How to Import Machinery from China: A Step-by-Step Guide

Buying a machine from China is not hard. Buying the right machine, receiving it in working order and clearing it through customs at home takes a clear process. Many problems start early, with a vague specification or a contract that says nothing about acceptance.

This guide walks through the process step by step for a factory buyer in the Middle East or North Africa, with a checklist at the end you can use on your next order.

Step 1: Write the specification before you talk price

The specification is the document every later step depends on. If it is not written down, the supplier will fill the gaps with whatever is cheapest to build.

A useful machinery specification covers:

• Output: units per hour or tonnes per day, with the product sizes you will run.
• Materials: what goes into the machine, with samples if possible.
• Power supply: your plant's voltage, frequency and phase. State it in writing so nothing is assumed.
• Climate: ambient temperature and dust at your site, which affect motors, cooling and control cabinets.
• Key components: the brands you accept for PLCs, motors, inverters and pneumatics.
• Language: control panel and manuals in English, and Arabic where your operators need it.
• Acceptance test: how the machine will be tested before shipment and what result counts as a pass.

Step 2: Shortlist and verify manufacturers

China has many factories and many trading companies presenting themselves as factories. Shortlist three to five suppliers that make your type of machine as their main product, then check them: business licence, export history, the factory address against video or a visit, and references from buyers in your region.

Our guide on how to verify a Chinese machinery supplier covers the checks in detail. You can also browse the categories we source on our production lines and machines page.

Step 3: Test before you commit

For small machines, order a sample unit or send your materials to be processed. For production lines, a full sample is rarely practical, so ask for:

• A live video call from the factory floor, not a pre-recorded video, showing a similar machine running.
• Test runs with your own materials, with the output sent to you.
• Contacts of buyers running the same model.

This step tells you more about a supplier than any brochure.

Step 4: Agree the contract and payment terms

The contract should attach the specification and state, at minimum: the price and currency, the Incoterm, the delivery date, the acceptance test, the warranty, the spare parts included, installation and training, and what happens if the machine fails the test.

Payment is usually split into a deposit before production and a balance before or after shipment. The exact split is negotiated. The protection comes from linking the balance to something you control, such as a passed inspection.

If you use a letter of credit, it will normally be issued under the ICC rules for documentary credits, UCP 600. A letter of credit pays against documents, so list the documents you need, including an inspection certificate, and make sure their wording matches the contract. Your bank can advise on the current practice for your country.

Step 5: Inspect before shipment

Once the money is paid and the container sails, your leverage drops. Inspect before that happens. A good pre-shipment inspection for machinery runs the machine with your materials, measures output and quality against the specification, checks the electrical supply, safety guards and labels, and counts spare parts, tools and manuals against the packing list.

See our guide to pre-shipment inspection for machinery for a full list.

Step 6: Choose the Incoterm that fits how you ship

Incoterms 2020, published by the International Chamber of Commerce, are eleven three-letter terms that set who pays for and carries the risk of each part of the journey. For machinery buyers, the common choices are EXW, FOB, FCA, CIF and DDP.

One point is often missed. FOB, CFR and CIF are designed for sea and inland waterway transport, port to port. The ICC notes that FCA suits container and multimodal shipments. If your machine goes in a container, ask whether FCA fits better than FOB.

Our article on FOB, CIF, EXW and DDP for machinery compares the terms with examples.

Step 7: Ship with complete and consistent documents

Many customs problems are document problems. The commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading and certificate of origin must agree with each other on descriptions, quantities, weights and values. Large machines may need special containers or break bulk shipping, crating against sea air, and lifting points marked on the drawings.

Ask the supplier for the HS code they will use and check it with your customs broker before the documents are issued.

Step 8: Meet your country's conformity rules

Each country has its own system, and the rules change. Check them before the goods leave China, not when they arrive.

Saudi Arabia. Every shipment needs a shipment certificate issued through the SABER platform, which is overseen by the Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization (SASO). Regulated products also need a product certificate of conformity for the model. Whether your machine is regulated, and under which technical regulation, depends on the product. Our guide to the SABER and SASO certificate for machinery explains the process.

Egypt. Sea shipments to Egypt have needed Advance Cargo Information since 1 October 2021. The importer registers the shipment on Nafeza, which generates an ACID number, and the foreign exporter must register on the CargoX platform. The ACID number must appear on the invoice, certificate of origin and bill of lading.

Iraq. The Central Organization for Standardization and Quality Control (COSQC) runs a conformity assessment programme. Every consignment containing regulated products needs a certificate of conformity for customs clearance, issued by an appointed certification body. Check the current regulated product list for your machine.

For other countries, check the current rules with the customs authority and the national standards body before you sign.

Step 9: Plan installation, training and spare parts

Agree in the contract who installs the machine, whether an engineer travels from China, who pays for travel and accommodation, and how long commissioning will take. Remote support by video can work for simple machines, but production lines usually need someone on site.

Order a first stock of wear parts with the machine: seals, belts, bearings, sensors and any part the supplier lists as consumable. Ask for the electrical drawings and the PLC program backup. Waiting weeks for a small part from China can cost more than the part many times over.

Checklist: importing machinery from China

Next step

If you are planning a machinery purchase from China, send us your specification or the problem you need the machine to solve through the contact page. We work in Arabic, English and Chinese, shortlist manufacturers, confirm specifications in writing, check goods before shipment and arrange shipping and export documents.