Every week, someone in Port Moresby, Lae or Mount Hagen decides to stop buying from the local wholesaler and import directly from China. The idea is right — the margin between the wholesale shelf price and the factory gate is exactly where import businesses are built. But most first attempts stall at the same three walls: the registrations nobody explained, the payment that would not leave the country, and the supplier who turned out to be nothing like the catalogue.
This guide is the starting line: how to register as a recognised importer with PNG Customs, how to actually move money to a Chinese supplier from a Kina account, how not to lose your deposit to a scam, and what a safe first order looks like. It pairs with our three companion guides — what to import to PNG, duty, GST and clearance, and choosing a freight forwarder — which together cover the whole trade from idea to delivered container.
Get registered before you order: the three-step setup
PNG Customs will not clear commercial cargo for a business it does not recognise. Before your first shipment sails, three registrations need to exist, in this order:
| Step | Where | What you get | Why it comes first |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Register the business | Investment Promotion Authority (IPA) | IPA certificate and business name extract | Both later registrations ask for it; sole traders may register under their own name, trading as the business |
| 2. Get a TIN | Internal Revenue Commission (IRC) | Tax Identification Number certificate | Customs registration is integrated with IRC taxation; no TIN, no importer code |
| 3. Register as an importer | PNG Customs (Form G26) | Recognition as a registered importer in ASYCUDA World | Lodged through a licensed customs broker; needs TIN certificate, IPA certificate, ID, and a transport document such as a bill of lading |
Two details from the Form G26 process catch newcomers. First, the name on your commercial documents — invoices, bill of lading, tax file — must match across all of them; a different name on the invoice than on the TIN is itself listed by Customs as a cause of processing delay. Second, submissions are PDF only: Customs explicitly rejects photographs, cam-scanner images, watermarked scans and outdated forms. The broker you appoint (the same G26 form includes the agent appointment section) will usually walk you through this — and note that a licensed broker is mandatory for clearance anyway, so choose one early rather than after the vessel sails. What the clearance itself involves is covered in our PNG import guide.
Paying a Chinese supplier from PNG: the real bottleneck
Ask established PNG importers what hurts most and few will say freight. They will say foreign exchange. Converting Kina to US dollars has meant queues, allocation limits and multi-day delays at commercial banks, and the classic route — PGK to USD to CNY — doubles the conversion cost and the waiting before a Chinese factory even sees the money. For an SME, the timing problem is as damaging as the cost: production does not start until the deposit lands, and a two-week FX delay becomes a two-week delivery delay.
That changed in 2026. TISA Bank launched direct Chinese yuan (CNY) settlement, letting a PNG business pay a Chinese supplier directly in yuan — the bank debits the Kina account locally and settles in CNY in China, bypassing the USD leg entirely. For importers this means no USD allocation to queue for, no double conversion, and a final cost that is predictable at the moment of payment. If your bank offers a direct CNY channel, use it; if not, ask whether one is planned, because this is rapidly becoming the standard route for China trade.
Whichever channel you use, the mechanics of paying a Chinese factory stay the same. Telegraphic transfer (T/T) is the default — typically 30% deposit with order and 70% against a copy of the bill of lading or an inspection report. A letter of credit (L/C) costs more in bank fees and documentation discipline, but is the right instrument for a first large order with a supplier you have never met. What you should not do: Western Union, crypto, or any transfer to a personal account. A serious factory bills from a company account in its registered name, full stop.
The scam that costs importers their deposit
The most expensive fraud in this trade is not a fake factory. It is a real factory, a real order, and an email — apparently from the supplier — announcing a “updated bank account” shortly before your balance payment. The new account belongs to the fraudster, the money is gone, and banks rarely recover wire transfers once executed. This pattern is common enough that it has a name: business email compromise.
Validate the account before the first payment. The beneficiary must be the supplier’s registered company name — never an individual, never a third company. Ask for a copy of the business licence and match the account name to it.
Confirm any change of bank details on a second channel. A video call with a person you found yourself — not a contact from the email — is the minimum. Any supplier who resists a two-minute video call to receive seventy percent of an order has answered your question.
Check the company exists before the deposit. A Chinese business licence number can be checked against public registries, and the factory can be visited or inspected. Our factory verification checklist covers exactly what to check and in what order — five minutes on that page is cheaper than any deposit.
Your first order: what a safe version looks like
The first-order pattern that works for PNG buyers is deliberately small and boring:
1. Verify, then sample. Verify the supplier, then buy paid samples of one or two product lines. Confirm the 240V / Australian plug specification in writing before the sample is even made — it is the detail that most often makes goods unsellable in PNG.
2. Order one LCL shipment. Two product lines, one consolidated shipment, not a container. Because PNG has no de minimis threshold, samples and small orders pay the same duty rates — budget for it. LCL transit and port choice are covered in our freight forwarder guide, and indicative rates for the lane are in our shipping cost guide. .
3. Inspect before the balance payment. A pre-shipment inspection at AQL 2.5 costs a small fraction of what wrong plugs, rust or short counts cost at the wharf. Pay the 70% balance against the inspection report, not against the supplier’s assurances.
4. Measure sell-through, then scale. The line that sold through becomes a full container next order; the one that did not disappears. One container of verified goods teaches you more than two containers of hope.
Agent, marketplace or direct: picking your route in
There are three doors into Chinese supply, and the right one depends on what you are buying. Marketplaces work for small mixed retail stock but give you no factory leverage, no inspection and no recourse once payment leaves the platform. Going direct to factories gives the best unit price but assumes you can verify the company, negotiate in their terms, and manage production from Lae. A sourcing agent sits in the middle: verified factories, inspection before balance, one consolidated shipment and one payment point — which, for machinery, energy equipment and anything custom-built, is usually the difference between a repeat order and a write-off. The trade-offs, fees and selection criteria are laid out in our sourcing agent guide.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a licence to import into Papua New Guinea?
General goods do not need an import licence, but you must be a registered importer: an IPA-registered business, a TIN from the IRC, and registration with PNG Customs on Form G26 through a licensed customs broker. Specific goods — pharmaceuticals, used vehicles, anything with biosecurity exposure — need separate permits before shipping.
How do I pay a Chinese supplier from PNG?
By telegraphic transfer for most orders, or a letter of credit for a first large order. Since 2026, TISA Bank offers direct CNY settlement — your Kina account is debited locally and the supplier is paid in yuan directly, avoiding the USD queue and double conversion entirely. Never pay into a personal account.
The supplier emailed new bank details before my balance payment. What do I do?
Do not pay. Confirm the change on a second channel — a video call with a contact you found independently. This is the classic business email compromise pattern and the wire transfer, once sent, is almost never recovered.
How much money do I need to start importing from China?
A workable first test — samples, one LCL shipment of two product lines, duty and GST, freight and inspection — usually lands in the low thousands of US dollars. PNG has no tax-free threshold, so samples pay duty at full rates. Plan the budget including customs, not just the factory price.
Should I use Alibaba or a sourcing agent?
Marketplaces suit small mixed retail stock. For machinery, energy equipment, building materials or anything custom, an agent who verifies the factory, inspects before the balance payment and consolidates the shipment protects far more than the commission costs — especially on a lane where a wharf problem costs weeks.
How long until my first order arrives in PNG?
Production is typically 15–35 days depending on the product, sea freight 20–31 days to Lae or Port Moresby, and clearance 3–7 working days if documents were lodged early. Realistically, allow 6–10 weeks from deposit to goods on your shelf, and more if foreign exchange timing is tight.
Starting your first import? We handle the China side end to end
Verified factories, samples, pre-shipment inspection, consolidation and shipping to Port Moresby, Lae or Rabaul — with landed cost including PNG duty and GST shown line by line. Tell us what you want to bring in and we reply within 24 hours.
Related reading
What to bring in: products in demand in Papua New Guinea · Duty and clearance: importing from China to PNG · Choosing the carrier: freight forwarder from China to PNG · Checking a supplier: how to verify a Chinese factory · Regional coverage: Oceania sourcing guides · Common questions: sourcing FAQ