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ICL Maldives

How a cargo booking works

For anyone buying by the carton or the pallet. You reserve the space and hand your supplier a mark; we receive, measure, ship, clear Customs and hand it over in Malé.

Book CargoSee the schedule

What you do, and what we do

  1. 1. Book the space

    Day one

    You
    Pick the origin country and the mode, verify your mobile with a one-time code, and the booking is made. Nothing needs to be at the factory yet.
    ICL
    We reserve the slot and issue a tracking number straight away.

  2. 2. Send your supplier the link

    Within 15 days

    You
    Share the booking link with your supplier and they enter the carton and product details, or open the same form and fill it in yourself.
    ICL
    We generate a numbered ICL shipping mark for every carton. For air, the mark is issued once the eligibility review has passed, and we tell you where that stands.

    Watch out: Unmarked cartons go to the unknown-box queue and stay there until someone identifies them.

  3. 3. Get the goods to our warehouse, marked

    Within 45 days, before a cut-off

    You
    Your supplier delivers to the origin warehouse with the ICL mark written large on two faces of every carton, and the genuine invoice inside.
    ICL
    We scan each mark on arrival, weigh, measure and photograph the carton, and it appears against your booking the same day — including anything damaged or short.

  4. 4. Pay, and collect in Malé

    Billed on measured cartons

    You
    Settle the freight invoice by bank transfer and upload the slip. Duty and Maldives Customs revenue charges are billed separately once assessed.
    ICL
    We consolidate your cartons with other shippers, sail or fly them, clear Customs under our consignee, and deliver in Malé or onward to your island.

Sea or air

Pick at the start. We can switch it before the cut-off if your plans change.

Sea cargo

  • Best for bulky, heavy or non-urgent consignments.
  • Charged on volume: length × width × height ÷ 1,000,000 gives cubic metres, and each lane has a minimum.
  • Monthly consolidations, typically 26–30 days to Malé.
  • Takes goods air will not — including devices with batteries built in.

Air cargo

  • Best for urgent, light or high-value cargo.
  • Charged on chargeable weight: the greater of actual kilograms and length × width × height ÷ 6,000 — ÷ 5,000 for dangerous goods.
  • Weekly departures from China and Malaysia, 5–7 days to Malé.
  • Air bookings pass an eligibility review before the shipping mark is issued; if a consignment is refused, it moves to sea.

Transit and rates depend on your supplier, the volume and the season, and both are confirmed before your cargo ships. Price it in the calculator.

How long a booking stays open

15 days
to submit the carton details — by you, or by your supplier through the link
30 more days
for the goods to reach the origin warehouse, marked and ready
Then it lapses
a booking that reaches 45 days with nothing against it expires

The cut-off is a separate deadline

The cut-off is the last moment cargo can be committed to a particular departure — usually two working days before it leaves. It decides which sailing or flight you make, not whether you ship at all: arriving inside the 45 days but after a cut-off simply moves you to the next departure. Every cut-off is on the schedule.

What we cannot load, and what every carton needs

We cannot load

This is the air list, which is the longer of the two. Rejected goods are held at the warehouse for 15 days.

  • Counterfeit or replica branded goods
  • Glue, powders and liquid chemicals
  • Food, drink and anything perishable
  • Narcotics, tobacco products and alcohol
  • Weapons, ammunition, and parts of either
  • Live animals, plants, seeds and soil
  • Currency, gold and loose precious stones
  • Anything restricted or banned by Maldives Customs
  • Loose lithium batteries and power banks
  • Aerosols, gas cartridges and anything pressurised
  • Paints, solvents, thinners and flammable liquids
  • Matches, lighters and lighter refills
  • Magnets above the airline limit, and unshielded magnetic devices
Both lists, and what happens to a rejected item

Every carton needs

  • The ICL mark written large on two faces, readable on arrival
  • The genuine supplier invoice inside the box
  • Its contents declared before the goods arrive
  • Nothing on the prohibited list for the mode you booked
Download the forms

Reserve space on the next departure.

The shipping marks are generated as soon as the carton details are in.

Book CargoPrice a shipment