Hiya everyone,
Believe it or not Ive had a really nice time doing this research. Yes, Im strange, I know.
The following lists of items which are prohibited or restricted comes from the UPS website. Every company is bound to be a bit different so Ive highlighted any differences Ive noticed later on in this post. Ive highlighted prohibited or restricted items in red. Not all of the items in red are prohibited, for example Tobacco products are OK in certain circumstances. Perishables are also ok if you contract the shipment but its likely to be expensive to ship and expensive to pack.
Following the initial list from UPS are some notes Ive made and some handy information which you might like to use when arranging shipment for your packages.
Hope everyone finds this handy.
Sarah
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Prohibited / Restricted ItemsFrom the
United States to United KingdomIt is prohibited to ship the following commodities to United Kingdom.
* Beef Jerky and salami* Knives (Flick, gravity, spring, or butterfly knives)
* Stamps, Postage
* Vegetable MatterFrom the
United Kingdom to the United StatesIt is prohibited to ship the following commodities to The United States.
* Distilled liquors (for example, whiskey, rum, or vodka)*
* Lottery Tickets
* Negotiable Bonds, Drafts
* Shipments containing distilled liquors will be refused entry and returned to the country of export and may be subject to a US$75.00 manipulation charge.
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In addition to the country specific prohibited items as above, UPS also has their own list of items which they will not ship or will ship in certain circumstances.
This is their list as seen on their
website:
Prohibited / Restricted ItemsThe following items
may be shipped to countries
outside the United States, where service is allowed, on a
contractual basis only:
* Alcoholic beverages * Dangerous goods
* Diagnostic specimens
* Perishables * Personal effects**
* Plants * Seeds * Tobacco The following items
may be shipped by UPS but are
restricted to specific quantities, size and/or value:
* Airline Tickets
* Ammunition
* Artwork
* Dangerous Goods
* Furs
* Jewelry
* Knives
* Loose Gemstones
* Loose Pearls
* Magnets
* Precious Metals
The following articles are
not accepted for transportation by UPS to countries
outside the United States:
* Animal products, nondomesticated * Cash
* Corpses
* Firearms
* Furs
* Human Remains
* Industrial Diamonds
* Ivory
* Letters of Credit Shipments
* Live Animals
* Pornographic Materials
* Precious Stones
* Postage Stamps
**Personal effects are permitted to the United Kingdom provided they are shipped through The UPS Store.
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Even though it doesnt seem fair, I imagine that SEEDS would go so far to include Sunflower seeds. If someone in the UK wants sunflower seeds maybe your food buddy should call UPS and ask if thats ok, if theyre shipping via UPS that is. Same goes for your favourite cigarettes (Tobacco).
It appears that no forms are required to accompany UK bound shipments being carried by UPS. A certificate of Origin only needs to accompany textile goods to the UK over the value of £18.00 which are NOT for personal use and are not in bulk quantities. I doubt we'll be sending anything like that. A Shippers Export Declaration is only needed when a single Section B commodity exceeds a value of $2500 or for which an export license is required. Again, I dont think that applies to us either.
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The FDA has recently taken measures to protect the US food supply against Bioterrorism (as if this is what we're trying to do here!) and now requires "Prior Notice" for manufactured food stuffs for human and / or animal consumption in most cases. Luckily for us,
the US does NOT require Prior Notice for homemade and manufactured food stuffs being sent to individuals in the USA as a gift.
When sending a package containing food to the USA you MUST detail on the your customs forms (you dont need anything special if you arent a commercial exporter) that the package contains ONLY food for individual consumption and is being sent as a GIFT. If you simply state that the package contains "food" the package will be sent back to you at your cost or destroyed.
The legalees version of this new law can be found on the FDA's Website, the lay-man's description can be found on Royal Mail's Website, and here's what
FedEx has to say.
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Companies which you may like to use to send your packages include:
UK & USA -
DHL [Website] [Standard DHL Prohibitions] [UK Prohibitions] [US Prohibitions]UK & USA -
Federal Express (FedEx) [Website]UK & USA -
UPS [Website] [Standard UPS Prohibitions] [UK Prohibitions] [US Prohibitions]USA Only -
US Postal Service (USPS) [Website]UK Only -
Royal Mail [Website]UK Only -
Parcel Force [Website] [Standard Parcel Force Prohibitions] [US Prohibitions & Restrictions]
Many of these companies have websites where you can print postage and arrange pickups. Some of the company specific prohibitions that stuck out to me while reviewing the information include:
DHL -
Bullion is a company wide Standard Prohibition (
dont ask me why!). DHL also requests that you contact your local service office to clarify export regulations to the UK for the following items: Foodstuffs, Grain samples, Alchoholic Beverages (besides spirits, which arent allowed), Non Perscription Dugs, Plant Products and Tobacco; and to clarify export regs to the US for the following items: Foodstuffs, Tobacco, Alcoholic beverages and Plant Products. DHL Prohibits items made in certain countries (such as N Korea) from being shipped into the USA. I believe this includes foodstuffs. If youre worried about this check the DHL US Prohibitions link.
USPS - The USPS requires all international parcel post shipments to have a completed
Customs Form 2976-A insterted into
PS Form 2976-A EnvelopeParcel Force - Prohibitions include
meat and meat products; contraceptives; fresh fruit, fish and vegetables; and alchohol. Restrictions include plant and plant seed products and cigarettes. Import permits are required for all parcels containing feathers, bulbs, plants, parts of plants and seeds. In addition, Parcel Force's general restrictions included such unusual items as
Christmas Crackers, which "
may only be sent in complete made-up form and in their retail packaging." Parcel Force
DOES allow Perishables in the following circumstances: "Fresh fruit, meat, fish and other perishable articles should be able to withstand a journey of up to two days, and must be sent by Parcelforce 24 as a minimum requirement. Packages must be clearly labelled PERISHABLE. Packages of fish should be smoked or chilled, and sealed in vacuum packs before consignment. In all cases they must be enclosed in adequate polystyrene containment to prevent contamination."
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I havent been able so far to find any
STATE Specific import restrictions online but I know that some states like Texas do not allow Alcholol imports and some states like California have Ivory restrictions. I dont think we'll encounter much difficulty there.
Ok thats it!! More if I find it
