Prohibited & restricted items
Check legality, carrier acceptance, dangerous goods and route-specific requirements before preparing a shipment.
Updated · Version 1.1 · FindXTrade
1. Three separate checks
An item must be lawful to export, transit and import; accepted by the specific carrier/service; and prepared in accordance with transport safety and documentation requirements. Passing one check does not pass the others. Country coverage or a price result is not permission to ship controlled goods. Rules can change and differ by mode, route, quantity, condition and intended use.
This is a general screening policy, not an exhaustive worldwide permitted-goods list. Use the current carrier conditions and the relevant origin, transit and destination authorities. Do not tender a restricted item while approval or documents remain unresolved. FindXTrade and its providers retain their own legal checks and due-diligence duties; those duties are not transferred entirely to the customer.
2. Items that must not be sent through ordinary unapproved services
Do not use an ordinary parcel/freight comparison as authorisation for illegal, unsafe or prohibited carriage. In particular, do not submit:
- Illegal goods, stolen property, counterfeit goods or shipments intended to conceal unlawful activity.
- Goods, payments, recipients or routes prohibited by applicable sanctions, export controls or import restrictions without a lawful licence or exemption.
- Explosives, ammunition, weapons or other controlled items without the legally required permissions and an expressly approved service.
- Dangerous goods that are undeclared, misclassified, leaking, damaged, improperly packed or otherwise unacceptable for the proposed transport.
- Items prohibited by the chosen carrier, including any stated cash, negotiable instrument, live-animal, human-remains, waste or high-value exclusions. These categories can require specialist arrangements rather than ordinary carriage.
3. Common categories needing specific checking
The examples below are not approvals. A category can be prohibited for one service and conditionally accepted for another.
| Category | Typical questions to resolve before booking |
|---|---|
| Batteries and battery-powered devices | Chemistry, watt-hours/lithium content where relevant, quantity, installed/packed separately, condition, testing evidence, packaging and transport mode. Damaged, defective or recalled batteries need specialist assessment. |
| Chemicals, liquids, aerosols, perfumes and cleaning products | Classification, flash point/hazard status, safety data, leak protection, quantity limits and required declarations. A retail product can still be dangerous goods. |
| Alcohol, tobacco, food, medicines and cosmetics | Licensing, age/excise rules, health/import permissions, composition, temperature needs, shelf life and carrier acceptance. |
| Plants, seeds, animal products and biological materials | Health/phytosanitary controls, species restrictions, permits, packaging and the correct specialist service. |
| Jewellery, precious materials, art, antiques and high-value goods | Value limits, proof of ownership/value, export permissions, theft exposure and any compensation/insurance exclusions. |
| Vehicles, machinery and engines | Fuel, oil, batteries, dimensions, condition, documents, title/import rules, safe loading and any specialist handling. |
4. Declarations and approval
Give a precise goods description. “Gift”, “samples”, “personal items” or “parts” alone may not identify the contents sufficiently. Do not misstate value, origin, classification or battery/chemical status to reduce a tax or bypass a restriction. Have relevant manufacturer information, safety data, licences and invoices ready.
If a carrier offers a specialist restricted-goods service, obtain written acceptance for that item and route and follow the required trained-preparer, packaging, marking and documentation process. A safety-data sheet or label alone is not proof that every requirement is met. Passenger baggage allowances should not be treated as cargo permissions.
If a concern is identified, carriage may be declined, held, returned or handled under a lawful safety process. Any charge, inspection or disposal must have a proper contractual or legal basis. Report accidental misdeclaration immediately; do not try to alter a label or move dangerous goods without competent instructions.
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