The growth, diversification, and collaboration of businesses are leading to a global community of businessmen. International parcels have become a common feature of many businesses. Although adhering to the rules and regulations of most countries facilitate customs clearance of parcels across international borders, many people are unaware of the paperwork and documentation that needs to be furnished with international parcels. This is where parcel delivery companies can come in the picture and help such people. Let us have a look at some standard procedure and documents that are important to get customs clearance at international borders, and that prevent unnecessary delay or quarantine of your parcel.
Knowledge of import procedure of the country
Before sending a parcel to any country, you should do a bit of research and find out their specific import requirements of international parcels. When you send a parcel to Africa, for example, you should provide copies of lading bill, a declaration regarding the Origin Form, multiple copies and the original invoice, Copies of insurance certificates and multiple copies of the complete list of items that have been packed. Without any of these documents, your parcel will wait at the customs office until all the documents reach there. This will cause a delay in delivery of your parcel.
Knowledge about import duty and taxes
Depending on the item that you want to send to a particular country, you will have to pay some customs duty or import fee. Specific rules apply to this calculation and you must be aware of these rules before sending your parcel. If the duty is not paid on your parcel, it will not be passed through customs clearance until the required payment is made. Needless to say, this causes a lot of delay in parcel delivery. Therefore, you must have a detailed understanding of these rules and pay the required duty in full.
Knowledge about restricted and prohibited items in the country
Every country has its own list of restricted and prohibited items. This means that you should check the list corresponding to the region or country where you want to send your parcel. In general, arms and armaments, flammable substances, medicines, biological material, aerosol sprays and food items are the most common items on this list. However, there may be country-specific addition or removal of items from this list. For example, when you send a parcel to Africa, some countries will not let you send prison-made goods or currency in any form.
Although it is natural to be confused about the above-mentioned points, one must remember that these points are critical. This is why choosing a reputed and experienced parcel delivery company is recommended. Such companies have complete knowledge about all the required procedures and paperwork that is to be followed when you send parcels abroad. With their experience and guidance, your documents and tax-papers will be in order when the parcel reaches the international border. This, in turn, will mean that your parcel will not be held back or delayed.
