A step-by-step guide to importing goods from China to Nepal via Bank TT. Written from direct import experience with NIMB, covering Proforma Invoices, EXIM, Bibini, and TIA customs.
Quick Answer: To legally import commercial goods from China to Nepal via Telegraphic Transfer (TT)
Thinking of importing goods from China and selling them in Nepal with healthy profit margins?
This business model fuels a massive portion of Nepal’s economy because our domestic manufacturing industry isn't yet mature enough to meet today’s fast-changing consumer demand patterns
If your goal matches any of the three reasons below, you are in the right place:
- You want to become a wholesaler: Bring products in bulk and distribute them to local retailers.
- You want to cut out the middlemen: Stop paying local wholesale markups and directly source the products you sell.
- You want to be first to market with trending products: Source viral clothing, jewellery, cosmetics, lifestyle items, or electronics as soon as they start trending online.
There are two main ways to source goods from China: searching online and talking to manufacturers remotely, or visiting China physically to place orders. In both cases, if you are importing commercially, you have to navigate the Nepali banking system to pay your supplier.
A Quick Note on My (The Author's) Experience:
While Afno Site is a platform for online sellers and doesn't handle imports itself, we are sharing this guide on the Afno Site blog from my direct, hands-on experience importing goods from China through Nepal Investment Mega Bank Limited (NIMB) in February 2026. There is zero guesswork here. Every step, fee, and document requirement comes from what we actually went through.
(Note: Banking policies and fees can vary by bank or change over time, so always verify with your branch
Ordering under $500 or just testing samples? You don't need to go through this bank TT process. You can use your personal $500 Prepaid Dollar Card to pay suppliers directly.
Read our guide: How to Order Business Samples from China to Nepal (AliExpress and Alibaba) →
TL;DR: The 10-Step China-to-Nepal Bank TT Import Process
Here is the entire commercial import journey broken down into 10 sequential steps:
Step 1: Get a bank-compliant Pro forma Invoice from your Chinese supplier.
Step 2: Submit your company legal documents and the Proforma Invoice to your Nepali bank.
Step 3: Once the TT (Telegraphic Transfer) is processed, confirm with the supplier that they received the funds.
Step 4: Obtain the Commercial Invoice and Packing List from the supplier.
Step 5: Forward all shipment details and documents to your freight forwarding company.
Step 6: Collect the Air Waybill(s) (or shipping bill) from the freight forwarder.
Step 7: Obtain the original Bibini form from your bank by submitting the shipping documents.
Step 8: Hand over your PAN, original Bibini, Air Waybills, Proforma Invoice, and required documents to your customs agent.
Step 9: Collect the cleared documents back from the customs agent (stamped Bibini, Import Tax/VAT cash receipts, Bhansar Pragyapan Patra, and storage/godown receipts).
Step 10: Submit the original stamped Bibini, the bank copy of the cash receipt, and a copy of the godown payment back to the bank within 90 days to close your TT file.
Phase 1: Pre-Payment & Banking Setup (Steps 1 to 3)
Step 1: Lock in Your Supplier and Get a Proforma Invoice
At this stage, we assume you already know what product you are importing and have agreed on a unit price with your supplier. Before your Nepali bank will wire a single rupee, you need an official Proforma Invoice, which is a preliminary bill of sale outlining the agreed items, quantities, prices, and shipping terms.
Nepali banks are notoriously strict about what must appear on a Proforma Invoice. Based on our transaction with Nepal Investment Mega Bank Limited (NIMB), if even one mandatory detail is missing, the bank will send you back to get it re-issued.
Here are the most critical things to keep in mind when asking your supplier to prepare the Proforma Invoice:
Mandatory Details: It must include both parties' contact details, your company's EXIM Code and PAN, an understandable layman's description of the goods, the exact 8-digit Harmonized System (HS) code, the Incoterm (we imported under EXW, which is the only Incoterm we have direct experience with), the Nepal customs entry point (e.g., TIA or Birgunj), and full Beneficiary Bank/SWIFT details.
The Domestic Delivery Charge Rule: Nepali banks will not transfer money for a separate delivery charge line item (such as shipping from the Chinese factory to your freight forwarder's warehouse). The bank only wires the product Total Amount in the quoted currency. You must ask your supplier to adjust the per-unit item prices to include domestic China delivery.
Wet-Ink vs. Digital Stamps: Your supplier’s signature and stamp on the Proforma Invoice can be digital, but your company's signature and stamp must be physical (wet-ink) when you submit it to the bank.
Pay 100% TT at Once if Possible: Each TT transfer carries a Rs. 1,750 flat bank service fee (plus other charges), so paying 100% upfront avoids paying per-transfer fees twice.
Step 2: Submit Your Company Documents and Proforma Invoice to the Bank
Once your Pro forma Invoice is ready, your bank will ask for a laundry list of paperwork divided into two categories:
Category I (Bank Letter Templates): Letters printed on your official company letterhead using templates provided by your bank (such as the TT Application Form, Declaration of Goods Imported, and Declaration of Non-Shipment).
Category II (Your Company Legal Documents): Your PAN Certificate, EXIM (Export-Import) Certificate, Latest Tax Clearance Certificate, and, if you are a Private or Public Limited company, your Company Registration, Memorandum of Association (MoA), and Articles of Association (AoA).
The Most Important Bank Check:
Your bank will verify whether your PAN or Company MoA explicitly states that your business is allowed to import the specific category of goods on your invoice. For example; If your MoA only mentions textiles, the bank will not let you import electronics until you officially update your company objectives at the government department and attach that update document at every banking step.
What a Bank TT Actually Costs (Quick Summary):
Rs. 1,750 flat fee per invoice payment.
0.25% additional bank charge per invoice.
3% Stack Margin Hold (Refundable): If you pay in USD from an NPR bank account, the bank holds an extra 3% margin. This is refunded to your account once your package arrives and you submit your clearance documents in Step 10 (if you pay from a USD account, the bank does't hold this margin).
Up to 15% Chinese Bank Processing Fee (Variable): According to NIMB's TT handling officer, the receiving or intermediary Chinese bank charges a variable fee of up to 15% per invoice. Because Nepali banks strictly wire only the exact invoice amount, clarify with your supplier beforehand who covers this. In our case, the supplier handled the Chinese bank processing fee on their end.
Step 3: Confirm TT Receipt with Your Supplier
Before you hand your forms to the bank, message your supplier to let them know you are initiating the payment for their Proforma Invoice.
International SWIFT/TT transfers usually take more than a day to process and reflect on the Chinese end. Stay in touch with your supplier and ask them to confirm as soon as the funds hit their bank account so they can dispatch your order.
Phase 2: Shipping, Freight Forwarding & Air Waybills (Steps 4 to 6)
Step 4: Obtain the Commercial Invoice and Packing List from the Supplier
Once your supplier packages your goods and prepares them for dispatch, ask them for two mandatory shipping documents:
Commercial Invoice of the items paid through TT.
Packing List detailing the contents, weights, and carton counts.
Language Tip: Suppliers often issue these in Chinese. Ask them to provide all documents in English. While NIMB accepted our Chinese-written documents, other Nepali banks may reject them.
Insurance Tip: Ask your supplier to send photos of the inside of the product boxes or cartons before they are sealed. These photos are critical if you ever need to file a transit insurance claim.
Step 5: Provide All Shipment Details to Your Freight Forwarding Company
There is no way around using a freight forwarder when importing commercially from China. Forward the Proforma Invoice, Commercial Invoice, Packing List, and tracking details to your freight forwarding company so their China warehouse or port office is ready to receive your cartons.
Be prepared for minor unforeseen local delivery or handling costs inside China. For example, we had an unexpected $30 charge come up on one of our packages when it reached the China warehouse; our freight forwarder paid it on our behalf in China, and we simply settled the equivalent amount in NPR with their Nepal office.
Step 6: Get the Air Waybill(s) from the Freight Forwarder
Once your supplier delivers the cartons to your forwarder’s China warehouse and the shipment is loaded onto a flight, your freight forwarder will issue an Air Waybill (AWB), or multiple Air Waybills if your goods are split across multiple shipments (if you import via sea, you will receive an equivalent shipping bill).
Collect the Air Waybill from your forwarder immediately, as you cannot get your customs release paperwork from the bank without it.
Phase 3: Bibini, TIA Customs Clearance & Closing the TT (Steps 7 to 10)
Step 7: Obtain the Original Bibini from the Bank
After your SWIFT/TT payment is completed and your goods have shipped, the bank issues a document called the Bibini (Bideshi Binimaya Niyantran / Foreign Exchange Control Form).
There are three non-negotiable rules about the Bi.bi.ni you must know:
It can only be printed ONCE by the bank: Ask your bank to print the Bibini at the branch nearest to the customs office (for example, near Tribhuvan International Airport).
This saves document delivery costs and minimizes the risk of losing or damaging the sole hardcopy.
The Original Hardcopy is mandatory at TIA Customs: You cannot clear your packages without handing over the physical original, which customs will sign and stamp.
The 90-Day Strict Deadline: You must return the customs-stamped Bibini back to the bank within 90 days of your TT payment completion.
To collect the Bibini from the bank, bring your Commercial Invoice, Packing List, Air Waybill, the ID of the person fetching the document, and your physical company stamp.
(Note: The exporter name on the Air Waybill must match the supplier or manufacturer name on your invoice; if a third party consolidated and shipped your package, the manufacturer must issue a Beneficiary Certificate
Step 8: Hand Over Your Documents to the Customs Agent
A customs agent clears and fetches your cargo at TIA customs on your company's behalf. While we aren't certain if clearing without an agent is practical, we used an agent (which comes with an agent fee) because it speeds up the customs process significantly. If you don't have one, your freight forwarder usually has an in-house or partner agent you can use.
- Sign a TIA Agent Agreement with your customs agent (a one-time step if you haven't worked with them before).
- Hand over your PAN, Proforma Invoice, Original Hardcopy of the Bibini, Commercial Invoice, Packing List, Air Waybills, and the funds for customs duty and agent fees.
Step 9: Collect the Stamped Documents Back from the Customs Agent
Once your customs agent pays the duties and releases your cargo from TIA customs, make sure you collect both your goods and the complete folder of official clearance documents back from them.
At a minimum, you must get back:
Bhansar Pragyapan Patra (Customs Declaration Paper).
Cash Receipt (for the paid Import Tax and VAT).
Godown (Storage) Charges payment receipt.
Step 10: Close Your Bank TT Window and Reclaim Your 3% Margin
- The original customs-stamped Bibini.
- The bank copy of the Cash Receipt.
- A copy of the Godown payment receipt.
Ask the bank officer to officially close your TT window. Once processed, the bank will release the 3% stack margin they held in Step 2 right back into your bank account.
While Your Shipment Is in Transit: Cut Out the E-Commerce Middlemen Too
Once you wire your TT payment, your packages will take somewhere from a week to a month, and sometimes more than a month (especially around Chinese holidays), to actually arrive in Nepal.
Until then, you need to figure out your distribution. You already went through the effort of importing directly from China to cut out local wholesale middlemen and sell directly to customers. It makes no sense to hand those hard-earned margins right back to an e-commerce middleman that takes a commission on every sale, or to lose customers in messy Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook DMs.
If you are ordering products in any of the three categories that Afno Site promotes itself to serve (Clothing & Thrift, Jewellery & Crafts, or Cosmetics & Lifestyle), you can use this transit waiting time to set up your store on Afno Site so you are ready to sell as soon as the products land on your doorstep:
- Remove E-Commerce Middlemen with a Fixed Monthly Cost: Instead of paying percentage commissions on every sale, Afno Site runs on a flat $10 USD/month fee with 0% commission, so you keep 100% of every sale.
- Set Up Your Store from Your Phone: Upload the product photos your supplier sent you, set your prices in NPR, and place your single store.
afnosite.comlink in your Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook bios. - Get Your Verified Seller Badge Ready: Since you already have your PAN and business registration ready from the bank TT process, you can submit them on Afno Site to get a Verified Seller Badge on your storefront, building instant customer trust before your boxes even arrive.
- Sign up for Afno Site and set up your storefront today →
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
How long does it take to receive goods from China to Nepal after a Bank TT?
Depending on your supplier's dispatch speed, flight availability (since cargo travels on passenger flights between China and Nepal), and customs clearance, shipments typically take anywhere from 1 week to over a month to arrive
Can we import from China to Nepal without doing a Bank TT?
If you are ordering product samples or small quantities under $500 USD per year, you can skip the bank TT and EXIM process entirely by paying your supplier via an Alibaba payment link or AliExpress using a personal Prepaid Dollar Card from a Nepali bank. For commercial bulk orders above $500, the official Bank Telegraphhic Transfer (TT) or Letter of Credit (LC) process is required.