China's Golden Week 2025: what the 1-8 October shutdown means for your shipment to Russia
If any part of your supply chain touches China - production, components, a transshipment port, a rail leg or simply your forwarder's Chinese office - your October consignment for Russia has to be booked and documented now. From 1 to 8 October 2025 China observes the Golden Week: the National Day of the PRC and the Mid-Autumn Festival fall together, and factories, logistics companies and government agencies stop working. For you as the shipper this means one thing above all: every paper your Russian buyer needs must be issued before the break, because customs services on both sides work irregularly during this period and a missing document turns into days of standing time at the border.
The exact dates: when China stops and when it works
The 2025 holiday calendar in China runs as follows:
- 1-5 October - official public holidays for the National Day of the PRC;
- 6 October - the Mid-Autumn Festival;
- 7-8 October - additional days off.
To compensate for the downtime, 28 September and 11 October have been declared working days in China. Those two dates are not a bonus for you: they are the days when everyone else is also trying to close bookings, issue documents and hand over cargo, so capacity and desk time are scarce exactly then.
Why this concerns you even if you do not ship from China
Golden Week is not only a Chinese supplier's problem. Your shipment feels it whenever any link of the chain sits in China: a transshipment port on the way to the Far East, a feeder connection, a rail leg crossing Chinese territory, components you buy from a Chinese sub-supplier, or the Chinese office of the carrier that issues your transport document.
The second effect is the rush before the break. Cargo volumes rise sharply in the days leading up to 1 October, and land border crossings take the strain first - queues build up while everyone tries to move goods out before the offices close. For customs formalities in Russia the same rule applies: customs clearance of your cargo depends on services on both sides of the border that may operate with interruptions during this period.
Golden Week in China, 1-8 October 2025: eight days when factories, forwarders and government offices stop - plan your shipments to Russia and the CIS around them
Transport modes: how the holidays hit each of them
Each mode reacts to the shutdown differently, and the decision you make now - which mode, which booking date - determines whether your buyer receives the goods in October or in the second half of the month.
| Mode | What to expect around 1-8 October | What it means for your booking |
|---|---|---|
| Air freight | The fastest option, but it demands precise planning before the holidays | Fix the handover date with a margin: an aircraft leaves on schedule, your documents and the cargo have to be ready earlier |
| Road transport | A reliable overland route, but standing time at the border is possible because of the increased flow of cargo before the break | Add spare days to the transit time you quote to your buyer, and do not plan arrival for the first days of October |
| Rail transport | An economical and stable option, but schedules may be adjusted on holidays | Confirm the departure slot in advance and get written confirmation of the revised schedule |
| Sea freight | The most cost-effective way to move goods - and the longest, so any shift accumulates | Book the earliest possible sailing: a week lost before the holidays becomes several weeks at the destination |
What your buyer in Russia will ask for - and when
Your consignee cannot file a customs declaration on a promise. Before the goods reach the border they need the full commercial set from you: the contract and its annexes, the commercial invoice, the packing list with weights and package counts, the transport document, and the certificate of origin if the buyer claims a preferential rate. Add to that the technical description of the product - the level of detail your buyer needs to classify it correctly and to arrange certification, which has to be completed before the goods are placed under a customs procedure, not after.
What stops the cargo is almost never the truck - it is a document nobody could sign. If an invoice, a certificate of origin or an amendment has to be issued while your Chinese counterpart is closed, nothing can be corrected until offices reopen after 8 October, and the consignment waits at the border at your buyer's expense.
Expect your buyer to come back with questions earlier and more insistently than usual. That is not pressure - it is the only window in which a discrepancy between the invoice and the packing list, or a missing signature, can still be fixed without losing the whole month.
What the exporter should do before the break
- Fix the shipping date now. Place the logistics booking in advance rather than in the last working days before 1 October, when capacity is already taken.
- Close the paperwork before the offices close. Issue and sign the invoice, packing list and certificate of origin while your Chinese partners, banks and authorities are still working.
- Send the document set to your buyer early and ask for confirmation that it is complete - so that any correction can be made before, not during, the holidays.
- Check every link that runs through China - components, transshipment, the carrier's local office - and get written confirmation of the schedule for the holiday period.
- Do not schedule arrival for the first days of October. Move the planned arrival window either before the holidays or after the customs services resume normal operation.
- Warn your buyer about realistic timing in writing. An agreed shift in the delivery date costs far less than an unexpected delay with a truck standing at the border.
Frequently asked questions
We are not based in China. Should we still care about Golden Week?
Yes, if any leg of the route or any component passes through China. Transshipment ports, rail corridors, feeder connections and the Chinese offices of carriers all stop, and that alone is enough to hold your shipment.
What is the main risk for us as the shipper?
A document that cannot be corrected. Standing time at the border because of an incomplete or inconsistent set is the delay you can actually prevent, unlike schedule shifts you do not control.
28 September and 11 October are working days in China. Can we use them?
Technically yes, but everyone else has the same idea. Treat them as a last resort, not as the plan.
How long should we add to the usual transit time?
Plan with a margin rather than with an exact figure: the delay depends on the mode, the border crossing and the volume of cargo that piled up before the break. Agree the buffer with your buyer in advance.
Summary
From 1 to 8 October 2025 China stops for the Golden Week, with 28 September and 11 October declared working days in compensation. For an exporter shipping to Russia and the CIS this is a planning deadline rather than a news item: bookings, signatures and the full document set have to be closed before the break, whichever mode you use. The realistic risk is not the holiday itself but the delay at the border caused by a paper that cannot be reissued while your counterparts are away. Request a consultation and we will go through the timing and the documents for your specific consignment.
Send us your October shipping dates and we will reserve capacity and prepare the Russian customs clearance for your consignee in advance.
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