Customs and Shipment Requirements

Below is a quick overview of customs and shipment requirements around the world that may cause delays to the delivery of your international mail.

Bangladesh 25th January 2008

Customs: Please be advised that it has been observed by Bangladesh Customs that most of the European and few Asian countries are using their own language to describe the articles/commodities instead of English and also, sometimes are giving a wrong article description, value or weight. Bangladesh Customs are using sharp blades to cut the packages to verify the actual product and this may lead to damaging valuable goods of the customers. Bangladesh Customs have informed TNT that they will not accept any invoices other than in English. It is also advised that Bangladesh Customs have declared that any mis-declared consignment will be seized and the consignee has to apply to the customs explaining the reason of mis-declaration which will lead to delayed customs clearances. Keeping the above points in mind please be informed that the following requirements must be met in order to ensure hassle-free clearance of inbound shipments into Bangladesh:

• Invoices : Must be in English only


• Invoice Descriptions: Detailed goods description for each individual item. Vague descriptions such as "parts", samples, gift etc. are not acceptable.

• It is sent from Embassy/High Commission to Embassy/High Commission


• Consignee has the required documentation/clearance from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs


• Origin depot requires with destination depot (DAC), prior to shipping so that they can check with consignee for the related paperwork and upon the receipt of the documents from the consignee, provide clearance to origin to ship

Belarus 25th April 2008 (update)

Customs Requirements : Please be advised that the Awkward Freight limitations of air movements via the European Air Network have been adjusted for MSQ (Belarus): Maximum weight: 70kg piece, 500kg consignment (old: 150kg piece, 500kg consigment). Maximum dimensions: 1.2m x 0.8m x 1.0m (no changes).

Belarus 10th January 2008

Customs Clearance: Please be advised that all goods imported into Belarus (any value) are held by Customs. In order to arrange clearance of shipment duties and taxes must be paid. The amount to be paid depends on customs value of shipment which is calculated in the following way: value of shipment and transport costs. The sender must provide the invoice, with full description of goods, value and contact name and telephone detail of importer, country of origin. The consignee needs to provide additional paperwork, depending on the commodity. Please note that shipments can only be held by customs for 60 days maximum. All shipments refused by the consignee and those in violation of customs rules will be returned to origin on Receiver Pays basis. Destruction and/or Disposal on Belarussian territory is not allowed.

Canada 6th December 2007

Shipment an Customs Requirements :

Controlled Items:
Food Products : require Canada Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) approval before goods can be released. Additional charges may be incurred and will be charged to receiver.
Meats Products : restricted to commercial receivers only. CFIA approval needed. Non-commercial (residential receivers) - not acceptable. If received, goods will be destroyed.
Dairy Products : most diary products (example - cheese) can be imported on a casual basis (non-commercial) providing the quantity is less than 20 kgs and the value is less than $20.00. All commercial shipments will require CFIA approval.
Pharmaceutical : required Health Canada approval prior to clearance.
Cosmetics : required Health Canada approval prior to clearance. Animal derived products - require CFIA approval.

All above items will be held for formal clearance entries and will require acceptance by either Canada Food Inspection Agency or Health Canada. Expect lengthy delays in clearance.

Alcohol
This commodity is controlled at a provincial level and must therefore travel into the province of final destination for clearance. Any items received in a province other than final destination will incur additional costs back to origin to transport to final destination. Lengthy delays will incur. Please contact TNT CA for specific information prior to shipping.

Detailed Descriptions
All descriptions must include full detail of commodity to include a statement of intended use and origin country of manufacture. The following are not valid descriptions: Samples, Diagnostic samples, parts, spare parts or part numbers, machinery or machinery parts, clothing, tools.

Detailed Sender and Receiver Information
All consignments must show full name of sender and receiver in the From/To fields and complete addresses on the consignment. Failure to provide will cause delays in clearance and possible additional costs to receiver.

Gifts
All gifts require full detailed description of contents and full name and address of receiver. Gift exemption is CA$60.00. Duties, taxes and brokerage costs will be applicable to all shipments over CA$60.00 and billed to receiver.

Chile 1st May 2008

Customs: Please be advised that since the 1st March 2008, new resolutions within the Chilean National Customs Service came into affect which will enable couriers in Chile to manage imports and exports of merchandise more quickly.

1. The value of imports permitted has increased from USD 500 to 1,000.


2. TNT is now authorised to export merchandise up to USD 2,000 in value.


3. It is prohibited to send fake copies of brand name products such as bags, watches or any pre-existent brand name products.


4. The invoice should be located in a visible place and should show the real price of the merchandise.


5. The custom's invoice should be the same as with the package.


6. The violation of any of the instructions have a fine of 100% of the value of the goods or higher.


7. These fines will be charged to the Origin countries that send the packages to TNT Chile.

China 17th April 2008

Customs: The forthcoming Olympic Games in China and recent unrest in Tibet have led the Chinese authorities to apply increasingly restrictive controls on aviation security and customs clearance. All origins are asked to help minimise the affect of these additional controls by:

• Always provide the receiving parties' phone numbers and fax numbers


• Avoid the use of vague product descriptions especially in instances where consignments have a low declared value against consignment weight.


• Declare value only in EUR or USD

Colombia 15th May 2008

Customs : Please be informed that limits for weight and value for Exports and Imports in Colombia have been changed. These regulations will come into effect from the 1st July 2008. Export: maximum value is US 2000. If the consignments exceed this value, it must be handled as WEF (Cargo). Import: maximum value is USD 2000 and 50kg by courier. If these limits are exceeded, material must be handled as WEF (Cargo).

Ecuador 27th February 2008

Customs : Please be informed that Customs Ecuadorian will be closed due to the implementation of a new system called SICE, from the 6th March 2008 to the 11th March 2008.

Ecuador 31st January 2008

Customs : Please be informed of the new Customs Regulations in Ecuador as from the 1st February 2008. The requirements are as follows:

1. The information of the flight must be in the system within a minimum of 2 hours before departing time.


2. It is necessary that shipments must have an "original commercial invoice". In cases where the commercial invoice is not available, a sworn declaration of value signed by the cnee or a power of attorney will be accepted. It will not be accepted as a "Proforma" invoice.


3. The information of the consignment must be exactly as the description in the invoice and the data in the system.


4. The information of the consignment must be specific and detailed.


5. The information of the Sender and Receiver must be clear and complete.


6. Consignments over 50 kilos and more than 2.000 USD will be considered as "Cargo". Any consignments under 50 kilos and with a value lower than the 2.000 usd will be considered as "Courier".


7. All shipments to companies must have the reference number of the RUC (Registro Unico Contribuyente 13 digits), and all shipments to Natural Person's must have the CI (Cedula de Identidad). This information is required in the commercial invoice, consignments and in the system.


8. All the pre-alert's must have an attached MAWB scanned.

Greece 29th January 2007

Customs: Please be advised that further to a letter received from the customs office (in Greece) all express companies in the country are instructed to follow a new procedure regarding clearance of exported shipments. As from the 29th January 2007 all shipments destined to non EC countries, a SAD document (one for each country) must be issued (including LV non docs). Clearance related documents must be submitted to the AIA customs office until 17:00pm local time every day prior to the issue of the SAD's. Non compliance to the procedure is illegal and will attract a large penalty.

Japan 16th January 2008

Customs: Please be advised that Japan customs have tightened export customs inspections from Wednesday the 16th January 2008. These restrictions will last until the end of the G8 Summit being held in Japan from the 7th July to the 9th July 2008. We expect possible delays in customs clearance when exporting out of Japan.

Japan 28th August 2007

Customs : Please be advised that it is has been a long standing rule set by Japan Customs for every customs broker to inspect all inbound shipments for individuals. Contents of shipments from individual shippers to individual consignees in Japan must be inspected. Shipments from companies/organisations to individuals are allowed an exemption from inspection of contents provided Japan Customs has past record of import to the same consignees. Please expect delay in customs clearance on shipments going to individuals into Japan.

Japan 5th June 2007

Customs: Please be advised that DVD, Video Cassette Tape, Video CD and Films containing images must have their contents clarified by the consignees. Consignees are asked to fill in the description of content as to what kind of images are contained with the titles if available. In cases where content information is not provided, all images must be physically screened by customs, resulting in customs clearance delays on these commodities, even at low value.

Kazakhstan 5th September 2007

Please be advised that Kazakh Customs has implemented an amendment to clause 1 of article 383 of the Customs Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The amendment dated 20th August 2007, is an additional fifth paragraph, specifying additional required documentation which has to be handed over to customs, together with the Cargo Import Declaration. With effect from 21st August 2007, the 'Cargo Customs Declaration' issued in the country of departure, has to be submitted to Customs in support of import clearance of customs controlled consignments into Kazakhstan. An exception is made for those Origin countries which legislation does not stipulate the execution of Cargo Customs Declarations. A list of those countries has not yet been agreed upon.

The demand of a cargo customs declaration issued in the country of departure. is a unique condition in the field of customs procedures. Through the appropriate channels, concern about the legality of the action has been raised with Kazakh Government. There has not been enough time to prepare for the changes dictated by the changes in the Customs Code. No period of consultation has been undertaken and the new procedures are impractical. Action
has been taken to get suspension of the current procedure, which is at the moment still in force.

All international operators are affected and TNT is continuing to work with other express companies to apply pressure at the highest level, internally and externally. We are not in receipt of any response from Kazakh Government yet. The Associate in Kazakhstan is doing their utmost to get as many customs controlled consignments released by requesting copies of the Origin Custom Declaration. The backlog in clearance/release of non document consignments is increasing.

If possible, please refrain from escalation of e-mails on queries with respect to clearance/delivery of dutiable consignments into Kazakhstan (KZ).

Kenya 29th September 2007

Customs: Please be informed that the following requirements must be met in order to ensure hassle-free clearance of inbound shipments into Kenya.

• Invoices : Original only and in English


• Invoice Descriptions : Detailed goods description for each individual item. Vague descriptions such as "parts, samples, gifts etcare unacceptable

Kuwait 24th April 2007

Customs: Please be advised that customs authorities in Kuwait have dramatically stepped up the number of inspections on all courier material. As a result, the number of shipments being held for official customs declaration is set to dramatically increase. The clearance process dictates that all imports must be accommpanied with an original invoice on arrival and COO for shipments with a value over US $3,000. Please ensure all exports to Kuwait arrive in the country with original paperwork.

Mexico 15th May 2008

Customs : Please be informed that there are new restrictions in Mexico for all type of products of difficult classification. It is therefore prohibited to send products in powder, paste or liquid form, for example:

• Products or components such as creams, pastes, powders for cosmetic, industrial, medical or household use.


• Components for the elaboration of food stuff in the mentioned forms, for example colourings, flavourings and sweetenings.

Norway 7th December 2007

Shipments: Please be advised that it is prohibited to send wine or any alcohol to companies in Norway without an import license. If you should send to a private person, please add the receiver's social security number, the receiver will occur import fees (even if it is a gift). Please be aware that it is not allowed to send more than 4 litres of wine to any one person.

Russia 14th September 2007

Shipments: Please be reminded that 15D shipments forwarded to all destinations in Russia must contain only documents printed/written on paper. Documents which are written on CD, DVD, flash cards, etc. are not considered as documents by Russian customs and must be sent and treated as non-document shipments (15N). A commercial invoice must be provided for such shipments. Customs duties and taxes might be applied and paid. All non-document shipments sent as 15D will be stopped and returned to origin on Receiver pays basis.

South Africa - 1st November 2007

Shipments : It is important to note that any gifts imported into South Africa need to comply with the following requirements:

The gifts have to be sent from an individual abroad to an individual in South Africa. Any gifts sent from a company to an individual or an individual to a company would not qualify as a gift. All gifts are subject to Customs Duties and VAT at the respective rate. All gifts have to be sent on a DDP (ISB) basis. The invoices have to be Commercial only and in English. Proforma and hand-written invoices are not allowed. Vague invoice descriptions such as "gifts" are unacceptable. The individual commodities have to be stipulated with their respective quantity and unit prices.

No PO Box addresses are allowed, only physical addresses and contact details are critical in order to ensure fast and effective clearance through Customs. No perishables are allowed as this will be stopped for Port Health to verify if fit for human consumption, with the risk of destruction.

Thailand 25th April 2008

Customs: Please be advised that all non-document shipments sent via Special Service Freight to Thailand must also have actual freight charge declared on the Commercial Invoice for accurate duty/tax assessment which is based on CIF value. In case of Commercial Invoice not having actual freight charge reference, Thai Customs shall impose the standard 10% of shipment declared value on the invoice.

Ukraine 11th June 2007

Customs: Please be advised that all import consignments sent by WEF Door-to-Door to Ukraine should arrive and are handled by TNT Ukraine only in airport Boryspil (KBP), Kiev. To arrange pick up of consignments in the airport and delivery in bounded truck to Customs Warehouse in depot Kiev fur further distribution all over Ukraine all consignments should arrive with the following documentation:

• Invoice


• MAWB


• HAWB


• All certificates and approvals that are needed for customs clearance

1. MAWB Completion Instructions : In the box "Shipper's Name and Address" must be written "TNT Express (address of TNT-shipper)". In the box "Consignee's name and address" must be written: "TNT Express Ukraine (Aero-Express Ltd.)", 28A (letter V), Moskovskiy Ave., 04073, Kiev, Ukraine".


2. HAWB Completion Instructions : In the boxes "Shipper's name and address" and "Consignee's name and address" must be written real names of shipper and consignee. In case of missing original documents or mistakes in mentioned boxes of documents problems and uncertain delays in customs procedures in airport or customs clearance in customs of destination may occur.

United States of America 6th December 2007

Shipments and Customs: Please be advised that restrictions vary by country, it is the origin/shipper responsibility to research and provide the necessary documentation. If not expect a service and custom clearance day of 2-5 days.

Restricted Articles include: Egg products, Meat and Diary products, if commercial, USDA permit is required. (No personal shipments permitted). Soil - APHIS permit. Pharmaceuticals. Animal Derived Products (including shoes, wearing apparel) - requires F&W (Fish and Wildlife) Original CITIES. Wearing apparel from China and Vietnam may require original VISA. Check with origin country consulate. Food Stuffs - Requires FDA PN. Alcohol beverages must be shipped as S01EN see policy.

Detailed Descriptions : All descriptions should include full detail of commodity to include a statement of use and origin country of manufacture. The following are not valid descriptions: Samples (also diagnostic samples), Parts (also spare parts or part number), Gifts, Clothing, Tools.

United Arab Emirates 28th August 2007

Customs: Please be advised of Customs requirements to be followed in the UAE:

Invoice

• Clear commercial invoice should be imaged for preclearance


• Invoice should contain the value and currency of the shipment, preferably only one invoice against a consignment


• The delivery address in the invoice and airway bill should be the same


• Country of origin and HS code is mandatory in all invoices


• Original invoices should be sent on the invoices pouch


• Airway bill should contain the complete address of the consignee. Contact number, preferably mobile number of the contact person


• All invoices should be system generated. Customs will not accept any hand written invoices

• Wrong declaration of country of origin, value and description of goods will attract customs fine of USD 150, which will automatically be charged back to origin.


• Any difference in the manifest value and currency against the actual commercial invoice will attract a customs fine of USD 150, which will automatically be charged back to origin

Uruguay 13th May 2008

Customs: Please be advised that all non-document shipments sent to Uruguay must always have the Commercial Invoice. The information of the consignment must be exactly as the description in the invoice and the data in the system. The information of the consignment must be specific and detailed. Shipments not complying with the above requirements will not be cleared until such time as the origin send the Commercial Invoice (Original). It is hereby requested to comply with the above mentioned requirements to avoid delays in the clearance process.

Vietnam 1st April 2008

Customs: Please be advised that as of the 1st April 2008, the Vietnamese customs will not approve revised invoicing of inbound shipments. The invoice attached to the consignment must have full and correct details such as full/clear description of goods, unit price, quality, etc. The total value of the invoice must not be revised.

Yemen 6th March 2007

Shipments: Please be advised that perishables/blood samples are not allowed via 15N/Courier mode into Yemen. It can however be sent on WEF/Airfreight. This is because courier consignments are moved from aircraft to arrival hall at Sanaa (SAH) Airport for clearance where there is no cold storage facility. WEF consignments are moved from aircraft to customs warehouse which has cold storage facilities. Please also note that courier consignments cannot be moved from arrival hall to customs warehouse.