Customs and shipping updates
Below is a quick overview of customs and shipment requirements around the world that may cause delays to the delivery of your international mail.
Argentina 17th September 2009
Customs: Due to a regulatory restriction imposed by Customs, all non documents entering Argentina, which for any reason could not be delivered, will be returned to origin only if a Tax Number (CUIT) of an exporter is provided. In order to adhere to this new regulation, all export declarations must be associated to a Tax Number.
Albania 12th January 2010
Customs: Please be advised that due to the new Tirana (TIA) Airport Customs rules, all non-document shipments to Albania should be accomanied by original commercial invoice, with original signature and stamp (no photocopies) and Export Declaration. All shipments without required documentation could suffer lengthy delays.
Bangladesh 20th January 2009
Customs: Please be advised that all "non-document" consignments (eg: 15N, 48N) on Global Express and Air Freight/WEF (S87) mode coming into Bangladesh, the word "consolidated" must be written on the MAWB. In addition, for WEF consignments, the HAWB number must also be written on the MAWB. This is a mandatory requirement from the Bangladesh Biman Authorities and Customs. If these requirements are not implemented, this will cause a delay in customs clearance and the consignee will need to complete additional paperwork and make amendments. There could also be the risk of paying higher penalties.
Botswana 3rd February 2009
Shipments : Please be informed that the following requirements must be met in order to ensure hassle-free clearance of inbound shipments into Botswana :-
- Invoices : ORIGINAL only and in English.
- Invoice Descriptions : Detailed goods description for each individual item.Vague descriptions such as 'parts, samples, gift etc' are unacceptable.
India 25th August 2009
Shipments : Please be advised that for India import shipments, the complete description of goods, brand, model, grade and also end use certificate and specifications need to be provided. In the absence of these details, clearance will be held until the specific details are received and will cause delays in clearance.
Indonesia 1st January 2009
Customs: With effect from the 1st January 2009 until the 31st December 2010 for the following commodities:
Food and Beverages
Garments/Wearing Apparel
Footwear
Electronic products
Children Toys
the importer (consignee) in Indonesia must be:
Registered to the Trade Ministry as a certain "Specific" Commodity Importer (IT-Produk Tertentu).
Verified by an appointed surveyor at origin to get the Certificate of Inspection (LS), prior to sending the goods to Indonesia
The only exceptions are:
Specific goods/parcels with a maximum value of FOB USD 1500 (One thousand five hundred US dollars) per shipment or per person for air passenger goods. Temporary imported goods.
Specific goods designated to bonded areas.
Israel 12th February 2009
Customs : Please be aware that TNT Israel is facing difficulties in clearing non documents that reach them without original invoice with the European Union Declaration on it. This is causing huge delays in clearance. Please note:
- Any shipments with value less than 6000 euros must arrive with this EU declaration on the original invoice with all requested information written on it.
- For shipments above 6000 euros, the customs will need Original Euro 1 or Original Invoice with EU declaration which has the customs authorisation number mentioned on it.
Lebanon 13th January 2010
Customs : Please be informed that the following requirements must be met in order to ensure clearance of inbound shipments into Lebanon: All non-document consignments must be accompanied by an Original Commercial Invoice with Original Signature, Stamp and AirwayBill. Failure to do so will cause consignment to be held by customs. Please also note that photocopies are not accepted.
Malaysia 16th December 2009
Shipments: Effective from the 1st January 2010, the Department of Agriculture in Malaysia will adopt ISPM no. 15. As such, all Wood Packaging Material used for consignments imported into Malaysia should be treated/fumigated and marked accordingly to meet the standards in this regulation. Any shipment which does not comply with the above requirement will result in clearance delays and fines imposed for non-compliance. This charge will be charged back to country of origin.
Oman 13th January 2010
Customs : Please be advised that the following requirements must be met in order to ensure hassle free clearance of inbound shipments into Oman. All consignments should be accompanied by an invoice and airway bill failing which it will be held by Oman customs. Kindly ensure paperwork is also available in PACS. Consignments above USD 7700 should be manifested separately.
South Africa - 17th September 2009
Customs : It is of vital importance that the following requirements are followed in order to assist with trouble free clearance of inbound shipments into South Africa.
Invoices : Commercial only and in English. Proforma invoices are not allowed. Hand written invoices are not allowed.
Invoice Descriptions : Vague descriptions, for example, parts, samples, gifts or part or model numbers are not allowed. Value for Customs Purposes is not allowed. Commercial price to be declared, sample discounts are allowed and must reflect separately on the commercial invoice.
Customs Stops : Original commercial invoices, suppliers open market price lists and printed invoices only. Undervaluation of shipments, samples not mutilated, under declared manifest values, misleading invoices are all severely penalised. Average customs turnaround time for a stopped item is 14 working days, providing the cnee and or cnor complies with the Customs request immediately.
Samples : Must be mutilated / permanently tagged / marked to a point of beyond commercial gain
Syria 1st February 2009
Shipments: Effective 1st of February 2009 all WEF & 48N imports to Syria require a Certificate of Origin attached with the consignment for clearance. Consignments originating China need the Certificate of Origin which must be stamped by the Chamber of Commerce.
Thailand 1st March 2009
Customs: Please be advised that with effect from the 1st March 2009, Royal Thai Customs have become more strict about the accuracy of the data on AWB, which must be 100% correct. This means that any request to change a consignee name or address will result in a delay in clearance. Therefore please ensure that the name of the receiver being inserted on AWB in the "Receiver" section is the exact consignee who will receive the shipment. For instance, if the company is an importer, the name of the Receiver must be the company name. If Receiver is a person, then the full name must be inserted correctly. The following are the main details that Customs are especially strict on when clearing shipments inbound to Thailand: Flight number, Discharge Port, Arrival Date, MAWB Master Air Waybill, HAWB House Air Waybill, Consignee name or notify party name, Total package amount, Total package unit, Gross weight and Gross weight unit .
United States of America 1st April 2009
Customs and Shipment Requirements: On April 1, 2009, Importers will be required to file an import declaration for the importation of wood / plant products entering the USA valuing over $2,000 USD. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has implemented these changes based on the revised Lacey Act Provisions. Exports of wood and plant products are affected. Exporters must supply importers with all the relevant information required. If Importer’s do not file the declaration at time of importation, clearance and service will be impacted.