Courier services

Alternatively, a courier service such as DHL or FedEx can be commissioned for the transport. These services also handle international shipments within a few days and different shipping methods are available, depending on the urgency. The more urgent a transport, the higher the cost. Various tracking tools and an individual tracking number allow for tracking the status of the shipment online. Both companies provide detailed information on their websites and over the phone. 

Couriers have different limitations on the goods they transport. Due to the high risk, not all companies offer the transport of works of art, for example. 
Art objects are among the approved valuables at DHL, which accepts packages with a value of up to 25,000 euros. The shipments are insured up to a certain value. Not all courier services accept bulky items!

For shipments outside of Europe, the courier services handle the customs clearance. To ensure proper processing, a number of documents must be provided:

• a customs declaration including indication of the value; the information should be formulated as clearly as possible, as it serves as a basis for calculating the (country-specific) import duties;
• an invoice or, in the case of temporary use abroad, a pro-forma invoice (with the comment ‘value for customs purposes only’). 

The respective forms are available for download on the company websites. 

It is also recommended to learn about import regulations of the destination country and to assess the need for an export declaration. The companies are of limited help concerning this issue. A DHL country overview can be found here (only available in German).

Express shipments are usually delivered directly to the recipient. The company pays any import duties in advance and then collects them from the recipient. Alternatively, the sender can pay the import duties. This should be coordinated with the cooperation partner in advance, so costs can be calculated accordingly. 

Transports for temporary use abroad can also be organized with the help of a courier service. The company has to handle the round-trip transportation and it is usually necessary to set up a customer account.  

Courier services also handle heavy and extensive shipments. Air and sea transportation using containers (full or part loads) is possible.  

All shipping methods are often associated with considerable costs that should be considered and calculated as exactly as possible in advance.

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