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Most international packages (except for those sent from one EU member state to another) go through customs where customs officers make sure that they contain no prohibited items and their contents match the customs declaration submitted by the sender. Packages are usually processed within three business days, but sometimes they get stuck in customs for longer. What is the reason for this and what can you do if your long-awaited package has been held up in customs?
When your package arrives at customs, its tracking status changes to “Arrived at Customs”, “Customs Clearance”, or something of the sort (depending on the carrier). Normally, in three business days its status would change to “Released by Customs”, meaning that the package is on its want to you. But sometimes this doesn’t happen.
There are two main reasons why international packages get held up in customs for more than three days. Either customs is too busy (this happens, for example, during the holiday season, when lots of people shop online for presents) or there is some issue with the package. In the first case, its status remains unchanged, and you can do nothing but wait until your package gets processed and cleared. In the second case, its status changes to “Held by Customs” or something similar, and you need to contact customs to identify the problem and figure out a way to solve it.
Why do packages get held in customs? Customs officers may want to take a closer look at a package if they suspect that it contains prohibited or restricted items, such as aerosols, flammable or combustible substances, medicines and prescription drugs, perishable items, etc. Each country has its own list of prohibited items, and sometimes items that can be shipped freely to one country are prohibited in another country. Alas, there’s nothing you can do in this situation since all prohibited items are seized and disposed of by customs. If it turns out that there are no prohibited items in your package, it will eventually find its way to you.
Customs may also want to inspect your package closer if they suspect that its contents don’t match the customs declaration. A customs declaration is a form that lists the details of items contained in the package (their names, quantity and declared value). It is filled out by the sender. Sometimes customers ask online retailers to declare a lower value for items or declare them as a gift instead of purchase to avoid paying additional charges. This is illegal; if it gets discovered, your package will be held in customs until you pay all fees and fines.
Sometimes a package can get delayed if customs officers suspect that it contains items that are not intended for personal use. For example, if your package contains five different pairs of underwear, there is no doubt that you’ve bought them for yourself (or as a gift), and there shouldn’t be any problems with the package. But if your package contains, say, five smartphones or tablets of the same model, customs officers may think that you intend to resell them and have asked the sender to declare them as items for personal use to avoid paying duty fees.
To free your parcel from customs, you need to provide all relevant information and documents about the package: proof of purchase (printounts of the order and shipment confirmation emails, receipts, invoices, printouts of your bank/PayPal account activity history, etc.), tracking number, etc. And keep in mind that you may be charged additional fees (customs clearance fee, customs handling fee, security fee for screening or x-raying the items in your package, etc.) in case the delay was caused by the sender’s or your mistake because ignorance of the law is no excuse.
