Frequently Asked Questions

When the buyer lets the supplier arrange transport, the supplier chooses the carrier and shipping line – sometimes unreliable lines, lines without their own agent in the destination port, or services with poor performance and long transit times. Transport costs can also be inflated and hidden inside the purchase price. By controlling your own logistics you gain transparency, better transit times and, very often, a lower total landed cost.

On FOB terms the seller delivers the goods on board the vessel at the port of origin, and from that point you control the ocean freight, insurance and destination handling. This lets you choose a reliable shipping line, consolidate volumes, avoid inflated freight mark-ups and route your cargo efficiently to the Port of Koper.

When you sell on CIF you arrange and control the main carriage and insurance up to the destination port, which keeps you in charge of service quality and lets you add a margin on freight. It also gives your buyer a simple, all-in price to the port, making your offer more competitive.

Carrier liability under international conventions is strictly limited (often a few euros per kilogram) and rarely covers the real value of your goods. Dedicated cargo insurance protects the full commercial value against loss or damage during sea, air, road or rail transport, so a single incident does not turn into a major financial loss.

As a guide: sea freight to the Port of Koper takes roughly 30–40 days, rail transport around 18–25 days, and air freight typically 3–7 days depending on routing and handling. Actual times vary with the port of loading, carrier schedules, transhipments and customs.

Whenever the shipment is not on EXW terms, the exporter is responsible for export clearance, so we need a written export instruction confirming the exporter, consignee, goods, value and Incoterms. This lets us prepare the correct export declaration and accompanying documents and avoid delays or penalties at the border.

We need the shipper and consignee details, a commercial invoice and packing list, the agreed Incoterms, the goods description with HS/tariff codes and value, and transport documents such as the bill of lading, CMR or AWB. For customs, EORI and VAT numbers and any certificates of origin or preferential documents (e.g. EUR.1) are also important.

With complete and correct documentation, standard import or transit clearance in Koper is usually completed within the same working day. As an experienced freight forwarder we use simplified procedures and our own guarantees to speed up release; veterinary, phytosanitary or market inspections can add time.

FCL (Full Container Load) means your goods travel in a dedicated container – ideal for larger volumes, with faster handling and lower risk. LCL (Less than Container Load) means your cargo is consolidated with other shippers’ goods in a shared container – cost-effective for smaller shipments that do not fill a container.

Koper is the closest deep-sea port to landlocked Central Europe (Austria, Hungary, Slovakia, southern Germany), offering shorter transit and inland distances than the northern European ports. Combined with strong rail and road connections and our local expertise, it delivers faster, more cost-efficient supply chains to the region.