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An international shipping label is the waybill: the shipping document with shipper and receiver details, the shipment number and the barcode that is read at every stage of the journey. It is created in the courier's system, printed and stuck to each package, on a flat surface on the top or side, with no tape over the barcode.
Many people treat the label as the last step, something to sort out once the box is already sealed on the desk. Yet the whole shipment rests on it. A label folded over a corner, covered with shiny tape or missing from one of three boxes can hold the shipment up as early as pickup.
With DHL Express, the shipping label is the waybill itself, the shipping document. Every shipment needs one, and it works as the shipment's "air ticket": if the label comes away from the box, the shipment can be delayed. Source: DHL Express Service and Rate Guide 2026, Brazil.
In Brazil the same piece of paper goes by other names: etiqueta de envio, etiqueta de expedição, etiqueta de endereçamento. The name changes, the job does not. On an international shipment, though, it carries more than the address, because sorting systems in more than one country have to read it.
The system builds the label from the data you type when you create the shipment.
Wrong on the form means wrong on the paper. Before printing, review these blocks:
The phone number deserves a second look, because without the country code it is useless. The guide to international phone number format shows the right format for each destination.
No. A custom label with your logo and colours can go on the box as part of how the product is presented, but it does not replace the waybill. The barcode the network scans is the one on the label the courier's system generates.
Want both? Keep the jobs apart. The brand sticker goes on a different face from the waybill, away from the barcode, or becomes a seal on the inner packaging. And the order number goes in the shipment reference field, not handwritten next to the label.
The table sums up what each label and document does on the box:
Item | What it is for | Where it goes |
Waybill (shipping label) | Identifies and tracks the shipment across the network | Top or side of each package, on a flat face |
Commercial invoice | Declares contents and value to customs | With the shipment, as instructed for that shipment |
Handling label | Flags special care, such as fragile or this way up | Side faces, without covering the waybill |
Your brand label | Presents the product to the customer | A free face or the inner seal |
Every international shipment of goods, meaning anything that is not a document, needs a commercial invoice (DHL Express Service and Rate Guide 2026, Brazil). Whether it goes inside or outside the box is covered in the guide on where to put shipping documents.
On the top or side of each package, on a flat face, never across corners or edges. The barcode is scanned repeatedly, from pickup to delivery, and must stay flat, with no tape, plastic film or straps over it. Source: DHL Express Service and Rate Guide 2026, Brazil.
Follow this order when you label:
A reused box needs twice the attention. An old barcode left visible can be read instead of the new one. Choosing the box, filling the gaps and sealing with an H-tape pattern are covered in the guide on how to pack a parcel.
These errors hold up an international shipment before the box even leaves your premises:
Pickup follows the same logic: the parcel must be sealed and labelled when the courier arrives. The guide to courier pickup explains how to book one and what to have ready. If you already sell abroad regularly, the guide to exporting with DHL maps the full process.
No. For tax reasons, using MyDHL+ is mandatory for all shipments from Brazil, and the waybill comes out of the system with its barcode. The data entry surcharge for paper waybills applies only to shippers abroad who still use the manual form (DHL Express Service and Rate Guide 2026, Brazil).
Yes. Each waybill has a unique number that lets you follow the shipment from pickup to delivery. Keep that number and pass it to the receiver as soon as the shipment is created.
Yes. The waybill must be attached to each package in the shipment, even when three or four boxes travel together under the same shipment. A box without a label cannot be linked to the rest of the shipment at sorting.
In everyday use, yes: both terms describe the label on the box with the destination details. On an international shipment that label is the waybill, which carries the shipment number and barcode as well as the address.
A well generated, well placed label is what lets the box pass every scan on the route without stopping. The rest of the work starts the moment you create the shipment with the right details.
With a business account you can generate the waybill and export documents in one place, book pickups and track every shipment to delivery. Open a DHL Express business account and print your next shipping label from Brazil without rework.
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