Service alerts

Section: International Service Alerts

Below is a quick overview of updated customs advisory for your Europe, Asia, Middle East Africa, and USA (South & North America) bound shipments that may affect its delivery. 

 

Europe

Customs regulations on importing alcohol into Norway

Please note that sending alcohol to Norway is prohibited unless it has an import license. However, you may send alcohol shipments to a private person provided that the receiver’s or buyer’s social security number is stated on the invoice. If the alcohol shipment you’re sending is a gift, please ensure that you write the description or kind of alcohol (e.g. beer, wine or spirits) in the commercial invoice. Be advised, too, that the receiver or buyer of your alcohol shipment shall be charged import duties even if it’s a gift. 

Shipping to Ukraine

Please be reminded that Ukraine has strict customs requirements for correct Commercial Invoice completion. Any deviation from these requirements may cause your shipments not to be cleared. Below are the necessary categories that must be present in the Commercial Invoice:

  • Sender's detailed name and address
  • Receiver's detailed name, address and phone number
  • Invoice should be completed in English
  • Invoice must have only one receiver
  • Sender and Receiver details in Invoice must be the same as in airway bill
  • Weight of goods in Invoice must agree with weight in airway bill
  • Terms of Delivery
  • Freight charges have to be mentioned as a separate item in Invoice
  • Country of preferential origin
  • Detailed goods description for every individual item.
  • Quantity of each commodity has to be mentioned in the Invoice
  • Value per unit in hard currencies such as EUR, USD
  • Total value of goods in hard currency such as EUR, USD
  • The currency are only EUR, USD

 

Asia

New Malaysian customs regulations in sending consignments made of Wood Packaging Material

Effective 01 January 2010, please ensure your consignments made of wood packaging material imported into Malaysia are treated or fumigated and marked accordingly based on its implementation of the International Standard for Phytosanitary Measures – publication #15 (ISPM) regulation. Your shipment’s non-compliance to ISPM-15 shall result to clearance delays and applicable charges.

Customs requirements of inbound shipments into Lebanon

When sending non-document consignments into Lebanon, please make sure that it is accompanied by an ORIGINAL COMMERCIAL INVOICE with original signature & stamp and airway bill, to facilitate easy clearance; photocopies will not be accepted. Non-compliance will lead to customs’ withholding of your shipment and further long delays.

Update on restricted “quarantine” items shipped to Japan

Effectively immediately, Japan shall implement its quarantine policy on selected items. Unless correctly shipped via TNT’s Special Services with proper documentation, necessary customs fines may be applied to your consignment. Following are Japan’s identified quarantine items: 

  • Coffee Bean
  • Tobacco Leaves
  • Tea
  • Fruits (dried only)
  • Mushrooms
  • Hops (dried only)
  • Fish
  • Foodstuffs
  • Vegetables & Flowers (dried & frozen)
  • Beef, Pork, Chicken, Blood, Fur
  • Seed, Flower, Root, Leaf
  • Canned meat products
  • Mouse blood product/ mouse cell/ mouse tissue/ mouse origin product
  • Rabbit blood product/ rabbit tissue/ rabbit origin product
  • Dog blood product/ dog tissue/ dog origin product
  • Bovine blood product/ bovine origin product
  • Pig blood product/ pig skin/ animal origin product
  • Raw meat/ beef jerky/ ham/ sausage
  • Bone/ horn/ antler/ antibody (animal origin)/ blood (animal origin)/ fur (animal origin)/ feather
  • Bacteria/ virus/ plant origin/ tobacco/ coffee beans
  • Soy beans/ corn/ wheat/ sesame/ cotton/ pet food/ flower plant
  • Spices/ canola/ plant oil/ foodstuff (non-canned)
  • Foodstuff (not in vacuum pouch/bottle)/ canned meat product
  • Meat product in vacuum pouch or bottle/ dried flower/ cut flower/ real flower
  • Potpourri/ vegetable/ fruits/ frozen fruits/ pulse/ malt/ straw/ wheat straw/ rice
  • Dog chew/ cigarettes/ cigars/ fish/ grain sample/ tea/ mushrooms/ hops
  • Vanilla beans/ ginseng (dried only)/ wood/ noodles/ instant noodles/ turmeric/ barley
  • Flour/ gelatin/ collagen
     

South Korea customs penalty

Following are South Korean customs’ policies for inbound shipments regarding corresponding item and invoice descriptions, which are subject to penalties unless complied with.

  • Value into system is different from value on invoice
  • Invoice and system descriptions are different from the actual item (in case of shipment having two or more items, all items should be included in the system and the invoice)
  • The number of items into system and the invoice is different from the number of actual items

Correct and true description requirement for shipments bound for Taiwan & Indonesia via Hong Kong

Please do not forget to provide a true and correct description for all your Taiwan and Indonesia-bound consignments passing though Hong Kong. Descriptions should be accurate and should be written in English. Failure to do so will lead to non-delivery of your shipment.

 

Middle East

New Saudi Arabian customs advisory

When sending any consignments containing laptops, computer parts or spare motor parts to Saudi Arabia, please also ensure submission of the Saudi Arabian Standard Organization (SASO) certificate for quick clearance. Otherwise, your consignments will not be cleared by the Saudi Arabian customs.

 
Customs regulations on sending prohibited items into Afghanistan

Please be advised that sending alcohol (e.g. beer, wine or spirits) and INSERT TWIG ITEMS into Afghanistan is strictly prohibited. Receipt of items above in Afghanistan shall earn you a penalty of US$200 and customs’ seizure of your consignment.

New Oman customs regulations

When sending shipments to Oman, please make sure that an invoice and airway bill are enclosed within your inbound consignments to facilitate quick and easy clearance. Otherwise, your consignments shall be withheld by customs leading to unnecessary delay.

 

Africa

Customs advisory for South Africa

To facilitate your inbound consignments’ smooth clearance in South Africa, please ensure strict compliance to the following requirements implemented by the South African customs:

  • Commercial Invoices – Must be typewritten/ printed and written in English. Proforma and hand-written invoices are NOT allowed. 
  • Complete item description – Always ensure complete description of your consignments as vague descriptions such as ‘parts’, ‘samples’, gift’ or ‘part and models’ are NOT allowed. Indicating “Value for Customs Purposes” is also not allowed. Commercial price should be declared; sample discounts are allowed and must reflect separately on the commercial invoice.

Non-compliance to these requirements (e.g., undervalued consignments; with under-declared manifest values; misleading invoices; improperly tagged/ marked samples) may lead to applicable penalties and charges and customs’ withholding of your consignment/s.

Botswana customs advisory

Please take note of the following requirements necessary in facilitating hassle-free clearance of your inbound shipment into Botswana:

  • Invoices – ORIGINAL only and written in English
  • Invoice Description – Must have detailed goods description for each item. Vague descriptions such as ‘parts’, ‘samples’, ‘gift’ or ‘etc’ are unacceptable.

 

USA

Customs regulations for inbound plant/ wood shipments into USA

When sending wood or plant product shipments valuing over US$2, 000 into USA, please ensure that it is properly documented with an import declaration along with to avoid customs’ unnecessary withholding of your consignments’ clearance and delivery.

South America

Update on sending non-document shipments to Argentina

Please be informed that effective immediately, sending non-document shipments to Argentina shall require submission of a valid Tax Number (CUIT) which shall be used by Argentinian customs as reference in cases of consignments’ non-delivery. Failure to submit a valid CUIT may lead to non-return of your undelivered consignments. 

Customs requirements in Uruguay

Please be advised that sending non-document shipments to Uruguay should always be accompanied by the Commercial Invoice. Consignment information must be specific & detailed and must be exactly the same as the description in the invoice and the data in the system. Non-compliance to these requirements will lead to further clearance delay. 

 

North America

Guidelines for fast facilitation of Honduras-bound shipments

Below are helpful tips in ensuring faster clearance facilitation of your shipments into Honduras.

  • Make sure that the information detailed on your consignment note (airway bill) is exactly the same as the description stated in the commercial invoice
  • Your consignment note and commercial invoice should contain detailed and specific description of your shipment
  • Discrepancies between the information provided and the actual content will lead to delay or non-delivery of your shipments

 

For clarifications or questions regarding these advisories, you may call TNT Customer Service Hotline at (Metro Manila) 551-5632 or (outside Metro Manila) Toll-Free 1-800-10-551-5632.