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Remember to stay on the right side of customs when you’re shipping abroad

There are undoubtedly an awful lot of things that you have to remember when you are shipping goods to another country. From making sure that you get the packing correct and that the parcel will survive the journey, to ensuring the correct customs procedures have been followed, there is certainly a lot to overseas parcel delivery.

Thankfully though, you will not be on your own when you choose to book a courier through an online parcel delivery website. Help will be on hand whenever you need it, either by way of the telephone, email or online chat through a website. These companies have made it their aim to ensure the online delivery ordering process is as simple as it possibly can be and will cause the least amount of hassle to you.

There are a few things that you should remember though when sending a package abroad. If it is going outside of the European Union for example, the chances are that it will need to have a CN22 customs sticker attached to it. This allows customs officials to know exactly what is inside the package and is crucial to ensuring that your consignment has a smooth journey and is not delayed by officials.

Another important thing to remember is that there are some goods that simply cannot be shipped by courier. Depending on which firm you choose to carry your package, they will probably have a prohibited items list, showing what can and can’t be carried. If you are used to shipping abroad then you’ll probably have a good idea of what is included on these lists.

However, if you are not a veteran when it comes to making international deliveries, then you might be surprised by some of the items that get included on the prohibited items lists. Many items are self-explanatory such as explosive goods and firearms – it’s perfectly understandable that no regular courier company would allow you to send such things – it would take a specialist outfit and there would have to be stringent checks made. Some items are not so obvious though, like money, passports and lottery tickets. It always pays to check ahead if you’re unsure.

So why not make things easy on yourself and get an experienced parcel delivery firm to help you get your goods to another country.

Find an courier service specialist that deals in overseas parcel delivery when you are next shipping to a foreign country.

About the Author

Chris Heaton-Harris MEP in European Parliament 18.02.08

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