Sending international mail and EMS

Before sending things home, check the method and the prohibited items list.

The options

• EMS (international express) — fastest, with tracking. Relatively expensive.
• Air parcel and air letter — slower and cheaper than EMS.
• Sea mail — cheapest, but weeks to months.
• Private couriers (DHL, FedEx) — fast but expensive.
• Country-specific shipping companies — your own community can advise.

Rates and timescales can be calculated on the Korea Post website.

Before sending

1. Check prohibited and restricted items — these differ by destination.
   • Generally prohibited — loose batteries, flammable materials, some perfumes and sprays, liquids (restricted), meat, seeds and other quarantine items
   • Power banks and lithium batteries are restricted for air transport.
2. Complete the customs declaration. State contents and value truthfully.
3. Pack securely. Boxes can be bought at the post office.
4. Write the recipient's address accurately in English (or the local script).

When receiving

• Customs duty and VAT may apply, depending on value and item.
• Customs clearance may require documents.
• A personal customs clearance code is sometimes needed. It is issued by the Korea Customs Service.

Where to go

• 1588-1300 Korea Post customer centre
• Korea Post www.koreapost.go.kr (rates, tracking)
• 125 Korea Customs Service (clearance, duty, personal clearance code)
• 1588-8112 Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency (food and plants)
• 1577-1366 · 1345 interpretation

Questions people ask

What if the customs declaration doesn't match the contents? False declaration is punishable and the goods can be seized. State the truth.

Can I send food? It follows the destination country's rules. Meat, dairy and seeds are mostly prohibited. Check in advance.

My parcel never arrived. EMS and registered post are trackable. Check on the Korea Post site and ask 1588-1300. Compensation rules exist.

Can I send a power bank? Air transport is restricted. Ask the post office.

Take care

Never send a parcel on someone else's behalf. If you don't know what is inside, you can be held responsible for transporting drugs or illegal goods. Even from someone you know, refuse unless you have checked the contents yourself.

Related

post-office · parcel-delivery · home-country-food · online-shopping

Source

Korea Post www.koreapost.go.kr / As of 2026-08