Guide · LCL China Morocco
LCL shipping from China to Morocco, for small volumes.
Not enough to fill a container? With LCL / groupage, your goods share a container with those of other importers, and you pay for the space they take up. Here is how it works, how long it takes and what you need on the customs side.
In short
How does LCL shipping from China to Morocco work?
LCL / groupage combines the goods of several importers in one container. You pay for the volume you occupy, per cubic metre by sea, instead of a whole container. On arrival, each consignment clears customs separately, in its importer's name; the importer needs a commercial register entry, an ICE and an import licence domiciled with their bank.
How it works
From the supplier to your door, in six steps.
- 01
Delivery to the consolidation warehouse
Your supplier, or each of your suppliers, delivers its cartons to the consolidator's warehouse in China, with your marks on every package.
- 02
Receipt and measurement
Each consignment is counted, measured and weighed when it arrives at the warehouse. This volume is used to calculate the freight and must match the packing list.
- 03
Loading the container
The container leaves on the scheduled cut-off date, with the consignments of several importers. Your consignment has its own bill of lading.
- 04
Sea freight
To the port of Casablanca or Tanger Med, depending on your delivery city.
- 05
Unloading and customs clearance
On arrival, the container is unloaded and each consignment is declared to customs separately, in the name of its importer. You pay the duties and VAT on your consignment only.
- 06
Delivery
Your cleared consignment is delivered to your address, anywhere in Morocco.
Prices and lead times
What LCL shipping costs, and how long it takes.
Freight rates change often: an LCL price is given on quotation, for a specific departure date.
- By sea
- Price per cubic metre occupied. Goods that are very heavy for their volume may be charged by weight: ask how the quote is calculated.
- By air
- Price per kilo, on the actual weight, or on the volumetric weight if the package is light and bulky.
- Door-to-door lead time
- Generally 45 to 60 days by sea and 10 to 15 days by air, customs clearance included. The expected lead time is shown on the quote.
- What lengthens the lead time
- Waiting for the cut-off date in China, unloading on arrival, and an incomplete file at the time of customs clearance.
- Not included in the freight
- Customs duties, VAT and customs clearance fees, except with DDP delivery, where everything is included.
LCL or full container
LCL or a full container: how to choose.
A 20-foot container offers about 33 m³ of internal volume, a 40-foot about 67 m³. A full container is paid at a flat rate, full or not: when your volume gets close to it, we price both options.
LCL is a good fit for
- A first order or a market test
- A few cubic metres, far from a full container
- Several small suppliers to combine into a single shipment
- A restock between two containers
Choose a full container for
- A volume close to a full container
- Fragile goods that do not cope well with handling during loading and unloading
- A building site or a sale that cannot wait for an LCL cut-off date
On the customs side
The documents, consignment by consignment.
With LCL, your consignment has its own documents and its own customs declaration, even if it travels with those of other importers.
- Commercial invoice
- Issued by the supplier in your name, with the real value of the goods.
- Packing list
- Number of packages, weights and volumes: it must match what the warehouse measured.
- Bill of lading
- Issued for your consignment: this is the document that lets you collect the goods on arrival.
- Import licence
- Generally the import commitment, taken out on PortNet and domiciled with your bank before the order.
- RC and ICE
- Your company must be entered in the commercial register; its ICE appears on the declarations.
- Depending on the product
- A certificate of conformity for products checked at origin, a check on arrival for others, according to the Ministry of Industry's lists.
Who imports
Import your consignment in your own name, or receive it DDP.
LCL shares the container, not the import formalities. There are two ways to do it.
You have a company
You import your consignment
Your company is the importer: RC, ICE, import licence domiciled with your bank before you order. You pay your supplier through your bank, and a licensed customs broker declares your consignment on arrival.
- Down payment to the supplier: up to 30% of the value
- You pay the duties and VAT on your consignment
- Freight, customs clearance and delivery on a single quote
No import licence
We import for you
Our sister company in Morocco, NovaLink Global Solutions, imports in its own name, pays the duties and VAT, and delivers to you anywhere in Morocco, against an invoice in dirhams.
- No minimum: even a small shipment
- Price on quotation, per cubic metre by sea and per kilo by air
- Excluding food products, cosmetics, medicines and counterfeit goods
Before departure
How to prepare an LCL shipment.
Mark every carton: your name or customer code, the order reference and the number of packages. In a warehouse that handles the consignments of many importers, an unmarked carton is easily lost.
Check that the invoice, the packing list and what is actually delivered to the warehouse all match. With LCL, a discrepancy on your consignment is often discovered at customs clearance, when the container has already arrived.
If you buy from several suppliers, have them deliver to the same warehouse in China: your packages travel together, in the same consignment. With the one-invoice service, they can also be combined on a single NovaLink invoice.
LCL shipping China to Morocco: frequently asked questions
Other services for Morocco
Your LCL shipment from China to Morocco, on quotation
Send the goods, the volume or weight, the supplier's city and your delivery city on WhatsApp. We will come back to you with a quote.