Find Your HS Code
Every charge follows from this. Confirm it against the current FBR tariff rather than trusting the supplier's code.
Check For A CPFTA Rate
Many Chinese-origin goods qualify for a reduced rate, but only with a valid certificate of origin.
Stack The Charges In Order
Some charges are worked out on the goods value, others on the value plus the duties already added.
Add The Costs That Are Not Duty
Clearing agent, port charges, inland transport and bank charges are not duty, but they are still landed cost.
Why There Is No Single Duty Rate
People ask what the duty is on importing from China to Pakistan and expect one number. There is no one number. There is a rate for your specific product, under your specific HS code, at the time you import it.
Rates run from zero on some goods to very high on others. Finished consumer products generally attract more than raw materials and industrial inputs, because the tariff is designed to protect local manufacturing. Two products that look similar in a catalogue can sit under different codes and carry very different rates.
The Charges That Stack
An import bill is made of several separate charges. The important thing to understand is the order, because some are calculated on a value that already includes the earlier ones. That is why the total is always higher than the headline duty rate suggests.
The assessed value that all of this is calculated on is set by customs. It is usually based on your invoice, but customs can and does apply its own valuation if the declared figure looks low for that product. Declaring a low value to reduce duty is not a strategy. It is how shipments get held and reassessed.
Where The CPFTA Changes The Maths
Pakistan and China have a free trade agreement, and under it a large number of product lines carry a reduced or zero customs duty. That is a genuine advantage for anyone importing from China rather than elsewhere.
It is not automatic. You need a valid certificate of origin issued in China in the correct form. No certificate, no preferential rate, and there is no retrospective fix once the goods are cleared. Ask the supplier for it at the time you place the order, and confirm they can actually issue it, because not every supplier can.
Note that the concession applies to the customs duty. The other charges still apply on top.
| Charge | What it is | What it is worked out on |
|---|---|---|
| Customs Duty | The base tariff for your HS code. | The assessed value of the goods. |
| Additional Customs Duty | A further duty applied on top of the base rate. | The assessed value. |
| Regulatory Duty | An extra duty applied to selected goods, often finished consumer items. | The assessed value. |
| Sales Tax | The standard import sales tax. | Value plus the duties above. |
| Withholding Tax | Income tax collected at import. Adjustable against your annual filing. | Value plus duties. |
Work In Landed Cost, Not Unit Price
The number that decides whether an import works is landed cost per unit: everything it costs to get one saleable unit into your warehouse, divided by the number of good units that arrive.
That means the goods, the freight, insurance, all duties and taxes, the clearing agent, port and terminal charges, inland transport, bank charges, and a realistic allowance for units that arrive damaged or defective. Importers who skip that last item are the ones who are surprised by their actual margin.
Run that calculation before you place the order. It is the difference between a product that makes money and one that ties your cash up in stock you cannot sell at a profit.
Check The Current Rate Yourself
We have deliberately not printed duty percentages here. Rates move with the annual budget and with regulatory notifications through the year, and a page with a number on it is wrong the moment that happens.
Look your HS code up on the current FBR tariff, or ask a licensed clearing agent to confirm it, and do that close to when you actually order. If someone quotes you a duty-inclusive price, ask them to show you which code they used.
What You Are Paying Duty On
Duty And Tax Questions
How is import duty calculated in Pakistan?
It is calculated on the value customs assesses for your goods, using the rate attached to your HS code. Several charges then apply in sequence, and some of them are worked out on the value plus the duties already added, which is why the total exceeds the headline rate.
Does the China-Pakistan FTA mean I pay no duty?
Not on everything. Many product lines get a reduced or zero customs duty under the agreement, but it depends on the specific code, and you must have a valid certificate of origin from the supplier. Other taxes still apply on top.
What happens if I use the wrong HS code?
Customs can reclassify the goods and reassess the duty. That means a higher bill, a delay, and storage charges while the container waits. If a classification is genuinely ambiguous, get it confirmed before you order.
Can I reduce duty by declaring a lower value?
No. Customs assesses value independently and questions declarations that look low for the product. Undervaluing creates delays, penalties and a compliance record you do not want. Reduce cost through the FTA rate, better freight and better sourcing instead.
Why will you not just tell me the percentage?
Because it changes, and because it depends on your exact product code. Any specific figure we printed here would be out of date within a budget cycle. We would rather explain how the bill is built and point you at the current source.
Related Pages
Want A Landed Price Instead Of A Guess?
Tell us the product and the quantity. We will come back with pricing that accounts for the whole cost of getting it to you, not just the factory price.