United States

What Are Prohibited Shipping Items?

Certain items cannot be received, stored, shipped, imported and/or exported due to regulatory, hazard, safety or other reasons. Transactions involving these commodities are strictly prohibited, regardless of origin or destination.

Please note: Prohibited items are forbidden to be exported from the origin country or territory or imported to the destination country or territory.

What are Restricted Shipping Items?

Certain items have regulatory, hazard, safety or other considerations and require approval from Regulatory Compliance, Risk Management and Legal departments prior to handling. Transactions involving these commodities are restricted, regardless of origin or destination.

Please note: Restricted items may require special permits or licenses prior to their sale, export from or import to your specified country or territory.

Switchblade knives

Seditious or treasonable matter

Petroleum or petroleum products of Syrian origin

Kinder Surprise Eggs (Easter Chocolate Eggs with surprise)

Soil (a)

Shipments requiring any type of in-bond transportation entry through the Customs territory of the US, other than those shipments approved in advance by FedEx.

Shipments requiring duty free entry under vessel repair or ship stores provision.

Articles imported in violation of Copyright, Trademark and/or Patent laws.

Merchandise produced by convict, forced or indentured labor.

Craft wood items from China that contain wooden logs, limbs, branches, or twigs greater than 1 centimeter in diameter and with intact bark.

Birds, poultry and unprocessed bird/poultry from regions where the H5N1 Avian Influenza has been reported.

Wildlife commodities that require Fish and Wildlife clearance prior to exportation from the U.S.

African Elephant Ivory is prohibited except for certain manufactured items with -worked- elephant ivory that was legally acquired and removed from the wild prior to February 26, 1976 if the commodity contains less than 200 grams of ivory and meet the following: -Items that are part of the household move, inheritance, or traveling exhibition, Law enforcement and bona fide scientific specimens, Musical instruments, Furniture pieces and Firearms.

Articles that require inspection/release at a specialized U.S. Department of Agriculture Plant Protection and Quarantine facility (for propagative plant material, products from CITES regulated plants, insects, etc.), or at a Food Safety and Inspection Service facility (for meat, poultry and egg products).

For commodity prohibition between the U.S. and Puerto Rico, refer to the "Prohibited Items for Shipments Within the U.S." found in Section A of this guide.

Hemp products such as cosmetics, clothing, food, etc. that contains Tetrahydrocannabinols (THC).

Shipments requiring export registration to be performed by FedEx (items being sent for repair and return will be subject to full duties and taxes unless proper procedures are followed).

All pipes related to the use of illicit drugs such as smoking pipes used as drug paraphernalia

(a) Soil is prohibited except when the US Importer has a USDA Import Permit and a copy of the permit accompanies the shipment. Soil is prohibited from transiting through the US.

The above information is for informational purposes only.  Please consult with the appropriate authorities when deciding to ship internationally.