has a real advantage: the Malta Freeport at Marsaxlokk is one of the Mediterranean’s busiest transshipment hubs, partly Chinese-owned through a stake in the terminal, so it has direct China main-line services. Most boxes through the Freeport are transshipment for other ports, but cargo actually bound for Malta is trucked the short distance to local consignees. Transit is typically 28 to 40 days port to port, with LCL adding about 7 to 10 days. In 2026, Cape of Good Hope routing has added time to some sailings. A rough rule for choosing: below about 15 CBM, LCL is usually cheaper; above it, a full container wins, and we quote both so you can compare.

Air Freight From China to Malta

Air freight is the option when speed matters. Cargo flies from hubs like Shanghai Pudong, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Hong Kong to Malta International Airport, usually arriving in about 5 to 9 days, often via a European hub feeder. It costs several times more than sea freight per unit, so it pays off for urgent restocks, high-value goods, samples, or products small and light enough that the weight cost stays reasonable. Air freight is priced on chargeable weight, the greater of the actual weight and the volumetric weight, so bulky-but-light cargo is charged on its size. Per-kg rates fall as the shipment gets heavier. When speed is not essential, sea freight moves the same goods for far less, and we can quote both side by side.

Express Courier From China to Malta

Express courier (the service behind DHL, FedEx, and UPS) is the fastest door-to-door option, usually 4 to 8 days into Malta, and it bundles pickup, the flight, and delivery into one service. It is built for small parcels, samples, and urgent documents rather than pallets of stock. Express is the priciest choice per kilo, but for a small, time-critical shipment it is often the simplest way to move goods from China to Malta. Above roughly 100 to 150 kg, standard air freight usually becomes cheaper while still being fast. We can compare express against air freight for any shipment where speed is the priority.

Transit Times Compared

Transit times are port to port. Add a few days for customs clearance and final delivery.

Main Ports and Routes

Most cargo from China leaves through a handful of major ports. On the ocean side, Shanghai, Ningbo-Zhoushan, Shenzhen (including the Yantian terminal), Guangzhou, and Qingdao handle the bulk of Malta-bound containers. For air freight, the main gateways are Shanghai Pudong, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Hong Kong. On the Maltese side, the Malta Freeport at Marsaxlokk is the main deep-sea container port and one of the Mediterranean’s top transshipment hubs, with good direct China services thanks partly to Chinese co-ownership of the terminal. Most boxes are transshipment for other Mediterranean and North African ports, while cargo for the island is trucked the short distance to consignees, and some local cargo also moves via the Grand Harbour at Valletta. Malta International Airport is the air gateway. You can browse the specific city-to-city routes we run below and open any one for its own transit times and details.

Customs, Duties and Taxes in Malta

Malta sits inside the EU customs union, so the same EU rules and tariff apply, and once your goods clear customs they move freely across the EU. There is no VAT-free allowance for commercial imports, but Malta has the lowest standard VAT in the EU, so the rate is 18 percent plus any duty. Rates depend on your exact product, so confirm the duty for your goods’ commodity code in the EU TARIC database before you ship.

• Maltese import VAT is 18 percent, the lowest standard rate in the EU, charged on the customs value plus duty plus transport to the EU border. VAT-registered businesses recover it as input tax.
• EU customs duty is set by your product’s commodity code in the TARIC database and charged on the CIF value (goods plus freight and insurance), and is identical EU-wide. There is no EU-China free trade agreement, so standard MFN rates apply, and some China-origin goods (certain steel, aluminium, ceramics, and bicycles) carry extra anti-dumping duty.
• You need an EORI number to import into the EU. It is free, valid across all 27 EU countries, and usually issued within a few working days.
• The EUR 22 import VAT exemption ended in 2021, so VAT applies from the first euro. From 1 July 2026 the EUR 150 customs-duty exemption also ends, replaced by a temporary flat duty of EUR 3 per item on consignments up to EUR 150, running until 2028.
• Who pays depends on the Incoterm. Under DDP the seller or forwarder clears and pays duty and VAT; under FOB, CIF, or DAP you are the importer of record. Core documents are the commercial invoice, packing list, and bill of lading or air waybill.
• Wood pallets and crates must meet the ISPM-15 heat-treatment standard and carry the stamp, or EU border inspection can reject them.

Door-to-Door and DDP Shipping to Malta

Door-to-door, often sold as DDP (Delivered Duty Paid), means we handle the whole journey: pickup at your supplier in China, export clearance, the sea or air leg into Malta, Maltese and EU customs including duty and import VAT, and final delivery to your address. You get one price and one point of contact, and you never deal with the port or the paperwork yourself. It is the simplest option for importers who do not have their own customs setup, which suits an island market. The alternative, FOB, CIF, or DAP, leaves some of the clearance, duty, or delivery for you to arrange as the importer of record. For most Maltese importers, DDP is worth it for the time and risk it removes, though VAT-registered businesses sometimes prefer to be the importer of record to recover the import VAT cleanly.

How to Ship From China to Malta, Step by Step

1. 1
   Tell us what you are shipping: the goods, their weight and volume (CBM), the supplier’s city in China, and your Malta delivery address.
2. 2
   We quote your options (sea FCL, sea LCL, air, or express) with indicative costs and transit times, and you pick one.
3. 3
   Make sure you have an EORI number; we can guide you if you do not have one yet.
4. 4
   We arrange pickup from your supplier and handle export clearance in China.
5. 5
   Your cargo sails on a direct service into the Malta Freeport, or flies into Malta International Airport.
6. 6
   We file the EU customs declaration, handle duty and import VAT, and clear your shipment, then deliver to your door. With DDP, duty, VAT, and delivery are already handled.

Frequently Asked Questions