Customs Clearance of Cargo at the Airport: A Practical Guide

Stages of Customs Clearance in Air Freight

Customs clearance at the airport is the final and often most critical stage of international air freight. Unlike road or rail transport, air delivery requires maximum efficiency, as storage costs at Temporary Storage Warehouses (TSW) in airports are typically higher. KAZLOGIST.KZ experts note that 90% of successful clearance depends on the accuracy of documents prepared before the flight departs.

The process begins with the arrival of the aircraft at the destination airport (e.g., Almaty). After unloading, the cargo is moved to a TSW, where its arrival is registered. This is followed by the submission of the customs declaration. If the documents are in order and duties are paid, the release of goods occurs in the shortest possible time.

Basic Document Package for Import

To ensure that customs clearance in Kazakhstan proceeds without delays, the importer must provide a complete package of documents. KAZLOGIST.KZ recommends verifying their consistency: data in the invoice must strictly match the data in the packing list and the air waybill.

• Commercial Invoice: must contain a detailed description of the goods, value, Incoterms delivery terms, and HS codes.
• Packing List: specifies the net/gross weight and dimensions of each cargo piece.
• Air Waybill (AWB): the primary transport document confirming the contract of carriage.
• Contract or Proforma Invoice: the document confirming the transaction between the shipper and the consignee.
• Permits: certificates of conformity, declarations of conformity, or sanitary conclusions if the goods are subject to mandatory control.

KAZLOGIST.KZ checks this document package before the cargo departs from the country of origin (Europe, China, USA, or the Middle East), which minimizes the risk of adjustments by Kazakhstan customs.

Where Money and Time are Lost: Typical Mistakes

The main cause of financial losses during customs clearance is downtime at the TSW. Time is a critical factor. Usually, the free storage period at terminals is very limited, and every day of delay increases the total cost of logistics. Key "traps" for procurement managers include:

• Weight Discrepancy: if the actual weight recorded during weighing at the airport differs from the weight specified in the AWB by more than the allowed tolerance, it raises suspicions of inaccurate declaration.
• HS Code Errors: an incorrectly selected code can lead to an underpayment of customs duties, resulting in fines and inspections.
• Lack of Marking: goods subject to mandatory certification or marking (e.g., EAC) must be marked before crossing the border.

KAZLOGIST.KZ helps avoid these problems through preliminary audits of shipping documents and consultations on import issues.

Features of Clearing Special Cargo

If you are transporting specific goods, clearance requirements become more complex. For example, for dangerous goods (DGR), such as lithium batteries or chemical reagents, a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS/SDS) is mandatory. Without this document, customs and airport security services will not allow the cargo for clearance.

For temperature-sensitive cargo (medicines, cosmetics), it is important to ensure not only the presence of temperature loggers but also the priority submission of the declaration to reduce the time the goods spend outside specialized TSW cold storage rooms. KAZLOGIST.KZ provides monitoring of such shipments at all stages.

When importing oversized equipment, special machinery may be required for unloading and moving to the warehouse, which must also be coordinated with the terminal in advance to avoid delays in processing documents due to the inability to promptly receive the cargo at the warehouse.

If you require prompt delivery and assistance in preparing documents for customs, you can contact our specialists to calculate the shipment.