DHL Value Added Services, Surcharges & Customs Clearance Overview

This is a convenient, fast and reliable service for seasonal or irregular shipments that require extra resources for their preparation. DHL manages the entire process of waybill preparation, content selection, labelling and packaging, then sends the shipments to the designated domestic or international addresses.

Contact Customer Service or your Sales Representative for details.

We offer a range of DHL branded packaging. You can purchase boxes, polybags and more.

We recommend this comprehensive protection for your valuable or personal shipments, giving you peace of mind in the unlikely event of physical damage or loss. Terms and Conditions apply.

If you are sending valuable documents such as passports, visa applications or regulatory certificates you can extend the DHL standard liability with this service. In the event of full or partial loss to a document shipment, a fixed compensation will be paid.

If your business needs a dedicated vehicle to collect unusual shipments, or a pickup outside normal business hours, we can arrange this for you. For further assistance please contact Customer Service.

In countries and territories where Saturday is not a normal working day, DHL can arrange an ad-hoc pickup of smaller shipments up to 25 kg. The service is available at selected postal locations only. For further details contact Customer Service.

DHL can arrange for the shipper or a third party to be billed for any duties and taxes payable at destination, rather than the receiver of the shipment being billed. Charges apply whenever duties, taxes or other regulatory fees occur and shipper has requested that those are to be billed outside of the destination country.

DHL will accelerate the customs clearance initiating the payment process of duty and tax charges relating to a shipment. The receiver is invoiced for the duty and tax amount, allowing payment to be deferred until a mutually agreed date.

An administrative charge applies when DHL processes import duties, taxes, or other regulatory charges on behalf of customers who do not hold a DHL account number.

This service allows for the delivery of any shipment, without its value being shared or exposed to the receiver. DHL will ensure any paperwork exposing the value of the goods is removed from the shipment prior to delivery.

We offer Saturday delivery services to key cities in more than 70 countries and territories. To check availability, please contact Customer Service.

Customers shipping to a home or private residence can activate specific delivery options by designating the delivery address as residential. For such shipments, DHL will proactively notify the receiver via email or SMS about the shipment’s progress. Receivers can then select the most suitable delivery option on the On Demand Delivery website.

If you are sending sensitive documents or high value contents you can request DHL to obtain a direct signature from the consignee or a representative at the delivery address. DHL will ensure your shipment is not re-directed, or delivered at an alternative address.

At customer’s request, an immediate or non-routine, once only delivery of a shipment within a normal working day or a holiday that involves a specific vehicle such as tail lift truck or more than one courier. For further assistance please contact Customer Service.

DHL will obtain a delivery signature from an adult at the stipulated delivery address.

This service allows non-account Customers to arrange and prepay an import shipment door-to-door. The shipping solution will guide the importer through the entire shipping process from the pickup at origin to delivery at destination. The service is Door-to-Door and equal to our Import service with all its available shipping options. Import duty and tax is collected per standard process while the transport service is pre-paid usually via Credit Card.

Hold my shipment at the DHL delivery facility at the destination for consignee collection. DHL will notify the receiver when the shipment is ready to be collected.

When selected, DHL will reduce (inset) CO2 emissions from air transport through the purchase of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF).

Sustainable Aviation Fuel can reduce lifecycle carbon emissions by up to 80% compared to traditional jet fuel. GoGreen Plus - Carbon Reduced service, supports Scope 3 emission reductions in alignment with the Science Based Target initiative. DHL Group used the SAF and reduced emission from its Green House Gas emission balance reporting Scope 1 and Scope 3 category 3.

Please contact your Sales Representative for further reduction levels and CO2 emission reports.

This applies when a customer requests a change of defined billing information on an already issued invoice, which will result in a reissuing of the invoice and, in case of an account change, crediting of the old account and debiting of the new.

This service is for customers who require a paper invoice where e-billing is the agreed standard. This service provides flexibility for a different invoicing method than what is already agreed.

With this VIP service, our Customer Service will contact you by phone and provide verbal updates on agreed key transport events or incidents with a potential impact on transit time. The service is exclusively booked and performed through Customer Service. Tracking notification emails or text messages generated by our shipping tools remain free of charge of course.

A surcharge is applied per shipment when the transportation of shipments involves handling substances and commodities classified as fully regulated in accordance with the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations. Contractual agreement required.

This fixed surcharge is applied when the handling and transportation of shipments involves substances and commodities that are in Excepted Quantities in compliance with IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations. Contractual agreement required.

A surcharge is applied when the transportation of shipments involves handling Dry Ice UN1845 as a freezing agent for non-dangerous goods such as diagnostic specimens. Contractual agreement required.

A surcharge is applied for shipments containing consumer goods such as perfumes, aftershaves, aerosols, nail varnish and prescription medicines as covered by the IATA ID8000 section and packed in a form intended for retail sale and shipped to private individuals (B2C). Contractual agreement required.

A surcharge is applied per shipment when the ground handling and transportation of shipments involves substances and commodities that are in Limited Quantities. In compliance with ADR regulations and which are restricted from air transportation. Such dangerous goods are restricted to no more than 30kg per piece and are accepted from approved Shippers only. Contractual agreement required.

This surcharge applies when a shipment is delivered to a location that is distant or difficult to serve.

This surcharge applies when an import shipment is collected from a location that is distant or difficult to serve.

A surcharge is applied when shipping to or importing from a destination country, DHL is operating at elevated risk due to continuous state of war, civil unrest, or continuous threats from terrorism. Countries affected (subject to change): Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Mali, Somalia Mogadishu, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine, Venezuela and Yemen.

A surcharge applies when shipping to or importing from a destination country that is subject to specific trade restrictions imposed by the UN Security Council. Countries affected (subject to change): Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iran, Iraq, North Korea, Libya, Somalia Mogadishu and Yemen

A fixed surcharge is applied per shipment when the destination address provided by the Shipper is incomplete, outdated or incorrect and DHL is subsequently unable to deliver the shipment. DHL searches and determines the correct address to complete the delivery.

A surcharge applies if the shipping label is not correctly completed or has not been produced electronically according to DHL standards and therefore requires manual data entry by DHL.

A fixed surcharge is applied to every piece, including a pallet that exceeds a scale or volumetric weight of 70 kg.

This fixed surcharge applies to every piece, including a pallet, if its longest side exceeds 100 cm or its second-longest side exceeds 80 cm. Does not apply to pieces already subject to Overweight Piece surcharge.

This fixed surcharge is applied to every pallet within a shipment that cannot be stacked, either on request by the shipper, or because of its shape, content or packaging material. Does not apply to pallets below 25 kg.

A fixed surcharge is applied to every piece within a shipment that meets one or more of the following criteria:

• Has an actual weight between 25 kg and 70 kg or,
• Is not fully enclosed in an outer shipping container
• Is packaged in materials other than corrugated cardboard, such as metal, wood, leather, hard or soft plastic, or expanded polystyrene foam
• Is wrapped in shrink wrap or stretch wrap
• Has a round or cylindrical shape, such as buckets, cans, drums, tires, or barrels
• Includes wheels, handles, or straps
• Has the potential to become entangled with or cause damage to other packages or the handling systems

The surcharge does not apply to pieces already subject to Overweight Piece or Oversize Piece surcharge.

A temporary surcharge, which allows us to cover operating cost increases due to an emergency situation out of DHL’s control. Change in market dynamics and air capacity availability is reflected through regular price adjustments.

A period of high demand is to be determined by DHL at its own discretion but may include a time of high demand for shipping services or a period with high operational cost. Demand Surcharges apply cumulatively if a shipment and/or individual pieces meet more than one of the specified criteria.

Applies in countries where an export declaration is required for shipments containing controlled commodities or exceeding a certain value threshold or weight. Depending on origin country, shippers that submit a declaration online may avoid the local charge. For shipment originating from Hong Kong, customers need to make the request before shipment pickup.

Bonded Transit applies to both export and import shipments whenever DHL is required to open, manage or report any form of transfer under bond.

Charges apply when more than 5 lines are recorded on the customs clearance, for example with different commodities or different countries of manufacture.

At Customer’s request, DHL facilitates the temporary export and subsequent re-import of goods from the origin country, or the temporary import and later re-export of goods at the destination. These services are typically provided for purposes such as repairs, testing, exhibitions, or similar activities, and are carried out in compliance with customs regulations through the submission of all required documentation and adherence to the relevant clearance procedures.

Applies when goods are excluded from routine clearance procedures, due to value or weight exceeding the formal entry threshold set by destination Customs Authorities or due to other regulatory requirements such as tariff codes. Applies also to formal clearance performed by DHL contracted third party brokers in countries where DHL cannot provide such clearance services or operate as a licensed broker.

Storage charges apply when the shipment cannot be released by customs. Charges take effect three calendar (working) days after the freight arrival date. The charge applies to the duty and tax payer.

To accelerate import of selected controlled commodities, such as medical devices, pharmaceuticals, computer monitors, laser devices, cosmetics, eyeglasses, food and food products, DHL is required to file specific information in order to obtain the required import permits or licenses.

Applies where additional cost is incurred for importing shipments in alignment with government agency requirements.

The arrangement of a non-routine physical Customs inspection of a shipment involving either a full or partial unload. To include the marking or mutilation of samples.

Applies when the designated importer has specifically requested to be contacted by DHL before customs clearance is initiated. Contractual agreement required.

DHL will accelerate the customs clearance initiating the payment process of duty and tax charges relating to a shipment. The receiver is invoiced for the duty and tax amount, allowing payment to be deferred until a mutually agreed date.

An administrative charge applies when DHL processes import duties, taxes, or other regulatory charges on behalf of customers who do not hold a DHL account number.

At the importer’s request, DHL will provide the necessary paperwork to the customer’s designated broker to perform the import clearance and resume the delivery to the final destination once the clearance is completed.

DHL is subsequently not responsible for the timeliness of the submission to customs or for the release of the shipment.

At importers request, DHL will transfer the shipment and related customs documentation to the customer’s nominated broker for clearance and last mile delivery.

If requested by customs authorities or the importer/exporter, DHL may add or modify data declared to customs authorities for clearance purposes. This includes data such as declared values, classification of the goods and importer details, based on documentary evidence gathered from or confirmed by the importer or exporter.