International courier, import and freight services
Documents, parcels, pallets and freight, collected anywhere in the UK and shipped worldwide. Express air, European road, air and sea freight, imports and urgent on-board courier, with help on the customs paperwork.
Why the quote needs more than a country
An international quote depends on far more than the destination.
Contents, value, reason for export, country of origin, commodity code, dimensions, weight, deadline and delivery terms all shape what’s available and what it costs. Get that right at the start and you avoid most customs holds, re-rating, returned goods and surprise charges.
We’ve handled international courier work since the company started in 2001. You can speak to teams in Basingstoke, Farnborough, Reading or Southampton, and we collect nationwide when the shipment starts somewhere else.
Choosing the route around the shipment
Express international courier
Express air suits documents and parcels that need to reach major international destinations fast. Next-working-day delivery is often available to major European cities and New York on shipments booked before the cut-off. But we’ll confirm that against your postcode and your contents rather than leave it as a claim. Express doesn’t shortcut customs.
European road courier
Express and economy options across much of Europe. Economy road is a sensible choice when air speed isn’t worth paying for. Dedicated road transport gives you far more control on urgent, sensitive or larger consignments. For a dedicated vehicle we also cost in driver hours, crossings, tolls and route conditions.
International air freight
Takes larger consignments and routes where a parcel service won’t work. Typically involves collection, export handling, airport processing, the airline movement, customs clearance and final delivery. Chargeable weight can be calculated on volume rather than actual weight, so complete dimensions matter more here than almost anywhere else.
Sea freight
For larger, non-urgent international movements where capacity and cost beat transit time. It needs planning around collection, export paperwork, port handling, customs, destination charges and final delivery. A port-to-port figure isn’t the landed cost, so we’ll be clear about what the quote does and doesn’t include.
Import collection
We can collect overseas and deliver into the UK. As the importer you’ll still need to supply accurate information and understand duties, VAT and your customs responsibilities. We coordinate the transport and documentation route; customs makes the clearance decision.
On-board international courier
For small, extremely urgent consignments, a courier collects the item, travels with it on a scheduled flight and completes or coordinates the handover. It suits critical components, pharmaceuticals, medical equipment and documents where the cost of delay dwarfs the cost of a seat on a plane.
What we need for an international booking
Full legal names, addresses, postcodes, telephone numbers and email contacts. Delivery addresses should include the department, building, floor or receiving point. Business shipments may also need company registration, tax or importer information depending on the destination.
“Parts”, “samples” and “gift” are the three descriptions most likely to get your shipment stopped. State what the item is, what it’s made from and what it’s used for. “Two stainless-steel machine brackets for repair” tells customs something. “Engineering parts” doesn’t. Whatever you write should match the invoice, the packing list and your own records.
Piece count, packaging type, dimensions and weight. For pallets, give the loaded dimensions and gross weight. Carriers and airlines re-measure, and a discrepancy changes the price or the service. Flag anything long, oversized or non-stackable.
Customs needs a value it can defend, including for samples, returns and temporary exports. Say whether the goods are sold, repaired, returned, temporarily exported, supplied as a sample or moving for some other reason. A zero value is rarely right just because no money changed hands.
Classification and origin drive duties, controls and declarations. Supplying them correctly is the exporter’s or importer’s responsibility. We’ll explain where they’re used and check the booking has what it needs, but we won’t invent a code from an incomplete product description. That is how shipments get seized.
Agree who pays carriage, duties, taxes and destination charges before shipping. Incoterms change both responsibility and cost. If the recipient is expected to pay import charges, make sure they know and can actually do it. Shipments sit in bond because a named payer wouldn’t answer the phone.
How the process runs
Booking
Proof
Briefed.
We review the route and deadline
We check origin, destination, contents, size and required delivery date, then weigh express, economy, road, air, sea and dedicated options against each other. If the deadline can’t be met, we’ll tell you what can.
Matched.
Documentation is identified
You supply the commercial invoice, values and descriptions. We check the booking and flag anything obviously missing. Restricted goods, licences and destination-specific controls have to be resolved before collection, not at the airport.
Allocated.
Collection and export are arranged
We collect from the four branch regions or anywhere else in the UK. Goods need to be packaged for the route and ready before the cut-off. International networks involve more handling than a same-day dedicated vehicle, so the packaging has to survive terminals and transfers.
Direct.
Tracking and customs are monitored
Tracking shows the shipment moving through the service. A customs scan isn’t automatically a problem; it’s often just part of the route. When customs does ask for something, a fast accurate reply from the exporter or importer usually prevents a long delay.
Confirmed.
Delivery and proof
After clearance the shipment goes out for final delivery, and proof of delivery follows the service. If you need a named recipient, a delivery booking or a specific site process, tell us before despatch.
Customs, restricted goods and packaging
Customs guidance, without false certainty
Customs rules change, and the right treatment turns on the actual goods and the actual trade movement. We give practical shipping guidance. What we can’t do is promise every shipment clears without delay, or stand in for legal or tax advice. Our time-sensitive customs articles carry publication and review dates and link to the official source.
Restricted, hazardous and unusual goods
Not every carrier or route takes every commodity. Batteries, aerosols, chemicals, biological material, medicines, food, alcohol, valuables and controlled technology can need declarations, specific packaging, licences or a specialist service. Some destinations prohibit things that move around the UK without a second thought.
Declare the contents before booking. If you have safety data sheets, dangerous-goods classifications or permits, send them. Hiding or mis-describing restricted contents creates a safety risk, and it creates a customs problem and a bill. Same principle for temperature-sensitive, fragile and high-value goods: “medical” doesn’t mean temperature-controlled.
Packaging for international transport
International parcels go through automated systems, airports, depots and delivery vehicles. Use a rigid outer container, proper internal cushioning and sealing that suits the weight. Stop the contents moving inside the box, protect the edges and strip old labels off.
Pallets need to be stable, secured and safe to handle. Don’t overhang unless it’s been specifically accepted. Heavy items need packaging that can carry their own weight. If wood packaging regulations apply at the destination, confirm compliance before we collect.
Why use us for international delivery
A person picks the route
An online rate is useful right up to the point where it doesn’t tell you the deadline misses the cut-off, the item is restricted, or a different mode would protect the goods better.
UK-wide collection, four branches
Customers around Basingstoke, Farnborough, Reading and Southampton can ring a local branch. Everyone else gets nationwide collection through the central team.
Urgent and economy compared
We put express parcel, road, freight, dedicated and on-board courier side by side, so you don’t pay for urgency you don’t need or book a route that was never going to hit the date.
Support when something needs chasing
International shipments sometimes need extra documents or action from the recipient. We stay the shipping contact and help coordinate the response, instead of leaving you to interpret a tracking scan.
International courier FAQs
It depends on origin, destination, contents, cut-off, service and customs. Next-day is often available to major European cities and New York on suitable express shipments. Road, freight and remote destinations take longer. We confirm the route-specific estimate when we quote.
We guide you through what's required and prepare the shipment booking. You remain responsible for accurate descriptions, values, classifications and supporting documents.
Yes. Nationwide collection for international shipments, with direct branch support around Basingstoke, Farnborough, Reading and Southampton.
Yes. We arrange overseas collection and UK delivery. As importer you must provide the information and authority needed for UK customs clearance and pay any charges due.
Yes, by road, air or sea freight. Send pallet dimensions, weight, stackability, contents, value and loading details.
A person who accompanies a small urgent consignment on a scheduled flight and manages the handover. It's a specialist option for deadlines that justify the cost.
That follows the delivery terms and customs arrangement you've agreed. Identify the payer before shipping. Duties and taxes sit outside the transport price unless we've expressly included them.
No, and neither can anyone else. No courier controls a customs authority. We select the right service, check the booking information and respond to requests quickly. But inspections, missing information and destination rules can all add time.
Get an international courier quote
Send the collection postcode, destination country and postcode, contents, value, dimensions, weight and required arrival date. Attach the commercial invoice or packing list if you have it.