Carrying out an international shipment presents the same “critical issues” and some crucial steps are required. The real difference lies in the regulatory level (duties, customs, and so on) and, obviously, in higher costs due to the distance or the possible use of air fleets.
The reasons for organizing international shipping (package or documents) are due to many reasons, such as distant relatives, children studying or working in another country, and other less common ones. International shipping companies can do that for you. There are not many “rules” to follow, but they require maximum attention, certainly higher than sending something to the same country.
The reason for this “disparity” derives from the economic and non-economic values at stake. We are not just talking about costs, but about implemented risks and new factors that are added, mostly inherent in the issues that may arise for the passage of goods from one country to another.
The focal points for organizing an expedition abroad
As already stated, with the exception of the purely bureaucratic question, if you intend to send parcels or automobiles abroad you must follow the same steps that you perform for a shipment on the national territory like packaging, delivery, payment, tracking, and reception.
If you have urgent needs, some express couriers (especially the most important ones) are able to deliver worldwide within a couple of days, in some cases even within 24 hours. Alternatively, you can request a standard shipment that will certainly cost you less but will take longer to arrive.
In both cases you must pay close attention to the care of the package, therefore packaging and various documents must be carried out in order to avoid unpleasant inconveniences and simplify the work of the courier.
The documentation for shipping abroad
Before organizing a shipment abroad it is necessary to inquire about the rules governing the sending of goods and documents, taking into account the substantial differences that often exist between different countries or areas, such as the European Economic Community (EEC).
Furthermore, it must be taken into account which are prohibited goods, such as perishable or valuable food.
In European territory in general, at least within the countries that are part of the EEC, no particular document is required except for the classic waybill which is normally provided by the courier you rely on. If, on the other hand, you are preparing a shipment outside the EEC, i.e. where customs are planned (also within the same Old Continent), it is necessary to prepare and attach two documents, accompanied by a copy of a personal document.
Pro forma or commercial invoice, also called customs declaration (within this document the addresses of the sender and recipient must be reported, the tracking references of your shipment, the list with a description of the objects included in the package, the reason for the export, the value of the goods shipped and the cost incurred for transportation).
Declaration of free export
In general, EU legislation does not provide for the payment of duties for export to other countries, but the intended rules are applied at the destination. However, these are costs that the courier already inserts within the shipping cost, to facilitate the sender.