Domestic and International Freight to Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico Terminal

Let Approved be your one-stop shop for Puerto Rico freight. We can assist you with:

  • Air freight and ocean freight
  • Domestic freight, both northbound and southbound
  • International freight
  • Full-container loads (FCL) and less-than-container loads (LCL)
  • Specialty containers, including reefers, flat racks, flatbeds, drop decks and low boys

Via terminals in Los Angeles, Jacksonville, and, Puerto Rico, we can move your freight door to door with ease.

Our Puerto Rico Terminal Services

Our Puerto Rico Terminal Services

Ocean Freight

  • Domestic freight, northbound and southbound
  • International freight
  • FCL and LCL solutions
  • Door-to-door pickup & delivery
  • Hacienda clearance assistance, as needed

Air Freight

  • Domestic and international
  • Door-to-door pickup & delivery
  • Hacienda clearance assistance, as needed

Storage & Warehousing Solutions

  • On-island storage in Puerto Rico
  • Budget-friendly warehouse options in Jacksonville for longer-term storage

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The Port of San Juan & Our Puerto Rico Terminal

We coordinate freight at our Puerto Rico terminal, just a few miles away from the Port of San Juan. This proximity makes it easy to pick up and drop off ocean freight with ease.

Southbound Domestic Ocean Freight: Jacksonville–San Juan

Transit Time from Jacksonville to San Juan:

  • 3 days

Sail Dates from Jacksonville:

  • Tuesday
  • Friday

Northbound Domestic Ocean Freight:

San Juan–Jacksonville

Transit Time from San Juan to Jacksonville:

  • 2-3 days

Sail Dates from San Juan:

  • Tuesday
  • Friday

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The Approved Freight Puerto Rico Team

All of our Puerto Rico freight is coordinated by our expert team members to ensure a seamless experience from start to finish. You have one point of contact who can answer any questions and provide updates. Plus, our on-the-ground resources in Puerto Rico will make sure your freight arrives on time—and in perfect condition

Frequently Asked Questions About Shipping to Puerto Rico

Cargo makes the final leg of its journey to Puerto Rico via two modes: ocean freight or air freight. Puerto Rico ocean freight moves in two ways:

  • Less-Than-Container Load (LCL) Shipments / Consolidations
  • Full Container Load (FCL) Shipments

If your shipment is time-sensitive, you might consider using air freight to move it to or from Puerto Rico. While air freight is more expensive than ocean freight, it’s also faster. Additionally, several different service levels of air freight are available, some of which are more budget-friendly than others.

Learn more about sending air freight to Puerto Rico.

Yes, Puerto Rico is considered a U.S. port. In fact, Puerto Rico is considered part of the customs territory of the United States, unlike many of the other territories of the U.S., including Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

If you’re sending items domestically (i.e., from another U.S. location such as the mainland), you won’t need a customs form to send items to Puerto Rico. Where freight is concerned, though, you will need to provide documentation to get your shipment cleared by Hacienda. In general, that means:

  • A standard bill of lading
  • A commercial invoice
  • An Electronic Export Filing (EEI) if the declared value of any commodity shipped exceeds $2,500.

For international freight shipments headed for Puerto Rico, you will need the same kind of documentation you’d need for sending any international shipment to the U.S. – Importers who plan to move a large amount of freight to the U.S. often choose to work with a customs broker who can help assemble the correct documentation and troubleshoot any import issues. If you have any questions, our experts can point you in the right direction.

Transit time between Jacksonville and Puerto Rico is three days. More specifically:

  • Tuesday sails arrive on Friday
  • Friday sails arrive on Monday

After the vessel arrives, freight is made available for pickup by the following morning. Earlier pickup may be available, depending on how quickly the vessel is unloaded in San Juan.

In short, freight forwarding is a subset of logistics.

In the transportation industry, logistics covers the entire process of moving raw materials, supplies, and finished goods from their points of origin to their final destinations.

Freight forwarders play a role in this overall process by coordinating the movement of those raw materials, supplies, and finished goods with the carriers who move those items.

The term carrier refers to the company that actually moves freight.

A freight forwarder contracts with a carrier to move freight on behalf of its customer.

In the case of asset-based freight forwarders, they may also be considered the carrier if, at some point during the journey, they move freight using their own equipment.

For example, we act as a freight forwarder for our Puerto Rico-bound freight. We work with our customers to receive their freight and book reservations with the ocean freight carriers—the steamship lines that own the cargo ships that physically move the freight If we also do the final delivery using one of our Approved trucks, Approved would be considered the carrier for that final leg of the journey.