Why it matters that the broker works here
Most freight forwarders subcontract clearance. We do not, and the difference shows up on exactly the days you would rather it did not.
One accountable team
The people who booked your freight and the people who clear it sit in the same office. Nothing is lost in the handover, because there is no handover.
Problems surface early
We read your documents when the booking is made, not when the vessel berths. A missing permit found at sea is an inconvenience; found at the port it is demurrage.
Classification is a judgement call
Tariff classification decides your duty rate. Getting it right requires someone who knows both the commodity and the tariff — and who will defend the position if it is questioned.
How an import clears Philippine customs
The Bureau of Customs runs entries electronically. The sequence rarely changes; what changes is how much of it you have prepared for.
Pre-arrival preparation
Documents validated, tariff classification confirmed, duty and VAT estimated, and any regulatory permit identified and applied for while the cargo is still moving.
Entry lodgement
The declaration is lodged electronically against the bill of lading or air waybill, with the classification and dutiable value stated and a licensed broker signing for them.
Selectivity
The system assigns the entry a lane: green releases without examination, yellow triggers a documentary check, orange sends the cargo for x-ray scanning, and red means physical examination. Accredited importers on the Super Green Lane clear ahead of all of them.
Assessment and payment
Duty, VAT and statutory charges are assessed and paid through an authorised agent bank. Any dispute over value or classification surfaces here.
Release and delivery
Once released, we arrange the port charges, collect the cargo and truck it to you — inside the container free time wherever we control the variables.
What you pay, and how it is built up
- Dutiable value
- Built on a CIF basis — the cost of the goods, plus insurance, plus freight. Not the invoice value on its own, which is where most first-time importers under-budget.
- Customs duty
- The rate follows the tariff classification of the goods under the ASEAN Harmonised Tariff Nomenclature. Rates vary widely by commodity, which is precisely why classification is worth getting right.
- Preferential rates
- Where the goods qualify and the certificate of origin is valid — a Form E under the ASEAN–China agreement, or an RCEP certificate — the duty rate can fall substantially, in many tariff lines to zero.
- Value-added tax
- 12%, calculated on the dutiable value plus the duty plus the other statutory charges. It compounds on the duty, so a classification error costs you twice.
- Excise tax
- Applies to specific commodity groups such as alcohol, tobacco, fuels and certain vehicles, on top of duty and VAT.
- Statutory fees
- Import processing, the customs documentary stamp, and the arrastre and wharfage charges levied at the port.
- De minimis
- Very low-value consignments fall below a statutory threshold and are released without duty and tax. The threshold is set in the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act — we confirm the figure in force rather than working from memory.
Figures on this page are indicative planning guides, not quotations. Tariff rates, carrier schedules and Bureau of Customs requirements change — we confirm every figure against your actual cargo and the rules in force on the day before you commit.
Some commodities need a permit before release
A permit obtained after arrival is a permit obtained too late. These are the agencies whose clearances most often sit on the critical path.
Food, drugs, cosmetics and medical devices
Regulated by the Food and Drug Administration. Product registration and a licence to operate are usually prerequisites, and neither is quick to obtain from scratch.
Agricultural and plant products
Sanitary and phytosanitary clearances from the Bureau of Animal Industry or the Bureau of Plant Industry, applied for before the shipment sails.
Telecommunications and radio equipment
Type approval and permits from the National Telecommunications Commission — which catches far more consumer electronics than importers expect.
Products under mandatory standards
Certification administered by the Bureau of Philippine Standards for a defined list of products covering electrical goods, building materials and more.
Chemicals and hazardous substances
Clearance from the Environmental Management Bureau, with the chemical inventory position checked before import.
Your own accreditation
Importers must be registered with the Bureau of Customs before an entry can be lodged in their name. This is not something that can be arranged while a container accrues storage.
What we need to clear your shipment
- Commercial invoice — itemised, with unit values and the Incoterm stated.
- Packing list — carton count, gross and net weights, dimensions.
- Bill of lading or air waybill.
- Certificate of origin — where a preferential rate is being claimed.
- Regulatory permits and clearances — for the commodities described above.
- Proof of importer accreditation — current and in the importing entity's name.
- Insurance certificate — where cover has been arranged, since it forms part of the dutiable value.
Send these when the booking is made rather than when the cargo arrives. Every problem on this page is cheaper to solve at sea than at the port.
The five reasons shipments get held
Documents that do not reconcile
The invoice, packing list and bill of lading describe the goods differently. The Bureau notices, and the entry stops until the discrepancy is explained.
A disputed classification
The tariff heading you declared attracts a lower rate than the one the Bureau considers correct. Resolvable, but not quickly, and not for free.
A valuation query
The declared value is considered understated against reference values for that commodity. Supporting evidence of the transaction value is what settles it.
A missing permit
The commodity turns out to be regulated and nobody checked. This is the failure mode that holds cargo for weeks rather than days.
Accreditation lapsed
The importer's registration has expired or is under review, so no entry can be lodged at all until it is restored.
An invalid certificate of origin
The Form E has an inconsistent description, the wrong consignee, or arrives after lodgement — and the preferential rate is lost.
Where this fits
Shipping from China
The lane most of our clearance work arrives on — transit times, mode selection and the Form E that decides your duty.
Read moreForwarder or broker?
What each one actually does, where the responsibilities divide, and why we do both.
Read moreEverything else
Freight, trucking, warehousing and project cargo — the services clearance connects to at both ends.
Read moreFrequently asked
For anything beyond small, low-value consignments, in practice yes. Import entries are lodged electronically against a tariff classification and a declared value that carry legal consequences if they are wrong, and a licensed customs broker signs for that. Beyond the legal position, a broker who knows the commodity will classify it correctly the first time — and an incorrect classification is the single most expensive avoidable mistake in Philippine importing.
A straightforward entry with complete documents that is routed to the green lane commonly clears in one to three working days. A yellow lane document check adds time, an orange lane x-ray scan and a red lane physical examination add more, and a missing regulatory permit can hold cargo for weeks. Most of what determines the answer happens before the shipment arrives, not after.
Duty is assessed on the dutiable value, which in the Philippines is built on a CIF basis — the cost of the goods plus insurance plus freight, not the invoice value alone. The duty rate itself follows the tariff classification of the goods. VAT of 12% is then calculated on the dutiable value plus the duty plus the other statutory charges, so it compounds on top of the duty rather than sitting alongside it. Where a valid Form E or another preferential certificate of origin applies, the duty component can fall substantially or to zero.
Informal entry is the simplified route for goods of commercial nature at or below a statutory value threshold, and for personal effects. Formal entry applies above it and is the normal route for commercial importing — more documentation, and a licensed broker signing the declaration. The threshold is set in the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act and is periodically adjusted, so we confirm which route applies to your shipment rather than assuming.
In rough order of frequency: an incomplete or inconsistent document set, a tariff classification the Bureau disputes, a declared value the Bureau considers understated, a regulated commodity arriving without its permit, and an importer whose accreditation is not in order. Almost all of these are visible in advance if someone reads the documents properly while the cargo is still in transit.
Yes. Export declarations, documentation and coordination with the relevant regulatory agencies, alongside the import clearance work that makes up the bulk of what we do.
Have your next entry handled properly
Send us the commodity and the documents you hold. We will confirm the classification, estimate the duty and VAT, and tell you about any permit you need — before the cargo sails.