Shipping Corridor
Colombia to United States freight shipping.
We ship by ocean or air from Colombia's Caribbean and Pacific ports to US markets. You get US–Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement benefits, full customs clearance, and end-to-end logistics support.
The Lane
One corridor, no carrier bias.
Suaid Global compares routing, mode, customs requirements and final delivery as one plan, so the quoted option is aligned to timing, documentation and landed cost.
Corridor at a glance
- Ocean FCL
- 8–16 days
- Ocean LCL
- 14–22 days
- Air Freight
- 2–4 days
- Origin gateways
- Port of Cartagena · Port of Buenaventura · El Dorado International Airport (Bogotá)
- Destination gateways
- Port of Miami · Port of New York/New Jersey · Miami International Airport
- Top cargo
- Coffee · Cut Flowers & Plants · Coal · Textiles & Apparel · Bananas & Fresh Produce · Chemicals & Plastics
Transit Times
Mode by mode.
Use these as planning ranges. Door-to-door timing still depends on pickup, clearance, port dwell and final delivery.
| Mode | Transit | Best fit | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ocean FCLColombia to United States | 8–16 days | Full container loads of coffee, coal, cut flowers (reefer), and industrial goods | Quote this mode |
| Ocean LCLColombia to United States | 14–22 days | Partial loads, smaller commercial shipments, consolidated cargo | Quote this mode |
| Air FreightColombia to United States | 2–4 days | Cut flowers, fresh produce, high-value goods, and urgent cargo | Quote this mode |
Ranges are planning estimates from the corridor profile. Dated quotes confirm sailing, uplift, drayage and clearance assumptions.
Ports
Colombian gateways by coast
Colombia has ports on two oceans, and picking the wrong coast adds a canal transit for no reason.
| Port | Coast | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Cartagena | Caribbean | The main hub with the widest United States service |
| Barranquilla | Caribbean | River port; suits bulk and project cargo |
| Santa Marta | Caribbean | Strong in bananas and bulk agriculture |
| Buenaventura | Pacific | Serves the west of the country and Pacific routings |
Trade
What matters most on the Colombia lane
This is a short ocean lane where paperwork, not sailing time, usually decides arrival dates.
- Trade agreement benefits — Many Colombian goods enter the United States duty-free under the bilateral agreement, with correct origin proof.
- Perishable priority — Flowers and fresh fruit move on tight windows. A missed connection destroys the value.
- Security inspection — Cargo from the region faces closer scrutiny. Certified supply chain programmes reduce delays.
- Coffee handling — Green coffee needs liners and ventilation control to survive the humidity swing.
- Short transit, tight cut-offs — On a lane this short, missing the cut-off costs a full week in relative terms.
- Inland leg from the interior — Cargo from Bogotá and Medellín needs road time to the coast built into the plan.
PlanningReview verified U.S. HTS duty components
Customs and landed-cost planning.
This corridor is not just a freight leg. Duties, agency reviews, document timing and mode selection all affect the real landed cost.
Ocean planning range8–16 days typical
Air planning range2–4 days typical
Quote modelAll-in routing review
Reviewed Before Booking
What changes the plan
Customs requirementsImports from Colombia to the USA can use the US–Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement (CTPA). To claim the lower duty rate, you need a certificate of origin. You also need standard papers: a commercial invoice, a packing list, a bill of lading or airway bill, and CBP Form 7501 for formal entries. Farm goods, and above all fresh flowers and produce, need USDA/APHIS phytosanitary certificates. CBP may also inspect them at Miami or other entry ports. Food imports need FDA Prior Notice too.
Tariff and duty treatmentUnder the US–Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement (CTPA, in force since May 2012), most goods from Colombia enter the USA duty-free. This covers coffee, cut flowers, textiles, and many other made goods. Coal and most raw minerals also qualify. To claim FTA benefits, the Colombian exporter must first prepare a certificate of origin. If goods do not meet CTPA rules of origin, they pay standard MFN tariff rates instead. No Section 301 tariffs apply to goods from Colombia.
Carrier-neutral routingOptions are compared by schedule, transshipment risk, customs exposure and final delivery, not by carrier preference.
Services
Services on this corridor.
FAQ
Colombia to United States, answered.
Planning answers from the corridor profile. A dated quote confirms the route, carrier and customs assumptions for your shipment.
Ocean freight from Colombia to the USA takes 8–16 days for FCL. Direct services from Cartagena to Miami take about 8–10 days; Cartagena to New York takes 12–16 days. LCL needs extra time for consolidation, so add 5–8 days. Air freight from Bogotá to Miami takes just 2–4 days, door to door.
Yes. The US–Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement (CTPA) has been in force since May 2012. It cut tariffs on most goods from Colombia, such as coffee, flowers, textiles, apparel, and many other made products. You need a certificate of origin to claim these lower rates.
Colombia's top exports to the USA are cut flowers (about 80% of all US flower imports come from Colombia), coffee, coal, crude oil and its derivatives, bananas and fresh fruit, textiles and apparel, chemicals, and processed foods. Suaid Global has deep skill in perishable air freight, and we also prepare FTA certificates for all these goods.
You will need a commercial invoice, a packing list, a bill of lading or airway bill, a certificate of origin (for FTA duty-free treatment), and CBP Form 7501. Farm and food goods also need USDA phytosanitary certificates plus FDA Prior Notice. Flowers need a specific USDA/APHIS check at the port of entry.
Almost all cut flowers travel by air, from El Dorado Airport (Bogotá) to Miami International Airport, which has its own flower handling facility. First, the flowers are pre-cooled and packed in Colombia. Next, USDA checks them before export. Then comes air freight booking, which usually takes 2–4 days to Miami. On arrival, USDA runs an agricultural check, then cold-chain transfer moves the flowers on to distribution. Suaid Global runs this whole chain, from the farm all the way to the US distribution center.
On the Caribbean coast, Cartagena is Colombia's main container port, with direct routes to Miami, New York, and Houston. On the Pacific coast, Buenaventura handles a lot of volume, mainly for goods headed to US West Coast ports via the Panama Canal. Barranquilla is a smaller port used for regional cargo.
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