Last Revised: April 13, 2023
Shipments destined to certain countries, regardless of the material being shipped, may require authorization by the U.S. Government to export that material. See additional information for specific countries below.
March 7, 2022: FedEx, UPS, and DHL have suspended deliveries to Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine due to the current conflict in Ukraine. The US Postal Service (USPS) may be a shipping option for these countries for non-Dangerous Goods shipment, although USPS may also experience interruptions or be unavailable depending upon circumstances on the ground. World Courier (WC) is shipping certain material to Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine but this changes frequently. Contact WC directly for current guidance. (USPS and WC are not available via eShip@Penn.)
Any material destined for the countries listed below will likely require authorization by the U.S. Government to export that shipment. Contact the Export Control Office (expctrl@lists.upenn.edu) at Penn for clarification.
- Iran
- Cuba
- Syria
- Crimea Region of the Ukraine
- Russia
- Belarus
- Ukraine
Please note that shipping Dangerous Goods or other lab material to China has become very restricted.
DHL:
NO Dry Ice shipments are allowed to be shipped anywhere in China by DHL Express, with or without a hazmat enabled account number.
UPS:
UPS will not ship any Dangerous Goods to China, including Dry Ice
FedEx:
FedEx will ship packages on Dry Ice to China, but only to Shanghai.
Optional “white glove” shipping solutions: (These carriers would be contracted directly by your business office, and paid via Pcard or PO)
- Customs Broker: The University’s approved Customs Brokers/Freight forwarders Priority World Wide or Geodis may be able assist: https://cms.business-services.upenn.edu/purchasing/component/content/article/10-supplier-database/311-526812.html
- World Courier:
Dry Shipper:
Dry Shippers are an alternative to using Dry Ice, when you need a stable cold environment to ship your sample in. Dry Shippers can be rented directly from FedEx and shipped as a non-hazardous cooling option. Regulated biological hazards may still not be allowed entry into China. Check with your Chinese collaborator for details.
UPDATED: March 7, 2021
China, Hong Kong, Russia, Venezuela: Additional steps may be required for shipments (excluding document only shipments) to China, Hong Kong, Russia, or Venezuela, regardless of whether you use eShip@Penn or ship directly through one of the major carriers, and regardless of the value of the shipment.
Russia, Ukraine, Belarus: The U.S. government has also imposed export licensing requirements for many items that previously did not require an export license to Russia and Belarus. The categories of items now requiring an export license include, but are not limited to, computers, semiconductors, telecommunications, lasers, sensors, navigation, avionics, propulsion, aerospace, and maritime technologies. The export licensing requirements also apply to hand-carried items. In the event you need to ship materials to Russia, Ukraine, or Belarus in the near future, please contact expctrl@lists.upenn.edu.
Depending on what is being shipped, Electronic Export Information (EEI) filing in the Automated Export System may be required to obtain an ITN (Internal Transaction Number) prior to shipment [1]. To avoid significant delays, please gather the following information for each item in your package before attempting any shipment to these destinations:
*Contact the Penn Export Control Office (expctrl@lists.upenn.edu) for additional guidance and support!
- Whether the item is of domestic or foreign origin
- Schedule B/HTS Number: 10-digit code commodity classification code.
- Schedule B/HTS look-up tool: https://uscensus.prod.3ceonline.com/.
- For commercial items, the vendor/manufacturer will be able to provide this code (either published online or on request).
- Product description: Sufficiently detailed description of each item being shipped.
- Good descriptions: Xilinx FPGA kit, rabbit polyclonal IL-6 antibody, formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded human brain tissue, T- shirts
- Poor descriptions: electronic components, research sample, protein, exempt specimen, gift box
- ECCN: Export Control Classification Number
- For commercial items, please contact the vendor/manufacturer to obtain the ECCN. Many companies publish this information online.
- If you do not know the ECCN number, please contact expctrl@lists.upenn.edu for assistance
[1] Note that, with the exception of Canada, all international shipments over $2,500 require an ITN. The new requirement eliminates the dollar threshold for shipments to China, Hong Kong, Russia, and Venezuela.