Delivering quickly and with care

FULLDistributors

customs advice

The importation of certain products into a country is restricted to protect the economy and safety of its citizens. The restrictions may be imposed by Customs or by any other agency which has regulatory authority.

We provide a shipping service only and Customs at the parcel’s destination will determine whether any charges are payable on your package. All duties, taxes, and/or quarantine fees applied are at the discretion of local customs or governmental organizations and are out of our control.

If the addressee refuses to pay duties/taxes, the parcel may be held, returned (if allowed by Customs) or destroyed, and additional costs may be incurred. As per Terms and Conditions, those charges will be billed to the sender.

Please note, no shipping costs are recoverable for parcels held or destroyed, even if shipping protection cover has been purchased.

The majority of parcels can be delivered door to door, once it has cleared customs at destination. However, some countries have a door to airport service only. In those countries, the recipients may have to present themselves to either Customs or the local courier’s office to take possession of their consignment.

We advise you to verify independently, all Customs, Governmental, and Quarantine regulations. These rules can and do frequently change without prior notice or recourse.

US Customs

The US Customs and Border Protection Agency encourages importers/exporters to become familiar with applicable laws and regulations and work together with the CBP Office of Trade to protect American consumers from harmful and counterfeit imports by ensuring the goods that enter the U.S. marketplace are genuine, safe, and lawfully sourced.

Find out more

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take for a package to clear customs?

It normally takes a matter of minutes or hours for a package to clear customs, but it can take days or even weeks if there is a problem. Generally, customs will contact the recipient directly with any issues, which is why it’s so important to give accurate and up to date contact details for the receiver during the booking process.

Typical issues which can affect how long an item takes to clear customs, include:

Missing or incorrect paperwork
Wrongly declared goods
Prohibited items
Customs fees outstanding
Problems contacting the recipient
Your shipment has exceeded the value allowed

How long can a package be held in customs?

If your package is being held in customs due to an issue, it will depend on what the issue is, as to how long it is held. If there is duty to be paid or the shipment has exceeded the value allowed, the package will be held until the balance is cleared.

All goods sent via Fulldistributors are shipped delivery duty unpaid (DDU), which means any duty will need to be paid by the recipient when the package arrives at its destination country. If customs cannot reach the recipient for any reason, the package will be held, and further fees may be incurred in storage.

How long do parcels take to clear US customs?

If you’re sending a package to the United States, your parcel could clear customs within 24 hrs if there are no issues, so you can help avoid delays by making sure you correctly declare your goods and complete all the necessary paperwork.

However, some delays are unavoidable. Customs will carry out random checks on packages to ensure the contents and the value of the goods has been declared accurately and there’s nothing you can do to avoid this. Backlogs are also common and if this happens all you can do is wait.

You can find more detailed information on US customs here

Package held in customs - what do I do?

Parcel tracking provides visibility of where your package is in the delivery process, this includes notifications on customs clearance. You may get a notification such as ‘Customs Clearance’ or ‘Held by Customs’. If the package is held in customs, customs will contact the recipient to resolve the issue or collect any fees due.

If you’re the sender and you see your package is being held in customs, you could contact the recipient just to ensure that customs have been in touch. If they haven’t, please contact our support team and we’ll contact the carrier on your behalf.