Importing from China to Egypt in 2026: ACID number, ACI and Chinese factory registration step by step

Importing from China to Egypt in 2026 starts before you pay the Chinese supplier: you need a commercial account on the Nafeza platform and a 19-digit ACID number printed on the bill of lading, a Chinese exporter registered on CargoX, and, for listed products, a factory registered with GOEIC under Decree 43 of 2016. Miss one step and the container can be refused or returned.

Why must you finish the formalities before paying the Chinese supplier?

According to CAPMAS, Egypt's Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics, Egypt's imports from China reached USD 10.4 billion in the first half of 2026 (January to June), up 14.3% from USD 9.1 billion in the first half of 2025. Electrical and mechanical machinery and equipment led at USD 4.1 billion, followed by vehicles at USD 1.2 billion and iron and steel at USD 930.7 million.

With volumes like these, Egyptian customs has tightened advance control of shipments. The principle is simple: shipment data and documents must reach customs before the goods arrive, not after. If you pay the deposit and then discover the exporter has not registered on CargoX, or the factory is not registered with GOEIC, you are negotiating from a weak position with your money already in the supplier's account.

So put the three steps in this guide in place before the bank transfer, and make them written conditions in the purchase contract: an ACID issued in your name, an exporter verified on CargoX, and a factory registered with GOEIC if your product is on the list. For the wider picture, see the import compliance checklist.

What are ACI and the ACID number when importing from China to Egypt?

Advance Cargo Information (ACI) has been mandatory for sea freight to Egypt since 1 October 2021 and for air freight since 1 January 2026, after a trial phase that ran to 31 December 2025, according to the Nafeza platform (the Egyptian customs single window) and the German-Arab Chamber of Industry and Commerce in Egypt (AHK Egypt). The core of the system is the ACID number: a 19-digit number the importer obtains through Nafeza using the proforma invoice. It is valid for six months, after which you need a new one.

The ACID must appear on every shipping document: the bill of lading for sea or the air waybill for air, where it goes in the OCI segment of the electronic air waybill. A shipment without it is not cleared and is returned at the carrier's or agent's expense. According to published guidance, express shipments up to 50 kg and USD 2,000 are excluded, but check with your clearing agent before relying on that.

Before any of this you need a valid entry in the Importers' Registry. According to the Egypt Country Commercial Guide published by the US International Trade Administration, an amended Importers' Registry Law in 2024 lifted the 51% Egyptian-ownership requirement for import activities.

These are the steps Nafeza asks of the importer, in the order you should carry them out:

1. Update your company data on Nafeza and keep it current.
2. Upgrade your Nafeza account to a commercial account, as the platform requires.
3. Visit a Logistics Services Centre to match your data and finalise the registration.
4. Tell your Chinese supplier in writing that they must register on the CargoX blockchain platform before shipping, and ask them to confirm their company verification is complete.
5. Ask the supplier for a proforma invoice that matches the order in items, quantities and value, then submit it on Nafeza to obtain the ACID.
6. Send the ACID to the supplier and the freight forwarder, and ask for a draft bill of lading so you can see the number on it before loading.

What does the Chinese exporter have to do on CargoX?

The Chinese exporter registers on CargoX, completes company verification, then sends the so-called ACI envelope containing the commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading or air waybill, and certificate of origin. According to published guidance, sea documents should be available at least 48 hours before the vessel arrives and air documents at least 8 hours before take-off, so confirm the timing with your forwarder for each shipment.

CargoX charges in its own units rather than a stated currency. According to the price page on its website: the sea filing fee is 160 units per ACID; air is 80 units at a reduced rate that ran from 1 January to 30 June 2026; and document transfer is 3 units per document, capped at 15 units per ACID. Check CargoX's current price page before agreeing with the supplier who pays these fees, and write that into the contract.

Many Chinese suppliers have exported to Egypt before and know the system, but small factories often hear of it for the first time when you place your order. If they avoid registering or ask you to pay first, treat that as a warning sign, and read how to inspect a factory before you pay.

Does the Chinese factory have to be registered with GOEIC?

Yes, if your product is on the list. Ministerial Decree 43 of 2016, which took full effect on 16 March 2016, requires factories, manufacturers or trademark owners of listed products to be registered with GOEIC, the General Organization for Export and Import Control, before their goods can be released for trade. According to the Egypt Country Commercial Guide from the US International Trade Administration and AHK Egypt, the list includes: dairy products, oils and fats, sugar and confectionery, cocoa, juices, water and soft drinks, cosmetics and soap, tissue paper, plastic, ceramic and glass tableware and kitchenware, sanitary ware, carpets, knitted and non-knitted clothing, home appliances, motorcycles and bicycles, watches, furniture, lighting, and toys.

Note that registration belongs to the factory or the trademark owner, not the importer. If you buy from a Chinese trading company that does not manufacture itself, the actual factory or the brand owner has to be on the register. Ask for the real factory's name and address before you pay, check that it appears on the GOEIC register.

Checklist of the documents the Chinese factory submits for GOEIC registration:

• Registration form signed by the factory's legal representative.
• Legal identity documents and the factory licence.
• List of products and trademarks, including marks licensed to the factory by their owners.
• Quality-control certificate from a body accredited by ILAC or IAF, in English; GOEIC prefers ISO 9001.
• Certification of the documents by the chamber of commerce where they were issued, then legalisation by the Egyptian Embassy or consulate in China.
• Arabic translation of the legalised documents.

Decree 195 of 2022, which amended Decree 43, eased part of the burden: registration is completed within 15 days once documents are complete, documents can be submitted through embassies, and challenges are decided within 15 days. Do not rely on any other fee or timeline figure you hear from a middleman; ask GOEIC directly. For the wider legal risks, read legal challenges in import and export.

Which shipping route suits your shipment from China to Egypt?

The shipping method changes the timing and document requirements, but not the principle of advance registration. Here is a practical comparison of the four options, with what each costs under ACI and what it takes:

• Sea freight, full container (FCL): the container is yours alone and the ACID appears on the bill of lading. The CargoX filing fee is 160 units per ACID, and documents must be available at least 48 hours before the vessel arrives. Suits quantities that fill a container; slower than air.
• Sea freight, consolidated (LCL): you share the container with other importers and pay for the volume of your goods, but there are more points of coordination. Ask your forwarder to confirm in writing that your ACID will appear on the bill of lading issued for your share, because one error in a consolidated shipment delays your goods.
• Air freight: mandatory under ACI since 1 January 2026. The ACID goes in the OCI segment of the electronic air waybill, and documents must be available at least 8 hours before take-off. The reduced CargoX air rate (80 units) ran to 30 June 2026, so check the current price. Fastest arrival and higher cost per kilogram.
• Express courier: according to published guidance, shipments up to 50 kg and USD 2,000 are excluded from ACI. Suits samples and small orders, but confirm the exclusion with your clearing agent before shipping.

What common mistakes lead to a container being refused or returned?

• Paying the supplier before confirming they are registered on CargoX and their company verification is complete.
• Obtaining the ACID from a proforma invoice that does not match the final commercial invoice in items, quantities or value.
• Forgetting that the ACID is valid for six months, then shipping a delayed order under an expired number.
• Shipping on a bill of lading without the ACID, or writing it in the wrong field of the air waybill instead of the OCI segment.
• Assuming the factory is registered with GOEIC because it has exported to another country, when your product is on the Decree 43 list.
• Sending documents after the 48-hour deadline before vessel arrival or the 8-hour deadline before take-off.
• Relying on the express exclusion for a shipment above 50 kg or USD 2,000.

What should you do next?

• Open your commercial account on Nafeza and complete the data matching at a Logistics Services Centre before your first order.
• Add a clause to the purchase contract that obliges the supplier to register on CargoX, states who pays the fees, and ties the final payment to a complete ACI envelope being sent.
• Check whether your product is on the Decree 43 list and, if it is, ask the factory for proof of GOEIC registration or start its file now.

If you want a team in China to follow up the supplier's registration, documents and shipment all the way to the Egyptian port, HiGreenPanda's full import management service takes that work off your hands.