You pulled up your Cainiao tracking number expecting an update, and instead, you got a status that reads something like “import clearance started” or “arrived at destination country/import customs clearance started.” No delivery date. No explanation. Just that one line sitting there.
If you bought through AliExpress, Taobao, or any store that ships with Cainiao, this is one of the most common statuses you’ll run into, and also one of the most misread.
It looks alarming because it sounds official, like your package has hit a wall. Most of the time it hasn’t.
What Does “Import Clearance Started” Mean On Cainiao Tracking?
It means your package has landed in your country and is now sitting somewhere in the customs process, either waiting for an officer to review it or already being reviewed.
Cainiao is Alibaba’s own logistics network, and it handles the tracking backend for AliExpress, Taobao, and several other Chinese marketplaces, so whether you’re checking this on the Cainiao site itself, inside the AliExpress app, or through a third party tracker, you’re looking at the same underlying scan.
The word “started” is doing a lot of work here, and it’s misleading. It doesn’t necessarily mean a customs officer has picked up your specific box and started inspecting it.
Most of the time, it just means your package has entered the customs queue at that country’s port, airport, or processing facility. Depending on the country and how backed up that facility is, actual review could begin immediately or several days later.
We covered the AliExpress side of this same status in more detail in our import customs clearance started guide, but this piece is specifically about how it shows up when you’re tracking directly through Cainiao or a third-party tool pulling Cainiao’s raw feed.
Cainiao vs AliExpress Wording: Why It Looks Different
Here’s something that trips a lot of buyers up. Cainiao’s raw status codes are terse, almost like shorthand. You’ll often see it written exactly as “Import clearance start” with no extra words.
AliExpress takes that same raw code and rewrites it into a friendlier sentence for its app, usually “Import customs clearance started.” Third-party trackers like 17Track, ParcelsApp, and Track.global sometimes display a longer version too, something like “Arrived at destination country / Import customs clearance started.”
All three are describing the exact same event. There’s no separate Cainiao process running in parallel to whatever AliExpress shows you.
It’s one scan, displayed with different phrasing depending on which interface you’re viewing it from. If you’re seeing this status on Cainiao’s own tracking page and a slightly different wording inside AliExpress, that’s just translation, not a discrepancy in your shipment.
Other Cainiao Statuses You Might See Around This Point
Cainiao’s tracking history for an international parcel typically moves through a sequence that looks roughly like this:
- Accepted by carrier / Inbound in sorting center
- Departure from regional sorting center
- Export clearance success
- Hand over to airline
- Arrived at destination country
- Import clearance start
- Import clearance success
- Arrived at local delivery facility
- Out for delivery
- Delivered
If your tracking still shows “import clearance start” and hasn’t moved to “import clearance success,” your package hasn’t finished the process yet. That’s the status you actually want to see next, since it confirms customs released the item and it’s now moving toward your local courier for the final leg.
How Long Does Import Clearance Started Usually Last On Cainiao?
There’s no fixed number here because it depends entirely on your country’s customs workload and the shipping line your seller used.
For most low-value AliExpress orders shipped through Cainiao’s economy or standard lines, this status typically clears within a few days to about a week.
Cainiao’s own super economy and economy global lines are known for long gaps between scans, generally, sometimes ten to twenty days with no movement at all, and that’s considered normal for those specific shipping methods rather than a sign of a problem.
If you paid for a faster or expedited line and you’re still stuck here past two weeks, that’s a better signal that something is actually holding the package rather than it just sitting in a normal queue.
Why Your Package Might Be Stuck On This Status
Customs Backlog
Ports and customs facilities process packages in batches, and during high-volume periods like the run-up to major shopping holidays, that queue gets long fast.
If your item landed during one of those windows, expect this status to sit longer than usual purely because of volume, not because anything is wrong with your specific package.
Further Inspection
Some categories of goods get pulled for a closer look, particularly anything that resembles restricted items, batteries, or products that get flagged for value verification. This is routine, and most packages still make it through, just with a delay while the review happens.
Duty Or Tax Owed
If your order’s declared value crosses your country’s duty free threshold, customs may hold the package until the duty gets paid.
In some cases you’ll get a separate notification or a request through your local postal service; in others, the tracking status simply won’t move until payment clears on the backend.
A Missed Or Delayed Scan
Cainiao doesn’t scan every touchpoint consistently, especially on economy shipping lines. We’ve seen cases where a package was already delivered while the tracking page still showed “import clearance started” because nobody scanned it again after that step.
If your item shows up despite the tracking saying otherwise, that’s not unusual for Cainiao specifically.
What To Do When You See This Status
Cross check with a third party tracker. Cainiao’s own page and the AliExpress app can lag behind. Pasting your tracking number into 17Track or ParcelsApp sometimes pulls a more current scan since these tools pull from multiple carrier feeds, not just Cainiao’s.
Check if duty is owed. If your country’s postal service or courier has a portal for import duty, search your tracking number there too. Some countries won’t release a package from this status until the fee gets paid, and you might not always get a proactive notification about it.
Give it the normal window before worrying. For most standard AliExpress or Cainiao shipments, ten to fifteen days without movement at this stage isn’t unusual. If you’re well past that with no change at all, that’s when it’s worth contacting the seller or your local customs office directly.
Avoid opening a dispute too early. If you’re still within your platform’s buyer protection window, there’s rarely a reason to escalate before that period is close to running out. Most packages sitting on “import clearance started” do eventually move to “import clearance success” and get delivered without any action needed from you.
Once your status changes, you can expect it to move to “import clearance success,” which we break down separately in our import customs clearance completed guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Cainiao tracking accurate?
It’s generally reliable for major milestones like departure, arrival in your country, and delivery, but scan gaps are common on economy shipping lines. Treat gaps of a week or two as normal rather than a red flag.
Does import clearance started mean I have to pay duty?
Not always. It just means the package is in the customs process. Duty only applies if your order’s value crosses your country’s threshold, and if it does, you’ll usually get a separate request for payment through your local carrier or postal service.
Why is my Cainiao tracking stuck on this status for over a week?
For standard and economy shipping lines, this is common and usually not a problem. It becomes worth checking on if you paid for expedited shipping and you’re still stuck here past the timeframe you were quoted at checkout.
What comes after import clearance started on Cainiao?
The next status is normally “import clearance success,” which means customs released the package. After that it moves to a local delivery facility and then out for delivery.