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Shipping from China to Saint Kitts and Nevis, step by step
Goodhope Freight is a licensed NVOCC based in Shenzhen, registered as GD20230925153335, and has been moving cargo out of China since 2012. To Saint Kitts and Nevis we run full containers and shared containers port-to-port into Basseterre, air freight airport-to-airport into Robert L. Bradshaw International, and express parcels dispatched from our depot. Every service stops at the port, the airport or the depot. Your consignee arranges import clearance and collection.
The federation is two islands, and for customs purposes that matters more than importers expect. Basseterre on St Kitts is the main commercial port and handles almost all containerised cargo. Charlestown on Nevis is a separate entry point with its own customs post. A Nevis consignee does not receive a local delivery from Basseterre; the goods clear and then move onward by inter-island vessel on a schedule that has nothing to do with your vessel's arrival.
There is no direct service from China. Every container relays through a regional hub and arrives on a feeder, which means the relay you book decides both the transit window and how many times your cargo is lifted. Understanding that structure, and the three charges that sit on top of the tariff, is most of what you need to budget this lane accurately.
At a glance
Main port: Basseterre, St Kitts · Second entry point: Charlestown, Nevis · Main airport: Robert L. Bradshaw International (SKB), with Vance W. Amory International (NEV) on Nevis · Currency: Eastern Caribbean dollar, pegged to the US dollar · Duty: CARICOM Common External Tariff, commonly nil to 20 per cent of CIF · Customs service charge, commonly 6 per cent on many lines · Value-added tax at 17 per cent · Entries filed on ASYCUDA World · No direct service from China; everything relays
How your cargo moves: China to Saint Kitts and Nevis
Eight steps from your supplier's door to yours. The last four are the ones shaped by local rules.
- Pickup from your supplierWe collect the goods anywhere in China and bring them to our consolidation point.
- Export clearanceChina customs declaration filed and released before the goods move to the port.
- Loading and departureContainer loaded, sealed and handed to the carrier at the Chinese port.
- Relay through a Caribbean or Florida hubFeeder services connect the federation to the wider region, so the hub rather than the ocean leg sets the arrival window.
- Discharge at BasseterreContainers are worked at the main port; air cargo is worked at the SKB cargo terminal.
- Entry filed on ASYCUDA WorldYour broker lodges the declaration electronically, classified under the CARICOM tariff, using the value on your invoice.
- Duty, service charge and VAT assessedThe tariff rate, the customs service charge and the 17 per cent tax are assessed on the CIF-based value and settled.
- Release, and a second leg if the address is NevisGoods are released to your consignee. A Charlestown address adds an inter-island movement arranged separately.
Duty rates, VAT rates and clearance times move, and the figure that applies to your goods is the one set for your commodity code on the day of clearance. We check the current position against your code before your goods sail and confirm it to you in writing — ask for that check when you request a quote.
Two islands, and Nevis is not a local delivery
Basseterre on St Kitts is where containerised cargo is worked, and Robert L. Bradshaw International a short distance away handles the air freight. Vance W. Amory International on Nevis serves regional and light traffic. On the sea side, Charlestown on Nevis is an entry point in its own right rather than a delivery address off Basseterre.
That distinction is the one that catches importers out. Goods consigned to a Nevis buyer land at Basseterre, are entered there or transferred, and then move onward on an inter-island vessel that runs to its own timetable with its own charges. If your consignee is on Nevis, say so when you book, so that leg is quoted and scheduled rather than discovered after arrival.
Picking a service: shared, full, air or courier
Below roughly 15 cubic metres a shared container is the practical answer, rated by volume with a weight conversion and a one cubic metre minimum. Between about 15 and 28 cubic metres the comparison between a 20GP and a per-cubic-metre rating is worth running both ways. Above that, a 40GP or 40HC normally wins for bulky light cargo such as furniture and joinery.
Air freight into SKB works from about 45 kg and suits electronics, medical supplies, urgent spares and perishables. There is no direct service from China, so consignments route through Miami, San Juan or a regional hub, and the connection rather than the flying time sets the transit. Express courier handles documents, samples and single cartons, and ends at the depot.
How the 17% charge is worked out at Basseterre
Saint Kitts and Nevis applies the CARICOM Common External Tariff to goods arriving from outside the region, which for most general cargo runs between nil and 20 per cent of the CIF value. Value-added tax is charged at 17 per cent, and it is assessed on the CIF value plus the duty, not on the invoice value alone.
That compounding is what surprises first-time importers. A shipment with a modest duty rate can still land with a total tax charge well above the figure the buyer estimated from the invoice. Basic foodstuffs and medicines are zero-rated, and a reduced rate applies to certain tourism services, so the treatment depends on the commodity code rather than on the country.
The service charge, and why it is quoted separately
A customs service charge applies across several Eastern Caribbean states, including Saint Kitts and Nevis, and on many tariff lines it is charged at 6 per cent. It sits alongside duty and VAT, it is assessed on the same CIF base, and it is omitted from most published tariff comparisons even though on some product lines it is comparable in size to the duty itself.
Excise duty applies separately to tobacco, alcohol and fuel, and motor vehicles carry both a high tariff rate and an environmental levy scaled by the age of the vehicle. If any of those categories are in your container, price them before you ship rather than after.
Where the relay happens decides the arrival window
No ocean carrier runs a direct China to Basseterre call. Containers move on a mainline service to a regional hub and then on a feeder, through ports such as Miami, San Juan, Port of Spain, Kingston, Cartagena or Caucedo depending on the carrier and the season. Air cargo follows the same pattern through Miami or a regional connection.
Because the feeder leg is a separate schedule, the transit figure you should plan against is a range rather than a date. We name the relay on the quotation and send a pre-alert with the documents attached as soon as the goods are on the feeder, so your broker can prepare the entry while the cargo is still moving.
Trial orders and samples, and why they are taxed
The dividing line on this lane is not a value threshold so much as the process. A personal parcel handled under the carrier's simplified clearance is one thing; a commercial consignment that goes through a formal entry with the customs department is another, and it is assessed on duty, service charge and VAT whatever it is worth.
Practically, that means a sample carton sent to a Basseterre buyer will normally be assessed, and the buyer will be asked to settle before release. If the goods are genuinely evaluation samples with no resale intent, document them as such at dispatch. The aim is not to avoid a charge that is due; it is to avoid a bill neither side budgeted for.
Crating for a lane with extra lifts
The relay structure means your export packing carries the risk, not the carrier. Two extra discharge and reload cycles is normal, and heavy items boxed for a single journey get crushed when they are top-loaded twice. Palletise or strap wherever the commodity allows, and box rather than bag anything dense.
Salt air and sun at an open Caribbean quay are the other enemy. Moisture protection inside cartons for textiles, paper goods and electronics costs very little and prevents the most common arrival complaint on this lane. Mark any untreated wood packaging, because wood packaging material needs to meet the international standard and untreated timber is a common cause of holds.
Paperwork your broker will be asked for
- Commercial invoice with a specific description, quantities, values, currency and country of origin.
- Packing list matching the invoice, with weights and dimensions.
- Bill of lading for sea freight or air waybill for air freight.
- Certificate of origin where the buyer asks for one.
- Import permit or health certificate where the commodity requires one, including plant, animal and food products.
The declared value is the figure your broker has to defend, so a vague invoice does not simply slow the clearance, it invites a reassessment. Keep the description specific and the commodity code consistent across the invoice, the packing list and the entry.
Timing your booking around a small customs office
Consolidated shipments into Basseterre typically run in the region of 36 to 50 days port-to-port depending on the Chinese origin and how the feeder connects. Full container routings vary with the relay chosen. Air cargo is governed by the connection, so ask for the current routing rather than a generic figure.
Clearance itself is usually a matter of a few working days with correct documentation and a licensed broker. The federation has a small customs establishment, which means that when something is queried it is queried by people handling many files at once. Getting the paperwork right at origin is worth more here than on a lane with a larger office.
What we do, and what your buyer does
We handle collection from your supplier, consolidation and loading in Guangdong, export declaration, and the main carriage into Basseterre or SKB. We issue the transport document, send status updates at each handover, and quote the relay ports by name rather than hiding them behind a single transit figure.
Your consignee appoints a licensed broker, lodges the entry on ASYCUDA World, settles the duty, the service charge and the 17 per cent tax, and collects the goods. We tell your buyer up front which charges to expect, so nothing arrives as a surprise. We do not offer door-to-door delivery to Saint Kitts and Nevis.
Starting your first consignment
Send us the commodity, the volume and weight, the pickup address in China and the island where the goods will be collected. We will show the relay options, quote the charges line by line, and set out how the tariff, the service charge and the 17 per cent tax combine on your commodity code.
If this is your first import, ask for the sequence in writing and ask for the relay to be named on the quote. On a lane served entirely by feeder, knowing which hub your container passes through is the difference between tracking your cargo and waiting for it.
Field notes into Saint Kitts and Nevis
Five shipments bought in China and delivered into Saint Kitts and Nevis, told end to end — where the order came from, how it moved, where it nearly went wrong, and how it finished. Client names are withheld at their request; the situations and the handling are what we deal with on this lane.
Hotel refurbishment, 40HC out of Foshan
The purchase. A small hotel on the St Kitts side was refurbishing rooms and public areas, buying case goods, outdoor furniture, lighting and joinery from three factories in Guangdong.
The move. We collected from all three, consolidated into one 40HC, shipped port-to-port to Basseterre with feeder acceptance confirmed at booking, and pre-alerted the buyer's broker before the feeder sailed.
Where it nearly went wrong. The buyer had budgeted on the invoice value and assumed the total import charge would be in the low teens as a percentage. Duty, the service charge and the 17 per cent tax stack on a CIF base, so the landed figure came out materially higher.
How it finished. We modelled the landed cost against the commodity codes before the container sailed and walked the buyer through it. The order went ahead on the corrected number, and the goods cleared and were collected inside the free time at the port.
Solar and battery storage for a villa development
The purchase. A villa developer was importing panels, inverters and lithium battery storage for an off-grid installation on the island.
The move. One 20GP consolidated from two suppliers, shipped port-to-port to Basseterre, collected by the consignee from the port.
Where it nearly went wrong. Lithium battery storage is a declared dangerous goods line needing the right documentation, packaging and carrier acceptance from the outset. The buyer had booked it as ordinary electrical equipment.
How it finished. We flagged it at quotation stage, obtained the battery documentation and test summary from the supplier, and booked with a carrier that would accept the class. The container loaded and sailed on the intended relay without being pulled at the hub.
A Nevis address booked as if it were a delivery
The purchase. A buyer on Nevis ordered building materials and fittings and gave a Charlestown address, expecting the goods to be trucked over from Basseterre.
The move. The container was booked to Basseterre as the discharge port, which is where all containerised cargo is worked.
Where it nearly went wrong. Charlestown is a separate customs entry point, and the onward movement is an inter-island vessel with its own schedule and charges. Neither the buyer nor the original quote had accounted for it.
How it finished. We restructured the booking so the inter-island leg was quoted and scheduled at the same time as the ocean leg, and told the buyer which documents the Nevis entry would need. The goods arrived and transferred without a second round of charges.
Restaurant equipment, 6 CBM out of Guangzhou
The purchase. A restaurant group was replacing kitchen equipment, buying stainless benches, a combi oven, refrigeration and smallwares from two suppliers.
The move. Both lots were consolidated at our Guangdong warehouse and moved as a shared container through a Caribbean hub, deconsolidated for collection at Basseterre.
Where it nearly went wrong. Stainless fabrication is dense, and the buyer had priced the job on a single blended freight rate. On a consolidated service the chargeable figure is whichever is greater, volume or weight, so the real number came out higher.
How it finished. We re-measured and re-weighed before booking and requoted on the chargeable figure with the relay named. The buyer trimmed the order to use the same chargeable space better, and the invoice matched the second quote.
Retail replenishment where the service charge was missed
The purchase. A retailer was restocking consumer goods on a steady cycle and comparing two forwarders on freight cost alone.
The move. Two consolidated routings were quoted side by side, one faster through a Florida hub, one slower through a regional relay.
Where it nearly went wrong. The buyer's landed-cost model covered duty and VAT but not the customs service charge, which on those tariff lines is comparable in size to the duty and is assessed on the same base.
How it finished. We set out the full assessment for the actual commodity codes, including the service charge, before the buyer chose. The slower relay was selected for non-urgent stock, and the landed cost matched the plan once the first container cleared.
Why importers use Goodhope on this lane
Six things that are different about working with us on China to Saint Kitts and Nevis shipments.
Get your Basseterre shipment priced
Tell us the commodity, the volume, the pickup address in China and which island the goods are going to. We will name the relay, show how the tariff, the service charge and the 17 per cent tax combine on your codes, and quote every charge as a separate line.
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Frequently asked questions
Is there a direct sea freight service from China to Saint Kitts and Nevis?
No. Containers move on a mainline service to a regional hub and then onward by feeder, through ports such as Miami, San Juan, Port of Spain, Kingston, Cartagena or Caucedo depending on the carrier and the season. We quote port-to-port to Basseterre and name the relay on the quote.
Do goods for Nevis clear at Basseterre?
Charlestown on Nevis is an entry point with its own customs post, and the movement from Basseterre is an inter-island vessel with its own schedule and charges rather than a local delivery. Tell us if the final address is on Nevis so that leg is quoted at booking rather than discovered after arrival.
What is the VAT rate on imports into Saint Kitts and Nevis?
Value-added tax is charged at 17 per cent, and it is assessed on the CIF value plus the duty rather than on the invoice value alone. Basic foodstuffs and medicines are zero-rated and a reduced rate applies to certain tourism services, so the treatment depends on the commodity code.
What is the customs service charge?
A charge levied on imports across several Eastern Caribbean states including Saint Kitts and Nevis, commonly at 6 per cent on many tariff lines. It sits alongside duty and VAT on the same CIF base and is frequently left out of published tariff comparisons, so ask for it to be included in any landed-cost estimate.
What transit time should I plan for to Basseterre?
Consolidated shipments typically run in the region of 36 to 50 days port-to-port depending on the Chinese origin and how the feeder connects, and full container routings vary with the relay chosen. Plan on a range rather than a single date, because feeder schedules move.
Which airport does air cargo arrive at?
Robert L. Bradshaw International (SKB) on St Kitts handles the international air cargo, and Vance W. Amory International (NEV) on Nevis serves regional and light traffic. There is no direct freighter service from China, so consignments connect through Miami, San Juan or a regional hub and the routing drives the transit time.
Do you offer door-to-door delivery to Saint Kitts and Nevis?
No. Sea freight is port-to-port to Basseterre, air freight is airport-to-airport to SKB, and express courier dispatch ends at the local depot. Your consignee appoints a licensed broker, clears the entry, settles the charges and collects the goods.
Which documents are needed to clear goods here?
A commercial invoice, a packing list, and the bill of lading or air waybill, with a certificate of origin where the buyer asks for one and import permits or health certificates for plant, animal and food products. Keep the description specific and the commodity code consistent, because the declared value is what your broker has to defend.
Can lithium batteries be shipped to Saint Kitts and Nevis?
Built-in and packed-with lithium batteries can be carried subject to proper documentation and packaging. Standalone battery shipments and other dangerous goods classes are assessed case by case and must be declared at quotation stage so we can book with a carrier that accepts the class.
What details do you need to price a shipment?
The commodity, the volume and weight, the pickup address in China, and the island and collection point at the destination. We will show the relay options, quote the charges line by line, and set out how the three charges combine on your commodity codes.