Removals to Shenzhen from the UK
Shenzhen is served by our Guangzhou office, about an hour away, with sea shipments arriving at Yantian or Shekou. Door-to-door removals and excess baggage from anywhere in the UK.
Shenzhen is one of the best-connected ports in the world, so getting your shipment there from the UK is straightforward — sea arrivals come into Yantian or Shekou with a short road leg to the delivery address. Plan on eight to fourteen weeks door to door by sea.
Being straight with you about our presence here: Asian Express does not have a company office in Shenzhen. Your move is handled by our Guangzhou office, roughly an hour away, which covers the whole Pearl River Delta. That is the same team, travelling — not a subcontracted agent, and not a claim to a local office we do not have.
- Our presence
- Served by the Asian Express Guangzhou office, about an hour away
- Sea routing
- UK ports to Yantian or Shekou
- Inland leg
- Short — both ports are within the municipality
- Door-to-door planning range
- 8–14 weeks by sea, 1–2 weeks by air
- Also covered from Guangzhou
- Dongguan, Foshan, Zhuhai
Shenzhen is not Hong Kong, for customs purposes
They are forty minutes apart and constantly mentioned in the same breath, but they are separate customs territories with different import rules. A shipment to Shenzhen is a mainland Chinese import, cleared against your residence permit under the national framework. A shipment to Hong Kong is not. If you are moving between the two, or splitting a shipment, this distinction determines everything about the paperwork — see removals to Hong Kong.
Delivering across the Shenzhen districts
Shenzhen is young and vertical, which on balance helps. Futian and Nanshan — where most relocating professionals end up — are almost entirely modern high-rise with proper lifts and loading access, and the practical constraint is building management scheduling rather than physical access. Shekou has a long-established international community and buildings used to handling household shipments. Longgang, Bao'an and the outer districts add road time from the port but present no unusual difficulty.
The humidity point from our Guangzhou page applies here in full: same climate, same subtropical summer, same need to pack everything bone dry.
What actually slows a delivery down in China
Once your shipment is cleared, the remaining problems are physical, and they are the same across Chinese cities. Our surveyors ask about all of these before quoting, because each one is a cost if it is discovered on the day.
- Compound access. Many residential developments will not admit a full-size removal vehicle. Goods transfer to a smaller shuttle at the gate — extra handling, extra labour, and a charge if it was not quoted for.
- Lift dimensions. Chinese residential lifts are frequently smaller than UK ones. A three-seat sofa or a double wardrobe that will not fit means a stair carry, and above a few floors that is a significant cost.
- Delivery time windows. Estate management commonly restricts when removals may take place, and sometimes requires notice or a deposit. We arrange this in advance where we can.
- Parking and street access. Central districts in all four cities restrict large-vehicle access at certain hours.
- Protecting common areas. Some buildings require lift and corridor protection to be fitted before a move. Our crews carry it.
Tell us the building, not just the city. Floor number, lift availability, whether the compound admits large vehicles, and any management restrictions. Five minutes of questions at survey prevents the most common source of a revised invoice on delivery day.
Questions people ask before booking
How long does shipping from the UK to Shenzhen take?
Eight to fourteen weeks door to door by sea and one to two weeks by air. Yantian and Shekou are major ports with excellent European connections, so the sea leg is rarely the bottleneck.
Do you have an office in Shenzhen?
No. Shenzhen is handled by our Guangzhou office, about an hour away, which covers the Pearl River Delta. We would rather tell you that than imply a local presence we do not have — but the work is done by Asian Express staff, not by a subcontracted agent.
I am moving from Hong Kong to Shenzhen. Is that a local move?
Geographically almost, administratively not at all. Hong Kong and mainland China are separate customs territories, so goods crossing that border are an import into China with the corresponding documentation. It is a routine move for us, but it is a customs move, not a van hire.
Can you deliver to Dongguan and Zhuhai?
Yes, both from the same Guangzhou office, along with Foshan and the rest of the Delta.