Prohibited Export Items That Wont Pass US Customs

Thankfully though, with just a little bit of information and insight (like the details we highlight in the rest of this quick guide) you won’t have to worry about understanding whether or not something can be sent from the United States to an address abroad. Due to US export regulations and carrier restrictions, there are certain items international shoppers are prohibited from exporting into their country. It’s critically important that you understand exactly what you are getting into when you decide to send things to yourself through the USPS from overseas – and especially when you want to send something to others back home in the United States. The last thing you want to do is find yourself on the wrong side of the law just because of a completely innocent mistake that could have been avoided altogether, often times with you still being able to send the item or items back to yourself in the US as long as you go through the appropriate channels.

At the same time, you want to make sure that you are legally able to send things from the United States to overseas locations as well. With a little bit of research you can avoid unnecessary delays, seizures, or the destruction of items were having sent from the US to an international address. There’s an entire list of things that the USPS (and partner shipping companies) simply will not handle domestically or internationally. The beauty of these shipping companies is that they regularly publish information related to prohibited items that you have a tough time sending, but it is still something that you’ll have to square away on your end.

Telling US postal service inspectors or U.S. Customs agents that you simply didn’t know you are legally able to send something through the mail usually isn’t going to fly. It’s critically important that you do as much research and due diligence as possible to know exactly what you are getting into when you send potentially prohibited export items internationally – something that is just as important (if not even more so) as understanding whether or not you can legally import things to the US, too.

There are plenty of items that exist in the “gray space” between the perfectly acceptable side of things and the obviously unacceptable side of the spectrum, too. Again, this really isn’t something that you want to sort of fly by the seat of your pants with.

The list below is a pretty exhaustive breakdown of all the things you’re going to want to avoid shipping from the United States to other nations around the world, regardless of the specific rules, regulations, and municipal restrictions that may be in place. While this list is very comprehensive it should not be used as a “be-all, end-all” kind of checklist that you use exclusively to determine whether or not something is a prohibited export item or not.

Though the information below is a great set of guidelines to work off of it is still always a good idea to either contact someone at U.S. Customs to determine whether or not you can send something overseas or contact someone at a consulate for the nation you are sending something to – just to get things cleared up a bit. This very specific information is going to help your whole lot more than generalities, though the ballpark details below will help you understand the framework of things that are likely to be prohibited straight out of the gate. Let’s dig right in!

Medicines, Prescriptions, Various

Prescription medications
- Including dental
- Including veterinary
Prescription medical devices
Medical devices if not FDA-approved
Pro hormones, Human Growth Hormones, stem cell treatments, steroids or synthetic versions
The following items that are not labeled in English, or without FDA-approved labeling requirements:
- Non-prescription medications
- Dietary supplements
- Cosmetics
- Food
Any food, supplement, drug or cosmetic that has been issued a Consumer Safety Advisory Warning
Perishable products of any kind
Lab reagents, biologics, cultures, medical specimens
Poisonous substances
Toxic substances
- Including inhalation hazards
Infectious substances
Explosives, fireworks, gun powder, flares or matches
Gasoline, diesel or other fuels
Lighters containing fuel
Meals Ready to Eat (MRE)
Pesticides, herbicides, fungicides
Radioactive elements or products
Self-balancing boards (hover boards)

Weaponry and Components

Oxidizing agents
Fire extinguishers
Firearms, guns & accessories
- Including replicas
BB/pellet/air soft/paintball guns, parts and projectiles
Ammunition, magazines & bayonets
Stun guns & tasers
Tear gas, mace & pepper spray
Gas masks & gas mask filters
Law enforcement striking weapons, including saps, batons & billy clubs
Handcuffs of any material, including plastic zip tie restraints & straitjackets
Body armor, helmets or personal protection articles with kevlar or ballistic ratings
Military/tactical/police shields
Government, police or military uniforms, IDs and Badges
- real or replica
Military training equipment
Military and/or dual-use flight helmets and flight jumpsuits
Military and law enforcement equipment
Thermal imaging, Infrared or other night vision devices
Rifle-scopes, laser pointing & aiming devices for firearms
Defense articles controlled under the US Munitions List as defined under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations

Various

Self-propelled vehicles
Damaged batteries
Any dual-use or commercial article controlled under the Commerce Control List (CCL) as defined under the Export Administration Regulations, where the control status requires a Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) approved export license
Counterfeit products
Contraband or illegal substances
Lottery tickets
Gambling devices & accessories
Lock picking devices
Rough diamonds
Live or dead animals or insects
Human remains
Coral
Brazilian rosewood
Skin or leather of snakes, alligators, crocodiles, stingrays, and other reptiles or amphibians
Skin, fur or leather of wolves, bears, elephants, rhinos and certain deer and foxes
Sturgeon or Beluga caviar
Agricultural products, including certain seeds, live or dead plants, unfinished or untreated wood & soil
Items containing animal products controlled under the Endangered Species Act, Marine Mammal Protection Act, or requiring a permit under CITES
Any unidentifiable material, substance or chemical

These are the most common prohibited items worldwide, some countries may have even more restricted or prohibited items. These are items that may not leave the US at all.

As we highlighted earlier, though, this list is not totally complete or entirely comprehensive. On top of that, the US government has the full right and authority to change their mind about prohibited items at any point in time – and without any advance notification – which means it’s up to you to verify that you are good to go.

Don’t be afraid to contact officials at U.S. Customs that can help point you in the right direction to further resources about what you can and cannot ship internationally. They may also be able to answer your questions directly, too.

A lot of the most common liquid restrictions when it comes to shipping have to do with potentially hazardous materials, potentially dangerous toxins, and flammable liquids (like gasoline, for example) that are anything but safe or stable to ship outside of purpose built containers.

Some people conflate the rules and regulations that handle whether or not we are able to bring liquid substance on board airplanes with us with international shipping rules and regulations. It’s important to understand that these two things are completely different sets of protocols and one does not necessarily influence the other.

As a general rule, it’s a good idea to try and stay away from shipping liquids overseas just because of the headache, hassle, and expense that it inevitably brings to the table. Anything that may be viewed unfavorably by shipping partners or by the customs agency at the country you are sending this mail through will likely be confiscated and destroyed. Nobody wants to deal with all that extra headache and hassle, either.

If you do end up wanting to ship alcohol products or aerosol products through the mail from the United States to international destinations, it’s not a bad idea to speak to local liquor stores or alcohol distributors to ask about how they might go about helping you facilitate this kind delivery.

They may be able to help you (and then again they may not), but at the very least you’ll be speaking to experts that know a little bit about shipping alcohol and that know how to navigate the myriad of laws, rules, and restrictions in place about doing exactly this.

Almost all consumer electronics are going to be “good to go” when you want to ship something internationally. These aren’t the kinds of products you will run into a lot of trouble with when you are exporting something overseas, especially in small or individual quantities.

Sending larger amounts of electronic and computer components, especially over longer stretches of time, are going to have your shipping activities more closely scrutinized by the experts and federal officials at U.S. Customs, at the USPS, and with any of the shipping partners that you have chosen to take advantage of.

There are ways to safely and completely legally send larger quantities of these kinds of items overseas. But you do have to make specific sets of information clear to U.S. Customs officials if you’re going to go down that road. You won’t be able to just simply box things up, slap a shipping label on them, and hope that you are going to clear customs with no trouble at all.

Be sure to reach out to these companies and the shipping partners with all of your questions regarding the legality and safety of sending any items you may have questions about. These companies handle millions and millions of packages and parcels every month and are going to be clued into the most recent rules and regulations that dictate what can and cannot be sent out of the country to addresses overseas and abroad without any issue.

It’s a good idea to consult these breakdowns regardless of whether or not you are nervous about your items getting the green light from the same shipping partners. It’s never a bad idea just to double check the legality of what you are up to, confirming that you are in the clear and that you aren’t going to be slapped with any surprise issues – fees, penalties, or even potential legal problems – just because you didn’t check with these shipping partners first.

Here at US Global Mail we have built up a reputation as one of the best mail forwarding, mail scanning, and nontraditional mail servicing solutions in the industry today.

With thousands of clients all over the world (including individuals, small and midsize businesses, entrepreneurs, and more) taking advantage of our mail services we have a lot of experience helping people determine whether or not the items they want to mail internationally can be done so safely and legally.

A breakdown of all the services we offer can be found on our main web page, but you can also reach out to us at any point in time – at your earliest convenience – with specific answers about solutions we here at US Global Mail provide.

We hope that you will reach out as soon as you get a chance!

Tashi Nibber

Tashi Nibber is the CMO at US Global Mail, the leading virtual mailbox and virtual address service in the US. US Global Mail provides mail scanning, mail management and check deposit services to expats, entrepreneurs and virtual teams.