Haikou is on an island, and no bridge or tunnel connects Hainan to the mainland. Every lorry that reaches your door has crossed the Qiongzhou Strait on a ferry. That is the fact that shapes the timetable, the cost and the contingency on any move to this city.
We match you with one vetted mover from our network with Hainan experience. Island work is a specialism. Ferry capacity, weather holds and the sailing schedule all sit between the port and your flat in a way they do not on the mainland.
A container can be shipped directly to Haikou or to Yangpu on the west coast, or it can clear at a mainland port and cross by ferry. Which applies depends on volume and on the sailing available.
Hainan is separated from Guangdong by the Qiongzhou Strait, about twenty kilometres of water with no fixed crossing. Roll on roll off ferries carry road vehicles between Hai'an on the mainland and Haikou, and that is the only way a lorry gets to the island.
There are two ways your goods can make the journey.
Direct sailing. A container can be shipped to a Hainan port, either Haikou's own terminals or Yangpu on the west coast, which has deeper water and takes larger vessels. This avoids the ferry entirely for the container itself and is generally the cleaner option where a suitable service exists.
Mainland clearance and ferry. The alternative is clearing at Guangzhou or Shenzhen and moving the goods south by road to the strait, then across on the ferry. It offers more sailing choice from Europe but adds the crossing, the queuing and the weather risk.
Weather is the reason to build contingency into an island move. Ferry services suspend in high winds, and Hainan sits in an active part of the western Pacific typhoon belt. A crossing held for two days is unremarkable in September.
The free trade port arrangements deserve a careful word. Hainan is being developed with a distinct customs regime, introduced in stages, and the detail has changed more than once. It may affect what you can bring, what duty applies and how the paperwork works. Anything written about it dates quickly, so confirm the current position with your mover close to the move rather than relying on what you read months earlier.
Haikou is low rise by Chinese standards, tropical and reasonably easy to deliver in once the goods are on the island.
Longhua, the central district, is the main urban and commercial area. Mid rise blocks with lifts in the newer stock, wide palm lined streets, straightforward access.
Meilan, in the east towards the airport, holds a good deal of newer residential development. Planned roads, modern compounds, easy delivery.
Xiuying, in the west near the ferry terminal and the port, is convenient for arriving goods and mixes older residential with newer development.
Qiongshan, the historic district, includes the old arcade streets. The qilou buildings along Zhongshan Road and nearby are colonnaded shophouses from the early twentieth century, restored and largely pedestrianised in the central section. Vehicles cannot reach many of those addresses, and what can be reached often has no lift.
Two things about living here that affect a move. The humidity is constant rather than seasonal. Anything with paper, leather, wood or electronics benefits from proper packing and from being unpacked promptly on arrival, because a sealed box in a tropical climate is not a friendly place. Mould is a genuine consideration rather than a theoretical one.
The second is the seasonal population. A large number of retired people from northern China spend the winter here and go home in spring, which means demand for local moving and storage services peaks twice a year in a way it does not elsewhere.
Haikou prices above comparable mainland cities, and the strait is the reason. Whether the crossing is made by the container on a vessel or by the lorry on a ferry, the island adds a stage that the mainland does not have.
Plan for around £350 to £1,300
Single postings, teachers, and people wintering on the island.
Plan for around £1,500 to £3,700
Apartment moves into Longhua or Meilan.
Plan for around £3,900 to £9,000
Full household moves, generally into the newer eastern districts.
Tell us your date and how much flexibility it has. On an island move the contingency matters as much as the price.
We match you with your vetted mover, which means one team handles everything. It is free, with no obligation. Get a relocation quote today and hold your dates.
Send your move detailsCall 07551 855 064 or +447551855064. Message us on WhatsApp.
Standard mainland requirements apply, a valid residence permit, a full valued inventory and your passport details, but Hainan's free trade port arrangements are being introduced in phases and may affect the detail. Ask your mover to confirm the current position rather than working from older guidance.
The national rules are the same across mainland China, so the detail on permits, restricted goods and the cultural relics rule is set out in full on the China removals and shipping page. Read that before you start packing, particularly the section on items made before 1949.
The outbound journey has the same strait problem in reverse, and the same contingency applies. Build spare days into any departure with a fixed onward date.
For Britain, apply for Transfer of Residence relief with HMRC before the goods leave. Check the free trade port position on the way out as well as the way in, because the arrangements affect exports as well as imports. And anything made before 1949 needs a Chinese export certificate, which applies on Hainan exactly as it does on the mainland.
A move usually means moving money too, whether that is a deposit on a Haikou flat or funds coming back the other way. We have helped customers with currency exchange in any currency through trusted partners for many years, and our partners can help with the money side of your move. Mention it on the form and it gets included.
Experts in currency exchange
No hidden fees
5 star consumer ratings
Competitive exchange rate
Hainan is the only island province on this list. Goods bound for it either sail directly or cross the strait by ferry from the Guangdong coast.
For the full picture on routes, sea freight, rail freight, costs and Chinese customs, start at the China shipping and moving page.
No. The Qiongzhou Strait is about twenty kilometres of water with no fixed crossing. Roll on roll off ferries carry road vehicles between the mainland and Haikou, and that is the only way a lorry reaches the island.
Either by a direct sailing to a Hainan port, Haikou's own terminals or Yangpu on the west coast, or by clearing at Guangzhou or Shenzhen and crossing on the ferry. A direct sailing is generally cleaner where one is available for your dates.
Seven to nine weeks door to door, and more contingency than a mainland move. Ferry services suspend in high winds, and Hainan sits in an active part of the typhoon belt. A crossing held for two days in September is unremarkable rather than exceptional.
Hainan is being developed with a distinct customs regime, introduced in stages, which may affect what you can bring, what duty applies and how the paperwork works. The detail has changed more than once, so confirm the current position with your mover close to your move rather than relying on older guidance.
Meilan in the east towards the airport, or Longhua in the centre. Both are low rise with wide streets, and Meilan in particular has newer compounds with planned layouts. Xiuying in the west is convenient for arriving goods.
Often not. The qilou buildings around Zhongshan Road are colonnaded shophouses from the early twentieth century, restored and largely pedestrianised in the central section. Vehicles cannot reach many of those addresses, and what can be reached usually has no lift.
It does, more than in subtropical mainland cities. Hainan is tropical and the humidity is constant rather than seasonal. Paper, leather, wood and electronics all benefit from proper packing and from being unpacked promptly. Mould is a genuine consideration.
A valid residence permit, a complete inventory with values and your passport details, as elsewhere in China. The free trade port arrangements may affect the detail, so ask your mover to confirm what currently applies rather than assuming the standard mainland position.
The strait works the same way in reverse, so build spare days into a departure with a fixed onward date. Check the free trade port position on the way out as well, since the arrangements affect exports too. Pre 1949 items need a Chinese export certificate as they do anywhere.
Send your collection address, your Haikou district, a rough idea of the volume and your date. A vetted mover from our network checks the route, the access and the paperwork, then comes back to you with the price.
Send your move detailsWe match international moving enquiries with vetted moving companies in the AGM Group network, each holding FIDI FAIM certification and BAR Overseas membership.
We are not a removal firm ourselves. We find you the one that suits your route, and you deal with them directly from there.