The ultimate guide to shipping Canadian goods to Hong Kong

Today we will be talking about shipping Canadian goods to Hong Kong because many Canadian businesses are operating in Hong Kong as well. Hong Kong can be amazing for any sort of business, but you already know this surely. On the other hand shipping goods is not so great. There is a lot of paperwork and logistics you need to deal with in order to ship anything to any foreign country. The laws are different and you will need some help. We are here to show you who can help you and how to do this properly.

Doing business in Hong Kong

Hong Kong is unexpectedly small compared to other major cities in the world. As a result, Hong Kong has more skyscrapers per capita than any other city in the world, with 7.5 million people living and working in the city’s skyscrapers. Low tax rates and free trade are the foundations of Hong Kong’s thriving economy. Hong Kong has more billionaires per capita than just about any other Asian city. Because of this, e-commerce in Hong Kong is expected to grow at a rate of 12 percent annually through 2025. A pro-tip for you – when moving goods try to avoid peak season.

How Kong at night
Hong Kong can be an amazing business opportunity. Many Canadians took chance here and maybe it will be good for you as well.

Shipping guidelines

When it comes to shipping goods, laws vary from country to country. So, we will be focusing only on Hong Kong and, if you wish to ship goods to another Asian country/city, you can research their laws and see what rules apply there.  The items on the following list are either prohibited from shipping or have some sort of restrictions on how or how much they can be shipped. If you have any questions or concerns, make sure to engage experts and talk to them about your concerns. We will recommend the ones we found for you. If you are shipping artwork you will need a lot more help than this, now lets see those prohibited items.

Prohibited items

Before we start – prohibited items are those that cannot be shipped at all. Limited items have fewer shipping options, may require additional documentation, and may be subject to additional fees.

  • animals (alive or dead) – pets are an exception if you are moving with them but you will need additional paperwork
  • any kind of harmful chemicals
  • counterfeit
  • CBD
  • alcohol
  • biohazards
  • erotic
  • explosives
  • cell phones (this is just limited not prohibited)
  • engines
  • electric bikes over 100Wh
  • human remains
  • any cosmetics that can be flammable
  • lithium batteries that can sometimes be found in laptops and such
  • perfumes (this is just limited not prohibited)
  • liquids (this is just limited not prohibited)
  • loose precious stones
  • drugs prescripted or otherwise
  • cigarettes
  • any sort of weapons
  • soil
  • any sort of poison
  • any sort of radioactive material
poison on the shelf
We wanted to make sure that you know everything that is prohibited and obviously the things that are limited but still, you need to do research on your own just before you decide to ship your goods because laws change from time to time.

Dealing with logistics and customs

Now that you know what you can not ship to Hong Kong you can focus on planning. In order to make sure that your business goes smoothly you should find professionals (as stated above) to help you with all details like customers for example. People don’t even realize how difficult customs can be. The professionals with the most experience in this field are Relosmart Movers so make sure to call them and see if they can be of help. Tell them exactly what you need and see how they can be of help.

Export Licences

Any item or technology that historically could be shipped to Hong Kong without a special license (also known as “NLR” or “No License Required”) must now be licensed for export, re-export, or transfer to Hong Kong. That rule is even if the item/items (or technology) previously were able to be shipped to Hong Kong without the need for a license. When it comes to obtaining licenses and doing necessary paperwork once again we have to recommend working with professionals. Doing something wrong here can mean breaking the law even if you had no intention to do that.

Certificate of Origin (CO)

It’s an export document that certifies the country of origin of a shipment. Customs, banks, and traders typically require it as part of trade formalities.  So, talk about it with professionals about this document. We can show you roughly how to do it just so you can have that in mind.

Getting CO

You will need a complete and obviously notarized affidavit as required by the situation. To show where your products are manufactured, you should submit either an invoice for the manufacture or a commercial invoice. You need to fill out some forms and the certificate of origin form. Then you will need to send the chamber of commerce a notarized affidavit, a certificate of origin, and the corresponding invoices.

signing papers after shipping Canadian goods to Hong Kong
Prepare for quite a lot of paperwork. You should consider hiring a lawyer at least in the beginning to help you with it.

What to do with goods while waiting?

Shipping Canadian goods to Hong Kong is not something you want to do little by little very often. The best way to do it is in bulk. But if you have a small shop in Hong Kong you will need a place to store everything in a way that is going to be safe and square. A secure place for your inventory can be easily provided by local professionals.

Good luck!

We told you just how easy shipping Canadian goods to Hong Kong can be if you find the right kind of help. Also, we showed you who can be of help and with a bit of luck soon enough all your products will arrive safe and sound in Hong Kong.