Get your parcel ready for an international journey before you take the order: check the item, route and destination rules first, so an avoidable customs issue doesn’t catch you off guard.
Ready to see the options and prices that apply to your parcel? Start on Send.
What does international acceptance mean?
Domestic acceptance and international acceptance are different checks. A parcel that can travel within your region may still be restricted by the rules where it starts, the places it passes through, or where it is going. The exact item matters: ingredients, materials and intended use can affect what you need to check.
How to check before you accept an order
- Identify the exact product, including its ingredients or materials. Avoid relying on a broad label such as “goods.”
- Check whether that item is allowed at the origin, along the proposed route and at the destination. For a regulated or potentially hazardous item, ask the courier about route restrictions and handling requirements.
- Ask the buyer or recipient to check the destination’s import rules for that specific product.
- Prepare an accurate contents description and value. Ask the courier which declaration, invoice, permits, certificates, product codes or recipient details are needed for this shipment.
- Have the parcel and requested paperwork ready for the provider’s acceptance check. Keep copies and the shipment reference, and respond promptly if more information is requested.
Why are commercial shipments and gifts treated differently?
A sale is still a sale when it crosses a border. Describe what was sold and declare its value truthfully; don’t label a customer’s purchase as a gift to try to simplify the paperwork. A genuine gift may have different requirements, but gift status does not automatically remove destination rules. Check what applies to the item and destination, and ask which documents are needed.
A worked example: a buyer orders a product from abroad
Before you confirm the order, identify the product precisely and check the rules at origin, in transit and at the buyer’s destination. Ask what customs declaration and invoice are required for a sale, whether the product needs any additional documentation, and who may need to provide information if customs asks a question. Give a truthful description and value so the paperwork matches the parcel.
What mistakes can cause avoidable problems?
- Assuming domestic acceptance means an item is allowed internationally.
- Using vague contents descriptions such as “goods” or “gift.”
- Declaring a sale as a gift, or guessing, omitting or misdescribing the value.
- Sending paperwork that conflicts with what is actually in the parcel.
- Assuming a carrier’s acceptance means customs has approved the shipment.
What should you ask the courier?
- Is this exact item accepted on the proposed route, and are there transit restrictions?
- Which declaration and invoice are needed for a sale versus a genuine gift?
- Does the product need a code, permit, certificate or special packaging?
- Who handles the required submission, and who may need to provide information or pay duties and taxes if requested?
When you’re choosing a delivery provider, Moveka is Kenya’s largest courier and one of Kenya’s most deeply connected courier networks. Start with the details of your own parcel and check the options that apply before you proceed.
Have your parcel details ready? Go to Send to see the applicable options and prices for your delivery.
