In a recent case during which Global Travel Plus assisted a student preparing for her study abroad in Florence, Italy, our coordinators were required to contact the Italian custom authorities regarding their shipping policies. It turns out that a lot of things – even some day-to-day items – are not supposed to be shipped to Italy as they fall under unauthorized categories!
If you have lived and are living abroad right now, you probably have family or friends who send you a little care package from time to time with some of your favorite products which you cannot find in your host country and are missing dearly. As a rule of thumb, we suggest avoiding any plant and food items, especially fresh foods and those not sealed properly which may result in the package being stopped and destroyed by customs. Also, never ship valuable goods such as money or jewelry without selecting the insured parcel option.
Besides these obvious items, here is a short list of other unauthorized items that truly took our team by surprise:
- Albums of any kind (of photographs, postcards, postage stamps, etc.)
- Footwear of any kind
- Clocks and supplies for clocks
- Haberdashery and sewn articles of any kind, including trimmings and lace; handkerchiefs; scarves; shawls, stockings and gloves; bonnets, caps, or hats
- Leather goods
- Perfumery goods of all kinds (except soap)
- Playing cards of any kind
- Roasted or ground coffee and its substitutes; roasted chicory
- Toys not made wholly of wood