# Customs Clearance at Egyptian Ports and Cairo Airport

> https://www.xglobal-trade.com/services/customs-clearance/
> Last updated: October 6, 2026

X Global Trade provides customs clearance in Egypt as part of its freight forwarding service: declaring imported cargo to Egyptian customs, presenting the required documents, settling duties and fees, and obtaining release of the goods at Sokhna, Alexandria, Damietta, Port Said, and Cairo International Airport.

A customs broker handles one step at the destination port. XGT includes licensed customs clearance inside its freight forwarding, so the same team that books the cargo in China also clears it in Egypt, and the importer does not need to hire a separate broker.

Most port holds in Egypt are documentary, not physical: a missing certificate of conformity, an invoice that disagrees with the packing list or the ACI filing, or a missing ACID number. XGT finishes and cross-checks the complete clearance file while the cargo is still in China, so it arrives at the port already consistent.

The primary corridor is China to Egypt and Egypt to China. XGT also runs China to the Gulf and MENA, and the Gulf and MENA to China; Europe to the Gulf and MENA; Gulf and MENA to Egypt; Taiwan to Egypt; and UAE to USA.

## What does this service include?

- **Sea Freight Clearance**: Clearance at Sokhna on the Red Sea and at the Mediterranean ports of Alexandria, Damietta, and Port Said.
- **Air Cargo Clearance**: Clearance of air shipments at Cairo International Airport.
- **Document Preparation and Review**: Commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading or air waybill, and certificate of origin, checked against the order before departure.
- **ACI Filing on CargoX**: On shipments where XGT files the ACI, the pre-arrival registration is completed before the cargo sails and the documents are kept aligned with it.
- **GOEIC Compliance Support**: Guidance and document support for certificates of conformity from approved labs and for foreign factory registration with GOEIC.
- **Duties and Port Fees**: Where agreed, XGT advances duties and port fees during clearance and invoices them with the supporting receipts.

## Guides under this service

- Customs Clearance in Egypt, Explained: https://www.xglobal-trade.com/services/freight-forwarding/customs-clearance-egypt/
- Why China to Egypt Shipments Get Held at Customs: https://www.xglobal-trade.com/services/freight-forwarding/why-shipments-get-held-at-egyptian-customs/
- ACID & NAFEZA for Auto Spare Parts: What Importers Actually Need to Do: https://www.xglobal-trade.com/services/freight-forwarding/acid-nafeza-auto-spare-parts/

## What does XGT's customs clearance service include?

It covers the whole destination step for imports into Egypt: lodging the declaration with the supporting documents, following the assessment of duties and taxes, arranging any required inspections, settling duties and port fees where agreed, and obtaining the release order. The work starts earlier, in China, where XGT prepares and cross-checks the commercial invoice, packing list, transport document, and certificate of origin before the cargo departs.

## When should customs preparation start for a shipment from China to Egypt?

Before the cargo leaves China. The ACI pre-arrival filing on CargoX must be completed before departure, regulated products need their certificate of conformity from a GOEIC-approved lab, and some categories need the foreign factory registered with GOEIC before the order is placed. XGT treats clearance as something won in China, not fought at the Egyptian port.

## Can XGT pay customs duties and port fees on my behalf?

Yes, where agreed. The importer of record owes the duties and taxes, which Egyptian customs assesses on the tariff classification and declared value of the goods. XGT can advance duties and port fees during clearance and invoice them transparently with the supporting receipts. Under DDP terms the seller side absorbs these costs into the deal instead.