How much does a container from China to Slovakia cost?

A 40ft high cube from Ningbo to Bratislava sat around 2 380 EUR in freight in August 2026, plus terminal handling, the import declaration and the final leg. Our published rate index shows what we actually paid each month.

Do you file the customs declaration yourselves?

Yes. We hold our own Slovak customs authorisation and file directly rather than passing the work to a third-party broker. We act as a direct representative, so the declaration is in your name and you remain the declarant.

Can I avoid paying import VAT at the border?

If the goods clear in Slovakia and then go to another EU member state, customs procedure 42 exempts the import VAT at the border and the buyer accounts for it under reverse charge. Duty is still payable. You need your own Slovak VAT registration.

Do you act as a fiscal representative?

No, not at launch. To use procedure 42 with us you must hold your own Slovak VAT registration.

Bratislava, Slovakia · independent forwarder and customs agent

Freight from China into the Sadlo, cleared in Slovakia by the people who file it

One price, one contact, one invoice, factory gate to your loading bay. We hold our own customs authorisation and file declarations directly rather than through a broker.

Get a price See every fee we charge

Which of these is you?

I import goods from ChinaYou want a delivered price, someone who answers the phone, and no surprises on the invoice.Open the importer page I distribute inside the EUYou want Slovakia as your import gateway under customs procedure 42, so import VAT is never pre-financed.Open the distributor page I need express transport up to 2.5 tonnes within the EUYou need to transport a shipment of up to 2.5 tonnes quickly within the European Union.Request a quote

A real number, now

Put in your cartons and your delivery country. You will get an itemised figure, not a callback request. Duty and import VAT are shown separately because we pass them through at cost.

No measurements yet? Send us the supplier packing list instead.

Carton size, cm

PackagesGross weight, kgDelivery countryContainer sizeHow many containersApplies to the whole-container options.

Choose how it travels

5.76 m³ in 6 packages, 900 kg. Every option below is delivered to your address in Slovakia — we do not do terminal collection.

Shared container, seaYour pallets share a box with other importers. Cheapest, slowest.42–55 days€786CheapestWhole container, seaOne container, yours alone. Best above roughly 15 m³.32–42 days€3,640Whole container, railSame container, overland through Kazakhstan. Two weeks faster than sea.22–30 days€4,940Air freightFor samples, launches and anything that cannot wait.6–10 days€6,312

Your price, delivered to the door

€786

Shared container, sea · 42–55 days · 5.76 revenue tonnes at 74.00 EUR, per m³ or per 1000 kg, whichever is greater

Customs duty and import VAT are not included above. They are advanced on your behalf and passed through at cost with the customs receipt attached.

Your goods stay in Slovakia, so procedure 42 does not apply and Slovak import VAT is payable at the border.

Minimum order 120 EUR. Rates hold for 7 days; freight moves weekly, so anyone quoting a fixed annual price is guessing.

Our fees, in public

View all fees and worked examples

Fee	Unit	Price
Sea LCL freight	per m³ or per 1000 kg, whichever is greater	from 68 EUR
Sea FCL freight, 20ft	per container	from 1 650 EUR
Sea FCL freight, 40HC	per container	from 2 240 EUR
Rail freight, 40HC	per container	from 4 100 EUR
Air freight	per kg chargeable weight, volumetric divisor 6000	from 5.80 EUR/kg, incl. fuel and security surcharge
Import declaration	per declaration, up to 5 tariff lines	55 EUR
Additional tariff line	per line	4 EUR
Procedure 42 handling	per declaration	45 EUR

Our minimum invoice is 120 EUR in our own fees, not counting the value of your goods. Below roughly 0.8 m³ or 120 kg from China, a courier is cheaper than we are, and we will tell you so instead of taking the job.

What we actually paid, 2026-08

Published monthly from shipments we paid for, with the method and sample size stated. Not a vendor average.

View all months

Ningbo – Bratislava

€2,380

sea FCL 40HC, per container

-4.2% month on month · sample 11

Ningbo – Bratislava

€74

sea LCL, per m³

-2.1% month on month · sample 26

Shanghai – Bratislava

€2,455

sea FCL 40HC, per container

-3.6% month on month · sample 9

How a shipment runs

1. Quote and booking
You send dimensions, weight and the supplier address. We quote in full, valid seven days.
2. Origin
Collection, checks and photographs before loading. Advance cargo data filed so the line will load.
3. Main carriage
Sea, rail or air, with the vessel or train and the arrival window in writing.
4. Clearance
We file the declaration in your name. Duty and import VAT advanced, or not collected at all under procedure 42.
5. Delivery
Final leg to your loading bay, booked to a time slot.
6. One invoice
Our fees itemised, pass-through costs at cost with every receipt attached.

Services

View all

Sea freight from ChinaWe book LCL and FCL sea freight from the main Chinese ports to Adriatic and North Sea gateways, then move the container inland to Slovakia and clear it ourselves. Sea is the cheapest mode and the slowest: plan 32 to 45 days door to door.Rail freight from ChinaRail sits between sea and air: about 18 to 26 days from the Chinese inland terminals to Central Europe, at roughly twice the cost of sea. It suits mid-value goods and restocking when a sailing has been missed.Air freight from ChinaAir freight is billed on chargeable weight: the greater of actual gross weight and volumetric weight at a divisor of 6000. Plan 5 to 9 days door to door. Use it for samples, launches and anything where being late costs more than the freight.Customs clearance in SlovakiaWe file declarations ourselves rather than passing them to a third-party broker, which is why we can answer a classification question the same hour. By default we act as a direct representative: the declaration is in your name, you are the declarant, and you carry the customs debt.Customs procedure 42Procedure 42 releases goods for free circulation in Slovakia while exempting the import VAT, because the goods are immediately supplied onward to a VAT-registered customer in another member state who accounts for the VAT under reverse charge. Duty is still payable at the border.Supplier consolidationWe receive goods from several suppliers at our partner warehouse in China, check quantities against your purchase orders, repalletise where needed, and load one shipment. One bill of lading, one declaration, one delivery.

Common questions

How much does a container from China to Slovakia cost?: A 40ft high cube from Ningbo to Bratislava sat around 2 380 EUR in freight in August 2026, plus terminal handling, the import declaration and the final leg. Our published rate index shows what we actually paid each month.
Do you file the customs declaration yourselves?: Yes. We hold our own Slovak customs authorisation and file directly rather than passing the work to a third-party broker. We act as a direct representative, so the declaration is in your name and you remain the declarant.
Can I avoid paying import VAT at the border?: If the goods clear in Slovakia and then go to another EU member state, customs procedure 42 exempts the import VAT at the border and the buyer accounts for it under reverse charge. Duty is still payable. You need your own Slovak VAT registration.
Do you act as a fiscal representative?: No, not at launch. To use procedure 42 with us you must hold your own Slovak VAT registration.