Everything you need to know about sending parcels to South Korea

South Korea - officially the Republic of Korea - has significant links with the UK, with increasing numbers of people from both countries making the switch for study, work or as permanent expats. With an estimated 3,400 UK nationals living in South Korea and vast number of Korean students and workers living in the UK, it makes sense for couriers to offer competitive, reliable delivery services to the country to take advantage of the demand for parcel delivery services.

Whether customers are sending gifts, documents or emergency parcels full of goodies from home, we offer a service that can get parcels, packages and envelopes from the UK to South Korea with ease.

Restrictions

However, there are a number of restrictions on certain items and customers will need to check what items are prohibited or restricted before sending. A parcel containing restricted goods will be identified at South Korean customs - regardless if customers are sending to Seoul, Changwon, Gwangju, Daegu, Busan or any other destination - and dealt with appropriately.

Animals and animal products, coins, banknotes, currency, knives, narcotics, printed matter, plants and plant products as well as soil samples and soil in general is subject to import restrictions.

In addition to items that have restrictions, items that are prohibited include: arms and ammunitions, beverages and spirits, cereals, dairy products, medical equipment, meat products, oil products and seeds, precious and semi-precious stones and metals among other items. A full list can be found here.

Customs clearance

In addition, parcels being shipped outside of the European Union require customs clearance in the destination country. As South Korea is not part of the European Union (for obvious reasons), senders will have to fill out certain forms in order to send parcels - though this is not the case for document deliveries.

Senders need to complete a commercial invoice if the parcel contains any items of a commercial value. For senders struggling to complete a commercial invoice, we have compiled a thorough guide which can be found here. For parcels containing gifts or personal belongings, a proforma invoice must be completed rather than a commercial invoice.

Over the past few years, South Korea has become a major player in the international arena, with the country leading the way in fields such as robotics and aerospace research. As a result, it should come as no surprise to see more and more personal and commercial deliveries being made to the country. By submitting the right international documents and not sending restricted or prohibited items to the country - as well as using a world-class courier - customers should have no problem sending parcels, packages and envelopes to one of the fastest-growing countries in the world.