Customs clearance on DHL or FedEx failed: what businesses should do and how to avoid it

Why customs "holds" the cargo

Customs clearance does not pass automatically when there is a discrepancy between the declared data and the actual cargo. The most common reasons:

• The value of the goods in the invoice does not match the real value. Undervaluation is one of the main triggers of additional inspection.
• The content description is too generic. "Goods", "samples", "spare parts" without specifics force customs to request additional documents.
• Confusion between a private individual and a legal entity in the recipient field. For a business shipment, the recipient must clearly be the company, not a private person.
• Missing permit documents for certain categories of goods (certificates of conformity, import permits).
• The delivery cost exceeds the value of the goods themselves — even with goods valued up to 150 EUR, this can mean the shipment is subject to customs payments rather than being automatically exempt.

What happens if clearance is delayed

Customs keeps uncleared cargo free of charge for 30 days. If the issue is not resolved within this period, paid storage begins, and in some cases the cargo may be returned to the sender at the recipient's expense.

For a business waiting for a batch to launch sales or production, every day of delay is a direct loss of time and money.

How SEMERO reduces the risk of delays before shipping

We check the documents in advance, not after the cargo is already stuck at customs:

• Verification of the invoice and goods description against the actual contents of the shipment before dispatch.
• Checking the recipient field for accuracy — the company is specified correctly, with all its details.
• Consultation on permit documents if the product category requires them.
• Advance calculation of customs payments, taking into account the ratio of goods value to delivery cost — so there are no surprises at the border.

SEMERO for business shipments

If clearance still requires additional inspection — our customs broker works under our own licence and supports the process through to completion, rather than simply reporting the delay.

SEMERO is your international delivery agent: we book a courier at the supplier's address, work with leading carriers (FedEx, UPS, DHL and others) and support customs clearance from the first day of document preparation to the release of the cargo for free circulation.