DDP puts Iranian import clearance, customs duty, VAT and delivery to the named address on one instruction. DAP leaves the import entry and the taxes with the Iranian consignee. The two terms assign different parties and different costs, so the term is fixed before booking.
On this lane, DDP means our partner broker in Iran files with IRICA, pays the duty and VAT due on that entry, and after release trucks the container to the factory or warehouse. DAP stops at “cargo arrived, taxes not paid for you”. The consignee, or their own broker, files and pays.
That changes who answers for the declared description, the value and the HS code. A low invoice, a description that does not match the goods, or wood packaging without an ISPM 15 mark will stall the entry while the box is still our problem. Send the invoice, packing list and contract before the booking is confirmed.
| Item | DAP | DDP door |
|---|---|---|
| Import entry | Iranian consignee or their broker | Our partner broker files with IRICA |
| Duty and VAT | Paid by the consignee | Paid for the shipment and shown as its own line |
| Delivery | Can end at the port or dry port | Named factory or warehouse |
| Fits | Consignee already imports in their own name | Seller wants the buyer only to receive the cargo |
DDP decides who clears and who pays tax. It does not shorten the line-haul. Do not quote the road transit against a rail or ocean booking.
| Mode | Routing | Indicative transit | Page |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rail FCL | Aktau–Anzali, Sarakhs or Incheh Borun, then clearance at Aprin dry port and delivery | 28–35 days | China to Iran rail |
| Road FTL | Khorgos desk, with Irkeshtam as backup | 10–15 days via Khorgos; 12–16 via Irkeshtam | Road to Iran |
| Ocean FCL | Weekly sailings from Taicang and Zhuhai to Bandar Abbas, then inland delivery | 15–25 days at sea; 25–35 door to door | Ocean to Iran |
When traffic through the Strait of Hormuz is restricted, ocean dates move and more cargo shifts to rail and road. Ocean space is still sold, but the delivery date has to follow that week’s sailing and the terminal at Bandar Abbas. Part loads use LCL to Tehran, also 28–35 days.
Freight moves with space, border queues and the season. Iranian duty follows the HS code, the declared value and origin. Two products that share a commercial name can sit in different tariff lines. A single “DDP USD figure” on a web page would bill them as if they were the same shipment.
For a quote, send the description in Chinese or English, an HS code if you have one (otherwise the material and use), the box type or CBM, gross weight, invoice value and Incoterm, the delivery city, and whether unloading is required. The reply splits line-haul, export customs, import taxes paid for you, and final delivery. Tax is an outlay, not a number folded into freight.
Batteries, chemicals and dangerous goods are checked first. Rail borders ask for an MSDS and a transport-conditions report before they accept the box. General cargo — building materials, auto parts, machinery, hardware, consumer goods — is the ordinary traffic on this lane once the documents match the goods.
On the rail lanes the formal import entry is at Aprin dry port in Tehran, not at Sarakhs or the other border stations. Those borders do the pre-check and the gauge change. Aprin is about 21 km from the city and has customs and bonded storage. After release, Tehran city is usually same-day; other cities are about 1–3 days depending on distance.
Ocean cargo clears at Bandar Abbas. Trucking from the port to Tehran is generally 2–4 days. A road trailer can run to the consignee with fewer lifts, which is the better fit when the date is tight or the cargo should not be lifted several times.
Wood packaging needs a readable IPPC / ISPM 15 mark. Border inspections look for it on every mode.
No. Door delivery only names the address. DDP names who files the import entry and who pays the tax. A shipment can be delivered to a warehouse while the consignee still clears it, or it can be DDP to that same warehouse. The booking states which one.
Only if the partner broker can make a compliant entry for that cargo. Send the description, value and how the sale is structured. If it can be done, the quote is a DDP split. If it cannot, we say whether the block is the importer status or the commodity, before the box is booked.
The days follow the mode, not the word DDP. Rail is 28–35 days on the move, road via Khorgos is 10–15 days, ocean door to door is 25–35 days. Missing documents add waiting on top of those ranges. The booking quote uses that week’s queue.
No. Duty is whatever IRICA assesses on the entry. A quote estimates tax from the HS code and value you send. If either changes, the tax is recalculated. The difference is not absorbed into the freight.