DAYS
China to Iran road transit time, leg by leg from the Wuqia crossing
The China to Iran run is quoted as two legs, not one. A domestic leg brings the cargo to the Wuqia crossing; the published transit table starts there and ends at the destination customs bonded warehouse.
- Leg 1, consolidation hub to Wuqia: typically within 7 days — an estimate, confirmed per booking
- Leg 2 starts at the Wuqia crossing: currently 21–23 days to Tehran and 18–21 days to Mashhad by direct truck
- With transshipment, currently 26–30 days to Tehran and 24–28 days to Mashhad
- A direct truck transloads once, at Bukhara; a transshipment truck at Osh and again at Bukhara
- Khorgos line: transit time on request
- Lengtheners: border queues, peak-season capacity, inspection, incomplete documents, transload handling, winter roads
Leg 1 — consolidation hub to Wuqia
Cargo is received at the Yiwu (Suxi), Shenzhen (Pinghu), Guangzhou (Baiyun) or Shanghai hub, checked against the packing list and invoice, loaded into a 13.6 m curtainsider and pre-manifested for export. It then moves up to the Wuqia gateway in Xinjiang, where Chinese export clearance is completed and the customs seal and TIR carnet are applied.
This leg is typically within 7 days. It is an operator estimate rather than a committed figure, because it depends on which hub you ship from, the cut-off you make and the loading queue at the time. It is confirmed for each booking and it is quoted as its own leg.
Leg 2 — from the Wuqia crossing to the destination customs
This is the leg the published day counts describe. Routing is Xinjiang — Kyrgyzstan — Uzbekistan — Turkmenistan — Iran, entering Iran at Sarakhs, then running under bonded transit to Mashhad Customs, to Tehran West Customs (Gomrok Gharb), Shahriyar or Aprin Dry Port. The shipment is recorded in the Iranian ASYCUDA system on entry, and a warehouse entry receipt (Ghabz-e Anbar) is issued to the broker of the consignee on arrival.
Counted from Wuqia, a direct truck currently takes 21–23 days to Tehran and 18–21 days to Mashhad. A transshipment truck currently takes 26–30 days to Tehran and 24–28 days to Mashhad. These are the ranges the line is running now; they move with border conditions and they are not a guaranteed transit. Border customs is not sold as a destination and carries no published day count.
Kyrgyzstan levies a 0.4% transit tax on the cargo-invoice value on this line. It is a tax and not freight: it sits outside the quotation and is paid by the customer.
Where the cargo changes trailers
A direct truck runs Wuqia to Bukhara, transloads once there, and continues into Iran. A transshipment truck transloads at Osh, again at Bukhara, and sometimes once more at the Iranian border. That is the whole difference between the two products: each extra transload adds handling time, a wait for the onward trailer and one more opportunity for damage. Transshipment is cheaper and slower; direct is dearer and steadier.
The Khorgos line
The second corridor exits at Khorgos and runs Xinjiang — Kazakhstan — Uzbekistan — Turkmenistan — Iran. No day count is published for it; transit time is quoted on request. The 0.4% never applies on this routing. Turgart and Alashankou are not operated.
Where the count ends
It ends when the cargo is inside the customs bonded warehouse and the Ghabz-e Anbar is issued. Import duty, clearance and collection from the warehouse are the work of the licensed broker of the consignee. Delivery is CPT or DAP to the destination customs, not to your address.
What lengthens it
Queues at Wuqia or at the Iranian entry, tight capacity in peak season, physical inspection, incomplete or inconsistent documents, waiting for the onward trailer at a transload point, and winter road conditions across the mountain sections.
TIR is not a speed setting
A TIR carnet means a customs seal applied at origin and fewer unsealings and transloads across the transit countries. It does not remove them, it does not shorten the day count, and it does not set the freight rate. See how TIR works.
No published rates. To get a quote, send three things: the origin hub; the destination customs (Tehran West Customs / Aprin / Mashhad); and the cargo data — HS code, gross weight in kg, volume in CBM.
FAQ
How is the China to Iran transit time counted?
In two separate legs. The domestic leg from the consolidation hub to Wuqia is typically within 7 days, an estimate confirmed per booking. The published transit table starts at the Wuqia crossing: currently 21 to 23 days to Tehran and 18 to 21 days to Mashhad by direct truck, 26 to 30 and 24 to 28 days with transshipment. The two legs are quoted separately and not added into one headline figure.
Where does the cargo change trailers?
A direct truck transloads once, at Bukhara. A transshipment truck transloads at Osh, again at Bukhara, and sometimes once more at the Iranian border. Fewer transloads means a shorter and more predictable transit and less handling of the cargo.
Does the transit time include customs clearance in Iran?
No. The count ends at the customs bonded warehouse, where the warehouse entry receipt is issued. Import duty payment, clearance and local delivery are handled afterwards by the licensed broker of the consignee.
Does TIR make it faster?
No. A TIR carnet means one customs seal from origin and fewer unsealings and transloads along the way, but it does not remove them and it does not shorten the transit. The day count is set by distance, border throughput, transload handling and scheduling, not by the carnet.
Related: 21–23 days from Wuqia to Tehran · Uzbekistan and the Bukhara transload · How TIR works on the China–Iran corridor · China–Iran TIR trucking: Wuqia to Tehran · Actual day counts on delivered loads