My tracking says there is a customs issue? What should I do?

Tracking is useful for both the recipient and the sender, so you can check the progress of the delivery. If you are shipping a package internationally and you see a tracking scan such as ‘Customs Clearance’ or ‘Held by Customs’ this means the recipient should have been contacted by customs to make payment of any duty owed in order to release the package for delivery.

There are a couple of things you should do to make sure the package is delivered as quickly as possible:

1. Contact the recipient to check they have been contacted by customs in order to release the package.

2. If they have not been contacted, you should get in touch with Parcel Monkey and we can investigate to ensure the package is delivered.

It is essential to provide correct and accurate contact details so customs can contact the recipient if any customs duty is owed. Failure to do this can result in long delays and the return of the package at the cost of the sender. It is also essential to complete the customs documents correctly and attach them securely to the outside of the box so that customs officers can see what is inside the package. 

Parcel Monkey has no direct contact with customs, we liaise on the sender's behalf with the courier who then makes contact with customs in order to resolve any issues.

You should always make the recipient aware that backlogs in customs, could mean their package is delayed and this delay is out of the control of the shipper, courier and Parcel Monkey. 

Find out how long it takes for a package to clear customs.