International shipping guide from Germany

Are you getting ready to talk to some freight forwarding companies in Germany, with a view to getting quotes and information about international shipping? Before you do that, a few minutes on this page will be time well spent.

Here you will find some information about German and EU export formalities, and insights into some of the core trade lanes used for international shipping from Germany.

The information covers both ocean and air freight routes, as does the Shipa Freight online freight forwarding platform—a comprehensive, yet simple solution for commercial goods shipping from Germany to the USA and other international destinations.

In fact, after scanning through this page and perhaps some of other trade lane pages, and stopping by at our homepage to learn more about our services, you might decide not to spend any more time looking for a freight forwarder in Germany. But whether that’s the case or not, we’re happy to share some of our extensive freight shipping knowledge with anyone who might benefit from it.

Formalities and Standards for Shipping Freight from Germany

If you’re accustomed to domestic freight shipping, you’ll know that there’s not too much to it. However, there’s quite a big difference between dispatching goods using a delivery service in Germany, and moving shipments out of the country and across international borders.

Fortunately, Germany, along with the other EU member states, has a relatively straightforward set of procedures for exporting goods and materials, although there are some differences between shipping from one EU state to another, and shipping from Germany to a country outside of the union.

On this page, we focus mainly on shipping from Germany to USA and other third country destinations (third country means any country that is not an EU member).

Customs Requirements when Shipping from Germany

If you will be regularly exporting goods from Germany, there are a couple of important requirements to take into account.

Firstly, in common with all EU countries, you will need to obtain an EORI number, which you can get from the General Directorate of Customs’ Master Data Management office in Dresden, Germany. You can find instructions for applying for an EORI number on the German Customs website. The application is free of charge.

Once you have your EORI number, you will be able to ship goods from Germany on a commercial basis, but you will need to submit an export declaration for every shipment that you send out of the country if the value is greater than 1,000 Euros or the weight more than 1,000 kilograms.

Germany phased out paper declarations some years ago, so your freight forwarder or shipping company will need to make your declarations online. Freight forwarding companies in Germany and overseas normally take responsibility for submitting declarations on behalf of their customers.

At Shipa Freight, for example, we simply ask you to provide us with the necessary information to complete the declaration and any other documents that may be necessary, and then we take care of the rest.

German Export Restrictions

The German government imposes no particular export restrictions or prohibitions aside from those specified by the EU, which are largely in line with the policies of most countries. This means that unless you are exporting goods for military use, weapons, chemicals that might be used in warfare, or instruments of torture, you should not need to apply for any special export permits or licenses.

A Note on Trade Embargoes and Sanctions

Aside from making certain that your exports do not require a license, you should also ascertain whether your destination country is subject to any trade embargoes imposed by the German government or the European Parliament.

If you are shipping from Germany to the USA for instance, there is unlikely to be any problem, but if your goods are bound for any countries known for terrorist activity or other forms of political or cultural unrest, you should double check if your exports are permissible.

For example, The EU currently prohibits the export of certain goods to the regions of Crimea and Sevastopol in Russia, due to the Russian State’s illegal annexation of those regions.

If you are in any doubt at all as to whether your goods can be exported without special permits or licenses, your first contact should probably be with the [German Customs Administration]https://www.zoll.de/EN/Home/home_node.html), although you can also speak to any good freight forwarder in Germany, as they generally keep up to date with current customs and export regulations.

Ocean Freight from Germany: Routes and Transit Times

The following information will help you get familiar with some of the main ocean freight routes for shipping from Germany. While the information here only covers port-to-port shipping legs, Shipa Freight also provides port-to-door and door-to-door shipment services to locations in 100 countries around the world.

For businesses shipping from Germany to USA ports, there is plenty of choice in routes. Some of the busiest ocean trade lanes anywhere are those linking the two countries. Routes from Germany to the Eastern Mediterranean and North Africa also see high volumes of ocean freight, as is evident from our “top five” list of busiest routes shown below.

5 Top Routes for International Shipping from Germany

• Bremerhaven to Miami (United States)
• Bremerhaven to Norfolk (United States)
• Bremerhaven to Savannah (United States)
• Hamburg to Alexandria (Egypt)
• Bremerhaven to Limassol (Cyprus)

International Shipping from Germany: The longest and Shortest Ocean Routes

The longest routes from Germany for ocean freight shipping are those linking the major ports of Bremerhaven and Hamburg with the Far East. You should expect anything up to 52 days for an LCL or FCL shipment to travel from either Hamburg or Bremerhaven to Qingdao in China, for example.

On the other hand, despite the fact that shipping from Germany to the USA involves an intercontinental voyage across the Atlantic, it also involves some of the shortest transit times, at least to ports on the East Coast of the United States. The route from Bremerhaven to New York takes around 10 days for shipping lines using fast container vessels.

Key Routes for Ocean Freight from Germany

The list below contains some of the most important routes used by international shipping companies in Germany for moving freight around the globe.

Please note that all transit times shown in the list below are for your interest and general guidance only. They are not guaranteed to be precise, and your freight may be in transit for more or less time than the charts indicate.

To America

Port of Origin	Destination Country	Destination Port	Approximate Duration
Hamburg	Argentina	Buenos Aires	25 Days
Hamburg	Brazil	Santos	19 Days
Hamburg	Brazil	Paranagua	21 Days
Bremerhaven	Canada	Montreal	14 Days
Hamburg	Colombia	Cartagena	16 Days
Bremerhaven	Colombia	Cartagena	15 Days
Bremerhaven	Mexico	Altamira	15 Days
Hamburg	Panama	Manzanillo	18 Days
Bremerhaven	Panama	Balboa	18 Days
Bremerhaven	United States	Baltimore	16 Days
Hamburg	United States	Baltimore	21 Days
Bremerhaven	United States	Houston	15 Days
Hamburg	United States	Houston	20 Days
Bremerhaven	United States	Charleston	14 Days
Bremerhaven	United States	Miami	11 Days
Bremerhaven	United States	New York	10 Days
Bremerhaven	United States	Seattle	19 Days
Hamburg	United States	Seattle	21 Days
Bremerhaven	United States	Mobile	21 Days
Bremerhaven	United States	New Orleans	20 Days
Bremerhaven	United States	Norfolk	12 Days
Bremerhaven	United States	Port Everglades	18 Day
Bremerhaven	United States	Savannah	20 Days
Hamburg	Uruguay	Montevideo	24 Days

To Africa and the Middle East

Port of Origin	Destination Country	Destination Port	Approximate Duration
Hamburg	Cyprus	Limassol	15 Days
Bremerhaven	Cyprus	Limassol	12 Days
Hamburg	Dubai	Jebel Ali	41 Days
Bremerhaven	Egypt	Alexandria	15 Days
Hamburg	Egypt	Port Said	18 Days
Hamburg	Lebanon	Beirut	13 Days
Bremerhaven	Nigeria	Apapa	24 Days
Bremerhaven	Morocco	Casablanca	10 Days
Hamburg	Saudi Arabia	Jeddah	17 Days
Bremerhaven	South Africa	Cape Town	19 Days
Bremerhaven	South Africa	Port Elizabeth	23 Days
Bremerhaven	South Africa	Durban	29 Days
Hamburg	UAE	Jebel Ali	31 Days

To Asia

Port of Origin	Destination Country	Destination Port	Approximate Duration
Hamburg	Bangladesh	Chittagong	33 Days
Bremerhaven	Bangladesh	Chittagong	33 Days
Bremerhaven	China	Ningbo	36 Days
Hamburg	China	Ningbo	38 Days
Hamburg	China	Shanghai	39 Days
Bremerhaven	China	Shanghai	39 Days
Bremerhaven	China	Dalian	32 Days
Hamburg	China	Shenzhen	37 Days
Bremerhaven	China	Shenzhen	37 Days
Hamburg	China	Guangzhou	39 Days
Bremerhaven	China	Guangzhou	39 Days
Bremerhaven	China	Qingdao	52 Days
Hamburg	China	Qingdao	52 Days
Bremerhaven	China	Tianjin	45 Days
Hamburg	China	Tianjin	44 Days
Hamburg	China	Xiamen	37 Days
Bremerhaven	China	Xiamen	37 Days
Hamburg	China	Nanjing	46 Days
Bremerhaven	China	Nanjing	46 Days
Hamburg	China	Lianyungang	45 Days
Bremerhaven	China	Lianyungang	45 Days
Bremerhaven	Hong Kong	Hong Kong	42 Days
Hamburg	Hong Kong	Hong Kong	41 Days
Bremerhaven	Indonesia	Jakarta	47 Days
Hamburg	Indonesia	Jakarta	47 Days
Bremerhaven	Indonesia	Surabaya	46 Days
Hamburg	Indonesia	Surabaya	46 Days
Hamburg	Japan	Yokohama	47 Days
Bremerhaven	Japan	Yokohama	47 Days
Bremerhaven	Japan	Kobe	38 Days
Hamburg	Japan	Kobe	38 Days
Bremerhaven	Malaysia	Port Klang	42 Days
Hamburg	Malaysia	Port Klang	42 Days
Bremerhaven	Malaysia	Tanjung Pelepas	39 Days
Hamburg	Malaysia	Tanjung Pelepas	39 Days
Bremerhaven	Philippines	Manila	44 Days
Hamburg	Philippines	Manila	44 Days
Bremerhaven	South Korea	Busan	36 Days
Hamburg	South Korea	Busan	51 Days
Bremerhaven	Singapore	Singapore	34 Days
Bremerhaven	Sri Lanka	Colombo	24 Days
Bremerhaven	Taiwan	Kaohsiung	40 Days
Hamburg	Taiwan	Kaohsiung	41 Days
Bremerhaven	Thailand	Laem Chabang	48 Days
Hamburg	Thailand	Laem Chabang	48 Days
Bremerhaven	Vietnam	Ho Chi Minh City	48 Days
Hamburg	Vietnam	Ho Chi Minh City	48 Days
Bremerhaven	Vietnam	Hai Phong	47 Days
Hamburg	Vietnam	Hai Phong	47 Days

Air Freight from Germany

The following information relates to some of the main air freight routes connecting Germany with other countries around the world. While this guide only covers airport to airport shipping legs, Shipa Freight offers a complete range of services, including port-to-door and door-to-door transportation from Germany to destinations in 100 countries.

Busiest Routes from German Air Freight Hubs

Many businesses like to use air freight when shipping goods from Germany to other European countries, simply because it is relatively inexpensive (when compared to intercontinental flights) and is much faster than using truck or rail freight, which are otherwise the most common way to move goods within continental Europe.

In fact, air freight is especially popular for shipping from Germany to the United Kingdom, as highlighted by the prevalence of cargo services to London Heathrow airport. Five of the busiest air freight routes from Germany (in no particular order) are as follows:

• Frankfurt to London Heathrow (United Kingdom)
• Munich to London Heathrow (United Kingdom)
• Stuttgart to Vienna
• Hamburg to London Heathrow
• Frankfurt to Milan

Air Freight from Germany: Shortest and Longest Transit Times

The longest transit time for air freight from Germany is around 12 hours, with the following routes all taking around this length of time to complete:

• Frankfurt to Rio De Janeiro and Sao Paulo in Brazil
• Frankfurt to Los Angeles and San Francisco in the United States
• Frankfurt to Cape Town in South Africa
• Frankfurt to Tokyo in Japan
• Frankfurt to Hong Kong and Singapore

Air carriers also operate routes to the above destinations from Munich and one or two other German airports. Transit times are similar to the ex Frankfurt routes.

The shortest transit times are associated with routes connecting Germany with its neighboring countries in Europe. Many of these routes, such as Frankfurt to Paris and Munich to Milan, involve less than one hour of flight time.

List of Routes from Germany: Air Freight

Please note that all transit times shown in the list below are for your interest and general guidance. They show flight durations for direct routes only, and your freight may be in transit for more or less time than the charts indicate.

To the Americas

Airport of Origin	Destination Country	Destination Airport	Approximate Duration
Frankfurt	Brazil	Rio De Janeiro	12 Hours
Frankfurt	Brazil	Sao Paulo	12 Hours
Frankfurt	Canada	Toronto	8 Hours
Munich	Canada	Montreal	8 Hours
Munich	Canada	Vancouver	11 Hours
Frankfurt	Mexico	Mexico City	11 Hours
Frankfurt	Panama	Panama City	12 Hours
Dusseldorf	United States	New York	9 Hours
Dusseldorf	United States	Miami	9 Hours
Dusseldorf	United States	Miami	10 Hours
Frankfurt	United States	Atlanta	10 Hours
Frankfurt	United States	New York	8 Hours
Munich	United States	New York	9 Hours
Frankfurt	United States	Boston	8 Hours
Frankfurt	United States	Philadelphia	9 Hours
Munich	United States	Charlotte	10 Hours
Frankfurt	United States	Chicago	9 Hours
Munich	United States	Chicago	9 Hours
Frankfurt	United States	Dallas	11 Hours
Frankfurt	United States	Houston	11 Hours
Frankfurt	United States	Detroit	9 Hours
Frankfurt	United States	Atlanta	10 Hours
Frankfurt	United States	Denver	10 Hours
Frankfurt	United States	Los Angeles	11 Hours
Munich	United States	Los Angeles	12 Hours
Frankfurt	United States	San Francisco	11 Hours
Munich	United States	San Francisco	12 Hours
Frankfurt	United States	Miami	10 Hours
Munich	United States	Denver	10 Hours
Frankfurt	United States	Seattle	10 Hours

To Europe

Airport of Origin	Destination Country	Destination Airport	Approximate Duration
Stuttgart	Austria	Vienna	1 Hour
Hamburg	Austria	Vienna	1 Hour
Dusseldorf	Belgium	Brussels	1 Hour
Frankfurt	France	Paris	1 Hour
Munich	Italy	Rome	1 Hour
Frankfurt	Italy	Milan	1 Hour
Frankfurt	Italy	Rome	2 Hours
Munich	Italy	Milan	1 Hour
Dusseldorf	Italy	Milan	1 Hour
Dusseldorf	Netherlands	Amsterdam	1 Hour
Frankfurt	Norway	Oslo	2 Hours
Munich	Spain	Madrid	2 Hours
Frankfurt	United Kingdom	Glasgow	2 Hours
Frankfurt	United Kingdom	Birmingham	1 Hour
Frankfurt	United Kingdom	London Heathrow	1 Hour
Frankfurt	United Kingdom	Manchester	1 Hour
Hamburg	United Kingdom	London Heathrow	1 Hour
Munich	United Kingdom	Glasgow	2 Hours
Munich	United Kingdom	Manchester	2 Hours
Munich	United Kingdom	London Heathrow	2 Hours
Stuttgart	United Kingdom	London Heathrow	1 Hour
Munich	United Kingdom	Birmingham	2 Hours

To Africa and the Middle East

Airport of Origin	Destination Country	Destination Airport	Approximate Duration
Munich	Cyprus	Larnaca	4 Hours
Munich	Egypt	Cairo	4 Hours
Frankfurt	Egypt	Cairo	4 Hours
Frankfurt	Morocco	Casablanca	3 Hours
Munich	Qatar	Doha	6 Hours
Frankfurt	Saudi Arabia	Jeddah	6 Hours
Frankfurt	South Africa	Cape Town	12 Hours
Frankfurt	South Africa	Johannesburg	10 Hours
Frankfurt	Tunisia	Tunis	2 Hours
Berlin	Turkey	Izmir	3 Hours
Dusseldorf	UAE	Dubai	7 Hours
Hamburg	UAE	Dubai	7 Hours
Munich	UAE	Dubai	6 Hours

To Asia and Oceania

Airport of Origin	Destination Country	Destination Airport	Approximate Duration
Berlin	China	Beijing	10 Hours
Dusseldorf	China	Beijing	10 Hours
Frankfurt	China	Shanghai	11 Hours
Frankfurt	China	Beijing	10 Hours
Munich	China	Shanghai	11 Hours
Frankfurt	China	Chengdu	9 Hours
Frankfurt	China	Nanjing	10 Hours
Frankfurt	China	Qingdao	10 Hours
Munich	China	Beijing	9 Hours
Munich	Hong Kong	Hong Kong	12 Hours
Frankfurt	Hong Kong	Hong Kong	11 Hours
Dusseldorf	Japan	Tokyo	12 Hours
Munich	Japan	Tokyo	11 Hours
Frankfurt	Japan	Tokyo	11 Hours
Dusseldorf	Singapore	Singapore	12 Hours
Munich	Singapore	Singapore	12 Hours
Munich	South Korea	Seoul	10 Hours
Frankfurt	South Korea	Seoul	10 Hours
Cologne	Thailand	Bangkok	11 Hours
Frankfurt	Vietnam	Ho Chi Minh City	11 Hours

We Simplify Shipping from Germany

Before you begin searching for international shipping companies in Germany, try Shipa Freight. It’s an online freight-forwarding platform, with all the facilities and functions you need to simplify the shipping process.

You can get a fast and competitive freight quote and when you’re ready to ship, you can book, pay, and track your goods all via one, easy-to-use online portal. We even simplify the completion of your documents, saving you time that you can put to more productive use in your business.

In fact, we’re confident that after using our platform, you’ll be glad you didn’t spend time and resources looking for the right freight forwarder in Germany. There really is no need—because the right freight forwarder is right here.

It’s so easy to ship freight from Germany with Shipa Freight. Get your first quote now or sign up to enjoy all the features of our service.