Guides to moving from the UK to China
Six guides covering the decisions that actually change the outcome of a UK–China move: how long it takes, what customs requires, what you cannot take, whether to fly it or sail it, and what to do before the packers arrive.
If you read only one of these before you book, read the customs guide. Almost every expensive surprise on a UK–China move traces back to documentation timing rather than to the freight itself.
If you have already booked, read the checklist and the prohibited items guide — in that order, and before the packers arrive rather than after.
The guides
Chinese customs rules for personal effects
What has to be in place before your shipment arrives, why the residence permit governs the schedule, and what happens at inspection.
Customs rules →
TimingHow long shipping to China takes
Where each of the eight to fourteen weeks actually goes, and which stages you can influence.
Shipping times →
Before you packWhat you cannot ship to China
Prohibited and restricted categories, the ones that surprise people, and what happens if something is found.
Prohibited items →
DecisionSea against air freight
A straight comparison, and the split shipment most expat families settle on.
Compare →
PlanningMoving to China checklist
What to do at six months, three months, one month and the week of the move.
The checklist →
PracticalPacking for a move to China
Why packing dry matters more on this route than most, and how packing well saves real money.
Packing guide →
What these guides do not cover
We write about moving belongings from the UK to China, because that is what we do. We do not give immigration, tax or legal advice, and we are careful about the boundary. Visa categories, residence permit applications, tax residence and employment law are matters for your employer's relocation team, a qualified adviser and the Chinese embassy — not for a moving company's website.
Where those topics touch a shipment — and the residence permit very much does — we explain the connection and point you at the authority responsible, rather than telling you what your position is.
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