Shipping from USA to Egypt: A Comprehensive Guide

Shipping goods from the USA to Egypt requires careful planning, knowledge of costs, delivery timelines, and an understanding of customs regulations. Whether you are an individual sending personal belongings or a business looking to expand into the Egyptian market, selecting the right shipping method and carrier can make all the difference.

Key Considerations for Shipping to Egypt

Shipping from the USA to Egypt involves multiple factors, including selecting the right shipping method, understanding customs charges, and preparing documentation. Here's a breakdown of what you need to know:

  • Shipping costs depend on package weight, size, delivery speed, and carrier choice.
  • Egypt imposes customs duties and taxes on imported goods.
  • Egypt has strict import laws.

You need to pay 14% tax on all goods that are imported into Egypt. Both VAT and customs duty is calculated on the value of the package, which is a sum of shipping price, the value of the content from the declaration, and insurance.

Understanding Customs and Regulations

Even before the goods are shipped to the Egyptian ports, the merchant is required to share documents relating to the goods with the Customs Authority. Then the shipment will be assigned an initial customs registration number or ACID. Before deciding to cater to customers in Egypt, ensure that you are aware of what items are banned from entry into the country.

The Egyptian Customs Authority has prohibited the import of personal shipments with a value of US$2,000 (35,000 EGP) or more. On that note, remember, personal shipments that are of value $2,000 or more are not allowed into Egypt.

Read also: Freight Shipping to Nigeria

Shipping Documentation to Egypt

Shipping internationally requires a lot of documentation, which can be confusing and time consuming. Easyship generates this paperwork for you automatically based on your shipment's information, making the whole process easy.

  • Battery Statement
  • Commercial Invoice
  • Tax Documents & Shipping labels

Egypt Customs: Shipping Restrictions & Prohibited Items

Before shipping to Egypt (or any country), it's important to know if there are any special arrangements to make when sending them or even if they are legal at all.

Prohibited items:

  • Alcohol
  • Animals
  • Chemicals
  • Currency
  • Drugs
  • Explosives
  • Firearms
  • Fresh Food
  • Plants
  • Seeds
  • Tobacco

The list of restricted items changes frequently, so it's always best to check the official customs page prior to sending your goods.

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Shipping Options and Carriers

Looking for the best way to ship to Egypt from the US? To make it easier for you to make your shipping decisions, below are details of parcel services to Egypt offered by the top four carriers.

Read also: Affordable Nigeria-USA Shipping

Carriers like FedEx and UPS offer some of the easiest and most convenient ways to ship orders from the US to Egypt.

  • USPS: When you think of affordable shipping overseas, USPS is the first option that usually comes to mind. But, be wary of the fact that the carrier isn’t the most reliable and you might end up facing delivery delays.
  • UPS: One of the largest global shipping and logistics companies, UPS is a reliable partner for your international shipping needs. Unlike USPS, the UPS carrier offers a very efficient tracking system.
  • FedEx: If good customer service and tracking capabilities are very important for your business, then this is the carrier to choose. FedEx is a great carrier for bulk shipping of orders, for the discounts it offers.
  • DHL: While DHL is highly-regarded for its pedigree, being a division of the German logistics firm Deutsche Post. DHL is an international shipping carrier of repute that is headquartered in Germany.

Shipping to Alexandria Port

Alexandria sea port is the main port of Egypt and the second economic center of the country, located in the north. Accessibility to the Nile Delta provides easy access to the Mediterranean Sea and Lake Maryut. Alexandria sea port consists of East Harbor and West Harbor. In addition, the location benefits from the connection to the Indian Ocean, Central Asia, and all of North Africa. The trade across the Indian Ocean has access to Europe through the port of Egypt.

The Port of Alexandria provides a wide range of services and facilities to facilitate shipping, including container terminals, bulk cargo terminals, cruise terminals, oil terminals, and more. It also offers a wide range of cargo services, such as warehousing and distribution, customs clearance, and freight forwarding.

Whether you are looking for a reliable shipping partner or just want to explore your shipping options in Alexandria, this guide will provide you with all the information you need.

Container Shipping Rates to and from Alexandria

Here are some examples of the most affordable 20-foot FCL container shipping costs to Alexandria:

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  • Pusan - Alexandria: From $3790
  • Valencia - Alexandria: From $7
  • Antwerpen - Alexandria: From $500
  • Jebel Ali - Alexandria: From $2300
  • Shanghai - Alexandria: From $3500

Here are some examples of the most affordable 20-foot FCL container shipping costs from Alexandria:

  • Alexandria - Pusan: From $730
  • Alexandria - Rotterdam: From $490
  • Alexandria - Nhava Sheva: From $2600
  • Alexandria - Shanghai: From $460
  • Alexandria - Casablanca: From $680

*Actual rates are valid until March 31, 2023.

Scheduled Shipping Departures and Arrivals from the Port of Egypt

Scheduled shipping departures from the port of Egypt:

Vessel name Voyage Number Departure date (approx) Documents cut-off Cut-off
YM WITNESS 039E 5 March/2024 6 March/2024 6 March/2024
YM WONDROUS 043E 9 March/2024 11 March/2024 12 March/2024
CONTI CRYSTAL 135W 5 March/2024 6 March/2024 6 March/2024

Scheduled arrivals to the port of Alexandria:

Vessel name Voyage Number Arrival date (estimated)
EA CHARA 003E 19 Apr/2024
TEOMAN A 416E 27 Apr/2024
MAERSK NUBA 413E 6 Apr/2024

Transit Times to Alexandria

Here's an overview of transit times from various ports to Alexandria:

Country of origin Port of origin Port of destination Transit time (days)
USA Long Beach Alexandria 43
China Qingdao Alexandria 37
Spain Barcelona Alexandria 17
Belgium Antwerpen Alexandria 17
India Mumbai Alexandria 10
UAE Dubai Alexandria 9

The average time it takes to ship a container from Long Beach to Alexandria and from Qingdao to Alexandria is 43 and 37 days. Typically, a container can be shipped from Barcelona to Alexandria and from Antwerpen to Alexandria in 17 days. At an average of 10 and 9 days, the routes from Mumbai to Alexandria and Dubai to Alexandria are the next quickest alternatives.

Top 5 routes for shipping containers to Alexandria

  • Valencia-Alexandria
  • Shanghai-Alexandria
  • Jebel Ali-Alexandria
  • Nhava Sheva-Alexandria
  • New York-Alexandria

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tags: #Egypt