INTERNATIONAL Shipping Information

Sofia’s provides international shipping. However, every country has different shipping regulations; please see Carrier websites for country-specific food and kitting item(s) restrictions, or list below for exclusions. We highly recommend you alert recipients of their impending delivery.

All international shipments require additional specific detail for customs paperwork; orders will be delayed until all of the following is included on the Sofia’s Drop Ship Template, International Tab:

  • Email address and phone number for every recipient (do not use accented letters or special characters)

If including kitted items, the following are required for each item:

  • Detailed, specific description (example: Portable Bluetooth speaker, 12W, model X123, rechargeable lithium-ion battery installed). Customs requires a full description to classify goods correctly and avoid delays.

  • Value (in USD)

  • Country of Origin (where the item was manufactured or produced)

  • HS Code or Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) Code per item:

    • HS Code: A 6-digit international code used to classify products. The first 6 digits are generally the same worldwide.

    • HTS Code: A 10-digit U.S. classification code based on the HS code. We recommend providing the 10-digit HTS Code when available, as carriers may require it for international shipments and customs clearance.

Customs Clearance
At times, shipments are selected for clearance, often at random. Customs clearance is the process of obtaining permission from the associated government agency to either move goods out of a country (export) or bring goods into the country (import). No Carrier has control over which package will be selected for Customs Clearance. As Sofia’s ships third party only, Distributors are responsible for assisting Customs Clearance in Canada and Worldwide. The recipient is typically the first point of contact via the phone number required for each address. Charges based on applicable taxes, duties or fees based on the package value may be applied. In order to clear Customs, one of the following may be required:

  1. Clear shipment through a Customs Broker*

  2. Hire a UPS/Fedex Brokers to release shipment**

  3. Abandon shipment/return shipment to sender, for which any fees incurred will be billed to the Distributor per Sofia’s Shipping Return Policy (noted on every invoice)

Additional Requirements for Canada
If available, please provide a Canada-based shipper account number.* If using a Customs Broker, a Business Number (BN) is required for commercial shipments. The (BN) is a nine-digit number starts with the number 1, 7 or 8. Typically ending in/including RM: #########RM0034 or #########RM0001 or #########RM0002, and is assigned by the Canada Revenue Agency for tax matters related to business in Canada. **If using UPS/Fedex Brokers to release shipment, please note a Power of Attorney(POA) /General Agency Agreement(GAA) form will may be required by whomever is paying for the shipment/account holder. We highly recommend you provide a BN on the forms.

Additional Requirements for EU
Required: Economic Operator Registration and Identification Number(EORI), an ID code used to track and register customs information in the EU. Currently, all businesses that import or export goods from countries outside the EU required an EORI number.

Lithium Batteries
Shipments containing lithium batteries require a UN38.3 Test Report for recordkeeping. Compliance with carrier and destination country regulations helps prevent shipment delays or refusals.

Exclusions
Due to local regulations, we are unable to ship any package to India or Brazil, or ship food items to Mexico, Poland and Spain.