Power of attorney for DHL to receive cargo for a company: sample and requirements

When a company needs a power of attorney to receive cargo

A power of attorney is needed when another person acts on behalf of an LLC or sole proprietor (FOP). The most common situations:

• the cargo is received by a company employee — a manager, driver or logistics specialist;
• the company entrusts customs clearance of a DHL or FedEx shipment to a customs broker;
• the recipient is in another city, and receipt is entrusted to a representative;
• cargo arrives regularly, and the company wants to issue one power of attorney for a certain period rather than a new one each time.

If the cargo is received personally by the head of the company, who acts on its behalf without a power of attorney, a separate document may not be needed. But the exact list of documents depends on the specific shipment, so it is worth clarifying in advance.

Power of attorney for DHL: what details are usually included

The specific form depends on what the power of attorney is issued for — only to receive the shipment, or also for representation at customs. As a rule, a corporate power of attorney contains:

1. 1The document title, place and date of issue.
2. 2The company's full name, EDRPOU code (for a sole proprietor — full name and RNOKPP), address.
3. 3Full name, position (if any) and passport details of the representative.
4. 4A clear list of powers: to receive the shipment, sign documents on receipt, submit documents for customs clearance, etc.
5. 5The waybill (AWB) number if the power of attorney is one-time, or the wording "for all shipments" if it is for a period.
6. 6Validity term.
7. 7Signature of the head or an authorised person and, if available, a seal.

Problems most often arise because of item 4: if the powers are worded too generally, the document may not be accepted. What a waybill is and where to find its number — in the article what is an AWB.

Indicative structure of a sample power of attorney

Below is not an official form, but an indicative structure that is convenient to start from. The final text is worth agreeing with the broker before the cargo arrives.

POWER OF ATTORNEY No. ___

City of ______, "__" ________ 20__

LLC "______" (EDRPOU code ______), represented by director ______, acting on the basis of the Charter, hereby authorises ______ (passport ______) to receive the DHL shipment under waybill No. ______ / all shipments to the company's address, to sign documents related to receipt and to submit documents for customs clearance.

This power of attorney is valid until "__" ________ 20__ without the right of delegation.

Director ______ (signature) Seal

Power of attorney and customs clearance: who does what

It is important to distinguish two things: receiving the shipment and customs clearance. For commercial cargo, customs clearance is a separate stage that requires an invoice, a contract and other documents, not only a power of attorney. The process is described in detail in the article DHL and FedEx cargo customs clearance step by step, and invoice requirements — in what an invoice is and why its mistakes stop cargo.

SEMERO operates under its own customs broker licence UACBR125000640. Customs clearance of DHL and FedEx cargo is carried out through the Kyiv hub, and at the SEMERO customs warehouse cargo is stored free of charge for 3 days. How a broker differs from an ordinary agent is explained in the article DHL and FedEx customs broker for business.

You can order exactly what you need: only customs clearance of DHL or FedEx cargo, only DHL or FedEx delivery booking, or a package — delivery together with customs clearance.

Typical mistakes that get a power of attorney rejected

• Expired validity term. Especially often with "one-year" powers of attorney that were forgotten about.
• Mismatched details. The representative's full name or passport details do not match the document they present.
• General powers. There is no direct mention of receiving shipments or submitting documents for customs clearance.
• No signature of an authorised person. The power of attorney was signed by someone who has no right to issue it.
• Recipient mismatch. The cargo is addressed to one legal entity, but the power of attorney was issued by another.

Shipping anything of any weight, even from 0.1 kg and valued under 150 euros, without a broker's consultation significantly increases the risk of delay and additional costs. So it is better to check the documents before the cargo arrives.

A power of attorney as a document in a shipment

A different situation is when the power of attorney itself needs to be sent: for example, to a partner abroad or to a Ukrainian branch. Then it is already about international document delivery. How to keep the original safe and track the shipment, we covered in the material on international document delivery, and on notarised powers of attorney — in the article how to send a power of attorney abroad.

We will advise on preparing the documents

Frequently asked questions