# Homola Cargo

> Homola Cargo is an independent freight forwarder and customs agent registered in Bratislava, Slovakia. We move goods from Chinese factories to European loading bays by sea, rail and air, and we file the import declarations ourselves under our own customs authorisation rather than passing them to a third-party broker.

Most of our customers are importers in Slovakia, Czechia, Poland, Hungary, Austria and Germany, plus EU distributors using Slovakia as an entry point. Where goods are cleared in Slovakia and supplied onward to a VAT-registered buyer in another member state, the import is declared under customs procedure 42: customs duty is paid at the border, import VAT is not, and the buyer accounts for it in their own country under the reverse charge.

We act as direct representative by default: the declaration is lodged in the customer's name, the customer is the declarant, and the customer carries the customs debt. Indirect representation is offered only where the customer is not established in the EU (Article 18 UCC), where Article 77(3) creates joint and several liability for customs duty; the Court of Justice in Case C-714/20 (U.I. Srl, 12 May 2022) held that this does not extend to import VAT unless national law imposes it separately. We do not offer fiscal representation, and we hold no AEO authorisation.

Every rate we publish comes from shipments we actually paid for, with the month, the sample size and the method stated alongside it.

## Start here

- [Homola Cargo](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en): Freight forwarding and customs clearance from China into the EU, priced openly.
- [Importing from China: one price, one contact, one invoice](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/for/importers): Factory gate to your loading bay, cleared in Slovakia. A real number in thirty seconds, every fee visible, and a named person answering the phone.
- [For EU distributors: procedure 42 clearance in Slovakia](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/for/eu-distributors): Direct representation, Y040/Y041/Y042 evidence, clear allocation of customs liability and the documentation your auditor will ask for.
- [Pricing, every fee line](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/pricing): Every fee Homola Cargo charges, what is passed through at cost, our minimum, and three fully worked examples including a procedure 42 comparison.
- [Get a quote](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/quote): Price your shipment instantly, then send the details for a written quote valid seven days.
- [Send what you have](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/enquiry): No measurements yet? Send a photo of the supplier's packing list and we will read it and come back with a price.
- [Guides](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/guides): Definitions, practical guides, updates, profiles and case studies for importers.
- [Glossary articles](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/guides/glossary): Definitions, examples and terms in other languages.
- [Guides](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/guides/guide): How-tos, explainers, comparisons and checklists.
- [Updates](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/guides/update): Dated changes, deadlines, rates and disruptions.
- [Profiles](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/guides/profile): Facts about a route, destination or product.
- [Case studies](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/guides/case-study): Real shipment stories, results and lessons.

## Customs and who carries the risk

- [Customs](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/customs): Procedure 42, representation and liability, import VAT, duty, valuation, EORI, HS codes and the documents an import needs.
- [Customs procedure 42 explained](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/customs/procedure-42): Customs procedure 42 releases imported goods for free circulation in one member state while exempting import VAT, because the goods are immediately supplied to a VAT-registered customer in another member state who accounts for the VAT under reverse charge. Customs duty is still payable at the border. The exemption rests on Article 143(1)(d) of the VAT Directive 2006/112/EC.
- [Who can use procedure 42, and what it is worth](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/customs/procedure-42-eligibility): If you import into Slovakia and the goods then go to another member state, you are the intended user of procedure 42 — whether you are a distributor moving pallets to Rotterdam or a Polish shop taking one container home. Only goods that remain in Slovakia attract Slovak import VAT at the border.
- [Direct and indirect customs representation](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/customs/representation): A direct representative files in your name and on your behalf: you are the declarant and you carry the customs debt. An indirect representative files in its own name, and under Article 77(3) of the Union Customs Code is jointly and severally liable for the duty. We act directly by default, and indirectly only where you are not established in the EU and therefore cannot be the declarant.
- [Fiscal representation in Slovakia](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/customs/fiscal-representation): A fiscal representative holds a VAT registration on behalf of a non-established business so that business can import and make intra-community supplies without registering itself. Homola Cargo does not offer fiscal representation at launch. This page is an explainer, not a service.
- [Import VAT](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/customs/import-vat): Import VAT is charged on the customs value plus duty plus transport costs to the place of arrival. There is no de minimis: VAT is due on consignments of any value. It is not payable at the border where the import is exempt under procedure 42 because the goods are supplied onward to another member state.
- [Customs duty](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/customs/duty): Duty is a percentage set by the EU Common Customs Tariff for your commodity code, applied to the customs value of the goods. The two expensive mistakes are the wrong code and a customs value that leaves out freight.
- [Customs value](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/customs/customs-value): The customs value is normally the transaction value: the price actually paid or payable for the goods when sold for export to the EU, adjusted to include transport, loading and insurance up to the place of entry into the customs territory.
- [EORI numbers](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/customs/eori): An EORI is the identification number every business needs to lodge a customs declaration in the EU. You get one from the customs authority of the member state where you are established, and one number works across the whole EU.
- [HS codes and classification](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/customs/hs-codes): The commodity code decides the duty rate, whether an anti-dumping measure applies, and which product rules bite. The first six digits are the worldwide HS code; the EU adds two for the Combined Nomenclature and two more for TARIC.
- [Documents required for import](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/customs/documents): Most delays are documentary, not physical. A commercial invoice that describes the goods properly, a packing list whose numbers match, and a transport document in the right name will clear on the day the container lands.
- [Low-value consignment rules](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/customs/low-value-consignments): The duty relief for consignments under 150 EUR is being removed as part of the EU customs reform package, which ends the practice of splitting shipments to stay under the threshold. Import VAT was never subject to a de minimis and is due on any value.
- [Duty relief](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/customs/duty-relief): Several special procedures suspend or repay duty: inward processing for goods that are worked on and re-exported, returned goods relief for goods coming back, and end-use relief for specified purposes. Each requires an authorisation and adds record-keeping.
- [Customs warehousing](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/customs/customs-warehousing): In a customs warehouse, non-Union goods are stored without duty or import VAT becoming due. The charge arises when the goods are released into free circulation, which means you pay as you sell rather than as you land.
- [Preferential origin](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/customs/preferential-origin): Where the EU has a trade agreement with the country of origin, goods that meet the rules of origin can enter at a reduced or zero duty rate. Origin is not where the goods were shipped from; it is where they were produced or last substantially transformed.

## Regulations that catch importers

- [Regulations that catch importers](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/legislation): CBAM, EUDR, ICS2, CE marking, REACH, anti-dumping, dual-use and prohibited goods, with official sources.
- [Import rules by country](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/legislation/by-country): What changes country by country when goods cleared in Slovakia are delivered onward.
- [CBAM, the carbon border adjustment mechanism](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/legislation/cbam): CBAM puts a carbon price on imports of certain carbon-intensive goods: iron and steel, aluminium, cement, fertilisers, electricity and hydrogen. During the transitional phase importers report embedded emissions; in the definitive phase they surrender certificates.
- [EUDR, the deforestation regulation](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/legislation/eudr): EUDR requires operators placing certain commodities on the EU market to prove the goods are deforestation-free and legally produced, with geolocation data for the plot of land. Wood and wood products, including furniture, are in scope.
- [ICS2, advance cargo information](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/legislation/ics2): ICS2 requires an entry summary declaration with meaningful goods descriptions and the consignee's EORI before goods are loaded for the EU. Vague descriptions such as 'general goods' are rejected and the carrier will not load.
- [CE marking and product compliance](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/legislation/ce-marking): When you import a product into the EU you take on the obligations of an importer under EU product law: the product must carry the CE mark where required, your name and address must be on it or its packaging, and you must hold the declaration of conformity and technical file.
- [Anti-dumping duties](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/legislation/anti-dumping): Anti-dumping duties apply to specific products from specific countries and specific producers, and they can exceed 60% of the customs value. They are the single largest source of nasty surprises on a Chinese import.
- [Prohibited and restricted goods](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/legislation/prohibited-goods): Some goods cannot be imported at all; others need a licence, a permit or a notification before they move. We will not carry counterfeits, undeclared dangerous goods, or anything under sanctions, and we will say no rather than take the booking.
- [Dual-use goods](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/legislation/dual-use): Dual-use items have civil uses but could serve a military purpose: certain electronics, sensors, encryption, machine tools and materials. Moving them requires a licence, and the control is on the technical specification, not the marketing name.
- [REACH and RoHS](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/legislation/reach-rohs): REACH restricts substances in articles placed on the EU market and RoHS restricts hazardous substances in electrical equipment. As importer you are the person responsible for compliance, including for substances you never chose.
- [Importing into Slovakia](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/legislation/by-country/slovakia): Our place of establishment and the member state where we file declarations.
- [Importing into Czechia](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/legislation/by-country/czechia): Common procedure 42 destination for goods cleared in Bratislava.
- [Importing into Poland](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/legislation/by-country/poland): Onward supply from Slovakia is a standard intra-community supply.
- [Importing into Hungary](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/legislation/by-country/hungary): Short inland leg from Bratislava; procedure 42 normally available.
- [Importing into Austria](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/legislation/by-country/austria): Vienna is 60 km from our base.
- [Importing into Germany](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/legislation/by-country/germany): Clear at the North Sea port or in Slovakia; we will compare both.
- [Importing into Netherlands](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/legislation/by-country/netherlands): Distribution destination; buyer accounts for VAT under reverse charge.
- [Importing into France](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/legislation/by-country/france): Distribution destination via the Bratislava gateway.
- [Importing into Italy](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/legislation/by-country/italy): Adriatic gateways serve both Italy and Slovakia.
- [Importing into Belgium](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/legislation/by-country/belgium): Distribution destination; reverse charge applies to the acquisition.
- [Importing into Sweden](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/legislation/by-country/sweden): Distribution destination; longer inland leg.
- [Importing into Denmark](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/legislation/by-country/denmark): Distribution destination; longer inland leg.
- [Importing into Norway](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/legislation/by-country/norway): Norway is not in the EU customs union. Goods delivered to Norway are exported from the EU and cleared under Norwegian rules; procedure 42 does not apply.
- [Importing into Finland](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/legislation/by-country/finland): Distribution destination; sea or rail onward leg.
- [Importing into Spain](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/legislation/by-country/spain): Expansion market.
- [Importing into Portugal](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/legislation/by-country/portugal): Expansion market.

## Routes and transit times

- [Routes and transit times](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/routes): Every lane we run from China into Central Europe, with transit times, cost bands and customs notes.
- [China to Slovakia](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/routes/china-to-slovakia): Freight from the main Chinese ports to Bratislava, Slovakia. Sea is the cheapest and slowest, rail sits in the middle, air is for goods that cannot wait. Customs clearance is filed by us in Slovakia.
- [China to Czechia](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/routes/china-to-czechia): Freight from the main Chinese ports to Brno, Czechia. Sea is the cheapest and slowest, rail sits in the middle, air is for goods that cannot wait. Customs clearance is filed by us in Slovakia.
- [China to Poland](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/routes/china-to-poland): Freight from the main Chinese ports to Katowice, Poland. Sea is the cheapest and slowest, rail sits in the middle, air is for goods that cannot wait. Customs clearance is filed by us in Slovakia.
- [China to Austria](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/routes/china-to-austria): Freight from the main Chinese ports to Vienna, Austria. Sea is the cheapest and slowest, rail sits in the middle, air is for goods that cannot wait. Customs clearance is filed by us in Slovakia.
- [China to Hungary](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/routes/china-to-hungary): Freight from the main Chinese ports to Budapest, Hungary. Sea is the cheapest and slowest, rail sits in the middle, air is for goods that cannot wait. Customs clearance is filed by us in Slovakia.
- [China to Germany](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/routes/china-to-germany): Freight from the main Chinese ports to Munich, Germany. Sea is the cheapest and slowest, rail sits in the middle, air is for goods that cannot wait. Customs clearance is filed by us in Slovakia.
- [Clearing in Slovakia, delivering across the EU](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/routes/slovakia-eu-distribution): For distributors who already have a supply chain and want a clean single point of entry into the EU. Goods clear in Slovakia, duty is paid, import VAT is not collected at the border, and the goods move on to the destination member state where the buyer accounts for VAT under reverse charge.

## Tools

- [Calculators](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/tools): Free calculators for duty, import VAT, procedure 42 cash flow, volumetric weight, LCL/FCL break-even and container loading.
- [Duty and import VAT calculator](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/tools/duty-calculator): Estimate customs duty and Slovak import VAT for online purchases from outside the EU, with IOSS scenarios and product-specific tariff examples.
- [Procedure 42 cash-flow calculator](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/tools/procedure-42-savings): What not pre-financing import VAT is worth, in euros and in days.
- [Volumetric weight](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/tools/volumetric-weight): Chargeable weight for air, sea LCL and road, with the divisor stated.
- [LCL or FCL break-even](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/tools/lcl-fcl-breakeven): The cubic metre count at which a full container is cheaper than shared space.
- [Container planner](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/tools/container-planner): How many cartons or pallets fit a 20ft, 40ft or 40HC.

## Reference

- [Rate index](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/pricing/rate-index): Monthly buy rates Homola Cargo actually paid on China–Central Europe lanes, with sample sizes and methodology.
- [Services](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/services): Express transport up to 2.5 tonnes within the EU, sea, rail and air freight from China, customs clearance, procedure 42 and related services.
- [Freight and customs glossary](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/glossary): Every term used in freight forwarding and customs, defined in plain language, one page per term.
- [Express transport up to 2.5 tonnes within the EU](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/services/express-transport): For urgent shipments of up to 2.5 tonnes within the European Union. Send us the collection and delivery addresses, cargo details and required arrival time so we can confirm a suitable vehicle, availability and a price for your route.
- [Sea freight from China](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/services/sea-freight): We 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 China](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/services/rail-freight): Rail 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 China](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/services/air-freight): Air 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 Slovakia](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/services/customs-clearance): We 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 42](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/services/procedure-42): Procedure 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 consolidation](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/services/consolidation): We 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.
- [Glossary: A](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/glossary/letter/a): Terms beginning with A.
- [Glossary: B](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/glossary/letter/b): Terms beginning with B.
- [Glossary: C](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/glossary/letter/c): Terms beginning with C.
- [Glossary: D](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/glossary/letter/d): Terms beginning with D.
- [Glossary: E](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/glossary/letter/e): Terms beginning with E.
- [Glossary: F](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/glossary/letter/f): Terms beginning with F.
- [Glossary: H](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/glossary/letter/h): Terms beginning with H.
- [Glossary: I](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/glossary/letter/i): Terms beginning with I.
- [Glossary: L](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/glossary/letter/l): Terms beginning with L.
- [Glossary: P](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/glossary/letter/p): Terms beginning with P.
- [Glossary: R](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/glossary/letter/r): Terms beginning with R.
- [Glossary: T](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/glossary/letter/t): Terms beginning with T.
- [Glossary: V](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/glossary/letter/v): Terms beginning with V.
- [AEO](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/glossary/aeo): Authorised Economic Operator: an EU customs status granting simplifications to traders with proven compliance and security standards.
- [Air waybill](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/glossary/air-waybill): The transport document for air freight, evidencing the contract of carriage and the receipt of goods.
- [Anti-dumping duty](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/glossary/anti-dumping-duty): An extra duty imposed on specific goods from specific countries sold below normal value, often far larger than the standard tariff rate.
- [Bill of lading](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/glossary/bill-of-lading): The sea transport document: receipt for the goods, evidence of the contract of carriage, and a document of title.
- [CBAM](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/glossary/cbam): The EU carbon border adjustment mechanism, which prices embedded carbon in imports of certain goods.
- [CE marking](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/glossary/ce-marking): A manufacturer's declaration that a product meets the applicable EU requirements.
- [Chargeable weight](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/glossary/chargeable-weight): The weight air and some road carriers bill on: the greater of actual gross weight and volumetric weight.
- [CMR](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/glossary/cmr): The consignment note for international road transport under the CMR Convention.
- [Consolidation](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/glossary/consolidation): Combining cargo from several suppliers or shippers into a single shipment.
- [Customs debt](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/glossary/customs-debt): The obligation to pay import or export duty on goods, owed by the declarant and, in indirect representation, by the representative too.
- [Customs value](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/glossary/customs-value): The value on which duty is charged, normally the transaction value plus freight and insurance to the EU border.
- [Declarant](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/glossary/declarant): The person lodging a customs declaration in their own name, or in whose name it is lodged.
- [Declaration of conformity](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/glossary/declaration-of-conformity): The manufacturer's signed statement that a product meets the applicable EU legislation.
- [Demurrage](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/glossary/demurrage): A charge for keeping a container inside the terminal beyond the free time.
- [Detention](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/glossary/detention): A charge for keeping the carrier's container outside the terminal beyond the free time.
- [Direct representation](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/glossary/direct-representation): Customs representation in which the declaration is filed in the customer's name and on their behalf.
- [Dual-use goods](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/glossary/dual-use-goods): Items with both civil and military applications, subject to licensing.
- [EORI](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/glossary/eori): The Economic Operators Registration and Identification number, required to lodge a customs declaration in the EU.
- [EUDR](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/glossary/eudr): The EU deforestation regulation, requiring proof that certain commodities are deforestation-free.
- [EXW](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/glossary/exw): Ex Works: the seller makes the goods available at its premises and the buyer bears every cost from there.
- [FCL](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/glossary/fcl): Full container load: the whole container is used for one consignment.
- [Fiscal representative](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/glossary/fiscal-representative): A VAT-registered person who handles VAT obligations in a member state on behalf of a business not established there.
- [FOB](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/glossary/fob): Free On Board: the seller delivers the goods loaded on the vessel at the named port of shipment.
- [CIF](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/glossary/cif): Cost, Insurance and Freight: the seller pays carriage and insurance to the destination port.
- [DDP](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/glossary/ddp): Delivered Duty Paid: the seller delivers cleared goods to the buyer's premises.
- [HS code](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/glossary/hs-code): The Harmonised System commodity code that determines duty rates and applicable measures.
- [ICS2](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/glossary/ics2): The EU import control system requiring advance cargo data before goods are loaded for the EU.
- [Import VAT](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/glossary/import-vat): VAT charged when goods are released for free circulation, calculated on the customs value plus duty plus transport.
- [Indirect representation](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/glossary/indirect-representation): Customs representation in which the declaration is filed in the representative's own name, on the customer's behalf.
- [LCL](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/glossary/lcl): Less than container load: cargo from several shippers shares one container.
- [Procedure 42](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/glossary/procedure-42): Customs procedure code 4200: import into one member state with exemption from import VAT because the goods are immediately supplied to another member state.
- [Reverse charge](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/glossary/reverse-charge): A mechanism where the buyer, not the seller, accounts for the VAT on a transaction.
- [TARIC](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/glossary/taric): The EU's integrated tariff database, holding duty rates and all measures applicable to a commodity code.
- [Transaction value](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/glossary/transaction-value): The price actually paid or payable for goods sold for export to the EU, the primary basis for customs value.
- [Volumetric weight](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/glossary/volumetric-weight): A weight derived from the size of a shipment, used when cargo is bulky relative to its mass.
- [Rate index, 2026-08](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/pricing/rate-index/2026-08): The all-in buy rates we actually paid on China–Central Europe lanes booked in 2026-08, with sample sizes and methodology.
- [Rate index, 2026-07](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/pricing/rate-index/2026-07): The all-in buy rates we actually paid on China–Central Europe lanes booked in 2026-07, with sample sizes and methodology.
- [Rate index, 2026-06](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/pricing/rate-index/2026-06): The all-in buy rates we actually paid on China–Central Europe lanes booked in 2026-06, with sample sizes and methodology.

## About

- [Shipments we have run](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/cases): Anonymised accounts of real consignments: the problem, what we did, and what it cost or saved.
- [Insights](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/insights): Short notes on rates, regulation and what is actually happening on the China–Central Europe lanes.
- [About Homola Cargo](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/about): An independent freight forwarder and customs agent in Bratislava, filing declarations directly under its own authorisation.
- [Contact Homola Cargo](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/contact): Reach a named person in Bratislava directly: phone, email and the fastest way to get a price.
- [A lighting importer who nearly paid an anti-dumping duty](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/cases/lighting-importer-anti-dumping-check): An importer of decorative lighting was about to order from a producer whose goods carried a product-specific anti-dumping measure. The check took ten minutes before the order and changed the supplier, not the shipment.
- [A Czech furniture buyer who did not know procedure 42 applied to them](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/cases/czech-furniture-buyer-procedure-42): A Czech retailer assumed procedure 42 was for large distributors. Their goods cleared in Slovakia and travelled to Brno, which is exactly the situation the procedure exists for. The change freed a five-figure sum of working capital every month.
- [A distributor consolidating five entry points into one](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/cases/distributor-single-eu-entry-point): A distributor was clearing in four member states through three brokers, with inconsistent classification across them. Consolidating onto one gateway fixed the classification drift before it fixed the cash flow.
- [August 2026 rate index: Asia–Europe softens again](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/insights/rate-index-august-2026): Sea rates on Ningbo–Bratislava fell about 4% month on month, rail moved up slightly, and air held. All figures come from shipments we paid for in the stated month, not from vendor averages.
- [CBAM is catching importers of ordinary steel articles](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/insights/cbam-catches-ordinary-steel-articles): CBAM is not only about steel coil. Finished articles of iron, steel and aluminium are in scope by commodity code, which catches importers who have never thought of themselves as steel buyers.

## Optional

- [Legal](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/legal): Terms of use, privacy and the trading conditions on which we accept forwarding and customs work.
- [Terms of use](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/legal/terms): This website publishes general information about freight forwarding and EU customs. Using it does not create a contract of carriage or a professional engagement, and nothing on it is advice for a specific shipment.
- [Privacy](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/legal/privacy): How we handle enquiry and shipment data, the services involved and your data protection rights.
- [Trading conditions](https://homolacargo.omastok.sk/en/legal/trading-conditions): Forwarding and customs work is accepted on standard forwarding conditions. Customs representation is direct by default: the declaration is lodged in the customer's name and the customs debt is the customer's.