Importing from China to Pakistan: Alibaba, cargo routes, duty and papers

To import from China to Pakistan as a business, you need an NTN, a Rs 500 PSW subscription and a bank profile linked in Pakistan Single Window (PSW), as of October 2026. You pay the supplier through your bank, ship by sea or by road over the Khunjerab Pass, and clear Pakistan Customs here. Many goods pay less duty under the Pakistan-China free trade agreement (FTA), but only with a China-Pakistan FTA certificate of origin.

What do I need to import from China to Pakistan?

The Import Policy Order, 2022 lets you import goods from any country unless they are banned, prohibited or restricted. There is no general import licence. What you do need:

• an NTN (National Tax Number). See how to get an NTN.
• a PSW subscription: Rs 500, one-time, with biometric at a NADRA e-Sahulat centre. See PSW registration.
• a bank profile in PSW. PSW replaced the old Electronic Import Form (EIF) with bank profiles you link under “Associate New Profile” with your IBAN.
• the HS code of your goods, which decides the duty. See our HS code guide.

Check that your goods aren’t on a banned or restricted list first; our import and export licence guide has the lists. Some used goods are banned too: goods in Appendix-C of the Order can’t come in second-hand unless specifically exempted.

How do I pay a Chinese supplier?

The Import Policy Order allows all modes of payment, subject to State Bank of Pakistan procedures. Your bank sends the payment instrument (LC, advance payment or contract) to PSW. The usual routes:

The advance payment rules apply from 30 January 2024, under SBP’s EPD Circular Letter No. 01 of 2024.

Is Alibaba safe for importing to Pakistan?

Alibaba.com’s Trade Assurance covers orders agreed with a supplier and paid through Alibaba.com. Your payment is held in escrow and released to the supplier after you confirm the goods arrived.

• You can claim a refund if the order isn’t shipped, goes missing or arrives defective, wrong or damaged.
• Claims must be made within 30 days of delivery (60 days for Alibaba’s Enterprise buyers).
• Alibaba mediates if you and the supplier can’t agree.
• Its free Easy Return service is only for orders under USD 3,000 in listed countries; Pakistan isn’t among the examples Alibaba shows.

Can I import from China to Pakistan by road?

Yes. The road route crosses the Khunjerab Pass to the Sost dry port in Gilgit-Baltistan. The border has traditionally closed every year on 30 November because of snow. In winter 2024-25, Pakistan and China kept it open for trade from 1 December 2024 to 30 April 2025, for the first time, Nukta reported. We couldn’t confirm whether that was repeated in winter 2025-26, and as of October 2026 we found no dates for the 2026-27 winter.

In July 2026 the National Logistics Board told NLC to prioritise expanding the Sost dry port and building a Khunjerab border terminal, Radio Pakistan reported.

For sea and air freight, we don’t publish cargo rates per kg or transit times: the figures we found were forwarders’ adverts, not dated price lists. Get written quotes from two or three freight forwarders and ask whether they include clearing in Pakistan.

How much is import duty from China to Pakistan?

The duty depends on the HS code of your goods. Customs charges duty on the transaction value, the price actually paid for export to Pakistan (section 25 of the Customs Act), then adds the other duties and taxes. Our customs duty guide shows how the layers stack, with a worked example.

The FTA lowers the customs duty on many goods from China. Phase II took effect on 1 January 2020 under S.R.O. 1640(I)/2019:

About a quarter of tariff lines (1,760 items) are on a protected list, China Briefing reports. It covers sectors such as textiles and clothing, iron and steel, autos, electrical equipment, footwear and leather. Protected items keep their tariff protection, so check carefully if your goods are in these sectors. Look up your exact HS code in the SRO’s schedule before you work out your landed cost.

What is the China-Pakistan FTA certificate of origin?

To claim the FTA rate, the shipment needs a Certificate of Origin, China-Pakistan FTA. The Chinese exporter fills it in, and a certifying authority in China checks and stamps it. Pakistan Customs then marks on the same form whether it gave the lower rate.

The form lists the exporter, consignee, producer, route, each item with its 6-digit HS code, the invoice number and the origin criterion. Goods qualify if they are wholly made in China, or if materials from outside the FTA or of unknown origin are less than 60% of the FOB value and the last process happened in China. Some goods follow product-specific rules instead.

Ask your supplier for this certificate when you agree the order. Without it, you can’t claim the FTA rate.

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