Pricing

In short

Every fee we charge is on this page with its unit and its price. Duty, import VAT and port charges are advanced on your behalf and passed through at cost with the receipt attached. Freight rates hold for seven days, because they move weekly.

Fee table

Fee	When it applies	Unit	Price
Sea LCL freight	Shared container, port to port	per m³ or per 1000 kg, whichever is greater	from 68 EUR
Sea FCL freight, 20ft	Full container, port to port	per container	from 1 650 EUR
Sea FCL freight, 40HC	Full container, port to port	per container	from 2 240 EUR
Rail freight, 40HC	China–EU rail, terminal to terminal	per container	from 4 100 EUR
Air freight	Airport to airport	per kg chargeable weight, volumetric divisor 6000	from 5.80 EUR/kg, incl. fuel and security surcharge
Import declaration	Every customs entry we file	per declaration, up to 5 tariff lines	55 EUR
Additional tariff line	Declaration with more than 5 commodity codes	per line	4 EUR
Procedure 42 handling	Clearance in Slovakia with onward supply to another member state	per declaration	45 EUR
Consolidation	Two or more suppliers combined before loading	per supplier	35 EUR
Pre-shipment inspection	Goods checked and photographed before loading	per supplier visit	from 145 EUR
Cargo insurance	Optional, all-risk cover on declared value	% of declared value (goods + freight + 10%)	0.35%, minimum 35 EUR
Storage after free days	After 5 free days at the destination warehouse	per pallet per day	1.60 EUR
Customs dutypass-through	Set by the tariff for your commodity code	pass-through	at cost, customs receipt attached
Import VATpass-through	Goods released for free circulation in Slovakia	pass-through	at cost, customs receipt attached
Port and terminal chargespass-through	Billed by the terminal on arrival	pass-through	at cost, terminal invoice attached

Our minimum 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.

Quotes hold 7 days Ocean and rail rates move weekly. Anyone quoting you a fixed annual price is guessing. Our written quote states the date it expires, and the freight line is re-checked against the rate index before we book.

Three worked examples

Same container, same route, three different buyers. The second example is the one most readers need and almost no forwarder publishes.

Example 1

20 000 EUR of furniture, 40HC Ningbo to Bratislava, Slovak buyer

Goods stay in Slovakia, so Slovak import VAT is payable at the border and reclaimed later in the buyer's own VAT return.

Sea freight, 40HC Ningbo – Koper	€2,380
Terminal handling and port charges	€320at cost
Inland leg Koper – Bratislava	€690
Import declaration	€55
Customs duty, 4.7% on a customs value of 41 390 EURRate set by the tariff for your code	€1,945at cost
Slovak import VAT, 23% on 43 335 EURPayable at the border, reclaimed in the Slovak VAT return	€9,967at cost
Total invoiced, including pass-through	€15,357

Customs value 41 390 EUR = goods 38 000 + freight 2 700 + insurance 690.

Example 2

The same container, buyer in Brno, cleared under procedure 42

Cleared in Slovakia, delivered to a VAT-registered buyer in Czechia. Duty is payable. Import VAT is not: the buyer accounts for it under reverse charge in Czechia.

Sea freight, 40HC Ningbo – Koper	€2,380
Terminal handling and port charges	€320at cost
Inland leg Koper – Brno	€860
Import declaration	€55
Procedure 42 handling	€45
Customs duty, 4.7% on a customs value of 41 390 EUR	€1,945at cost
Import VAT at the Slovak borderNot payable: exempt onward supply, accounted for in Czechia under reverse charge	€0
Total invoiced, including pass-through	€5,605

Y040/Y041/Y042 evidence the exemption on the Slovak entry. VIES checked on the day of declaration.

The cash difference

Example 1, Slovak buyer: €15,357
Example 2, Czech buyer, procedure 42: €5,605
Cash that never leaves the account: €9,967

That money would otherwise sit with the tax office until the VAT return is filed and repaid — typically 30 to 60 days. Work it out on your own numbers with the procedure 42 calculator.

Example 3

Distributor clearing in Slovakia, onward delivery to Rotterdam

A distributor imports on its own account through the Bratislava gateway and moves the goods to its Dutch warehouse.

Sea freight, 40HC Ningbo – Koper	€2,380
Terminal handling and port charges	€320at cost
Inland leg Bratislava – Rotterdam	€1,290
Import declaration	€55
Procedure 42 handling	€45
Customs duty, 4.7% on a customs value of 41 390 EUR	€1,945at cost
Import VAT at the Slovak borderNot payable under procedure 42	€0
Total invoiced, including pass-through	€6,035

The distributor must hold its own Slovak VAT registration to be the declarant here. We do not act as fiscal representative, and we say so before you book rather than after.

What is passed through at cost

Customs duty, import VAT and terminal charges are paid on your behalf and invoiced at the exact amount, with the customs receipt or terminal invoice attached. That is a payment service. It does not move the customs debt to us: under direct representation you are the declarant and you carry it. See representation and liability.

This is general information, not advice for a specific shipment. Rules change; check the official source or ask us about your consignment.