Forbidden Items and Those Requiring Special Handling

To ensure a safe and smooth shipment, it's crucial to know the items that are restricted or prohibited for transportation.

This list will help you identify items that cannot be shipped but remember that each destination country may have additional specific regulations.

Commonly Forbidden Items List:

• Monetary values and precious metals: Precious metals in bars; cash, traveler’s checks, commemorative coins, and medals valued above $2,000 USD; tax stamps and financial products above $500,000 USD.
• High-value items: Antiques and artwork over $500,000 USD; jewelry, watches, and items made of precious materials valued above $5,000 USD per item or $100,000 USD per shipment.
• Illegal and contraband products: Counterfeit goods that infringe intellectual property rights; illegal goods like narcotics; hunting trophies, animal parts (ivory, shark fins); human remains or ashes.
• Dangerous items: Firearms (and replicas), ammunition, explosives, gunpowder, detonators, pyrotechnic articles, rockets, and flares; radioactive isotopes and nuclear fuel (highly restricted).
• Other prohibited items: Live animals (mammals, reptiles, birds); furs; loose gemstones; power banks; damaged or defective batteries; alcohol with restrictions in the EU.

Items Requiring Special Handling (packaging or documentation):

These items can be transported but require specific packaging, documentation, or permissions:

• Gases and Fuels: Industrial gases (argon, helium), oxygen, compressed nitrogen, hydrogen (liquefied gas), carbon dioxide, hydrocarbons, and volatile oils.

  Handling: Approved cylinders, Safety Data Sheets (SDS), and Dangerous Goods Declarations (DGD) are mandatory, along with hazard labels. Some substances require authorization for air transport.
  
  

• Chemical Substances: Alcohols (ethanol, methanol), ethers, aldehydes, ketones, peroxides, cyanides.
  Handling: Leak-proof containers; SDS, DGD, and specific certifications. Must be isolated from incompatible materials and labelled as flammable or toxic.
  
  

• Agricultural Products: Insecticides and pesticides.
  Handling: Containers that prevent leakage and contamination, SDS, and toxicity labels. Preferably transported in controlled temperatures and kept separate from other items.
  

• Other Items: Sulfur, infectious biological materials, lithium batteries, power accumulators, radiation-emitting devices.
  Handling: Specific packaging (e.g., heat protection for sulfur, radiation shielding). SDS, DGD, and compliance certificates are required. “Hazardous Material” marking and regulatory authorization are also required for radioactive devices.

To avoid issues in shipping, it is important to know the specific restrictions for each destination country. 

To look up the HS codes corresponding to each item, we recommend accessing an official source, such as the World Customs Organization (WCO) website.

Recommended Articles:

• The Importance of Insurance
• Optimize Your Shipments