Cost of Shipping a Container to Mauritius

Importers must submit the following documents upon shipping a container to Mauritius:

● Bill of lading/airway bill
● Bill of entry
● Invoice
● Packing list
● Insurance certificate (if applicable)
● Certificate of origin (if applicable)
● Other relevant documents/permits that may be required by government agencies (such as health, agriculture, veterinary services)

The Bill of Lading is a document executed by a carrier, such as a railroad or shipping line, acknowledging receipt of goods and embodying an agreement to transport the goods to a stated destination. Such a negotiable document of title, which calls for the delivery of goods, must be distinguished from negotiable commercial paper such as notes and bills of exchange, which call for the money.

Prohibited goods in shipping to Mauritius include the following:

● Ivory
● Tortoise shells and other endangered animal products
● Underwater fishing guns
● Certain second-hand motor vehicle parts and accessories
● Appliances containing chlorofluorocarbons
● Asbestos fibers
● Publications/films/playable media of obscene character among others.

A detailed list of prohibited goods can be found on this link.

Restricted/controlled goods are subject to an import permit. Some of these items include the following:

● Petroleum oils
● Rice
● Flour
● Syringes
● Drugs and psychotropic substances
● Firecrackers
● Arms and ammunition
● Second-hand motor vehicles

A detailed list of restricted goods can be found here.

Before shipping a container to Lithuania, you must first study the difference between taxes, tariffs, and duties.

Customs duties are dependent on product information, while tariffs are fees incurred to products from countries for specific times. Lastly, tax rates are calculated on the complete value of the goods imported into the country.

In some cases, containers either get lost, destroyed, or even stolen. To prevent paying for additional costs, ensure that you have your Bill of Lading with you to protect the cargo against inevitable losses.

Should these events happen, a cargo insurance policy enforces the cargo interest. Most cargo insurance policies are underwritten on an “all-risk basis.” This means that the insured is covered for risk of loss or damage except for those risks that are expressly excluded in the policy, such as loss or damage due to willful destruction of the goods by the insured or the inherent vice of the goods.

Mauritius has a relatively streamlined trade regime and over the past several years, the government has taken steps to liberalize trade by lowering import tariffs over a wide range of products. 

Import tariffs are levied as specific tariffs and ad valorem tariffs. The ad valorem tariff rates currently range from zero to 30 percent, while the number of tariff bands currently stands at five (zero, five, 10, 15, and 30 percent).  Customs Duties are normally imposed on the CIF (Cost, Insurance, and Freight) value of imported goods.  Vehicles, petroleum, alcoholic drinks, and cigarettes are subject to excise duties.  With some exceptions, goods imported into Mauritius are also subject to a 15 percent Value Added Tax (VAT).

The tariff rates for different types of goods are listed here.

Before getting your container delivered to Mauritius, you must consider a few factors. You have to know in advance some important information about the following:

● Delivery fees
● Permitting requirements
● Ground conditions
● Clearance space

20-ft containers require a straight clearance of 75 feet, while 40-ft containers need a hundred. For its respective width, you will need a minimum of 12 feet of width clearance and 20 feet of overhead clearance.

Waterproof. All new and used containers will be waterproof and come with a product guarantee. However, containers sold in “AS-IS” condition may have holes or crooked impairment, such as damaged corner posts. They are priced accordingly but are not guaranteed to be wind and watertight.

Ventilation. Vents on the upper part of the side walls are created for shipping containers. These might make containers placed inside a wet or cold surrounding prone to moisture and eventually become rusty, so it would be wiser to have your ventilation checked now and then.

It can easily make us anxious when we have no constant updates over the container we just shipped, but Three Movers got your back. You may track your container while it is in transit and you can use one or all of these ways to do so:

● Personal, up-close monitoring
● GPS asset tracking
● Live Satellite Imagery
● Container Tracking Services
● Automatic Identification System Tracking

To learn more about our shipping services and these tracking ways, click here.