FedEx Prohibited Items for United States
Certain items have regulatory, hazard, safety or other considerations and require approval from Regulatory Compliance, Risk Management and Legal departments prior to handling. Transactions involving these commodities are restricted, regardless of origin or destination.
- Switchblade knives
- Seditious or treasonable matter
- Petroleum or petroleum products of Syrian origin
- Kinder Surprise Eggs (Easter Chocolate Eggs with surprise)
- Soil (a)
- Shipments requiring any type of in-bond transportation entry through the Customs territory of the US, other than those shipments approved in advance by FedEx.
- Shipments requiring duty free entry under vessel repair or ship stores provision.
- Articles imported in violation of Copyright, Trademark and/or Patent laws.
- Merchandise produced by convict, forced or indentured labor.
- Craft wood items from China that contain wooden logs, limbs, branches, or twigs greater than 1 centimeter in diameter and with intact bark.
- Birds, poultry and unprocessed bird/poultry from regions where the H5N1 Avian Influenza has been reported.
- Wildlife commodities that require Fish and Wildlife clearance prior to exportation from the U.S.
- African Elephant Ivory is prohibited except for certain manufactured items with -worked- elephant ivory that was legally acquired and removed from the wild prior to February 26, 1976 if the commodity contains less than 200 grams of ivory and meet the following: -Items that are part of the household move, inheritance, or traveling exhibition, Law enforcement and bona fide scientific specimens, Musical instruments, Furniture pieces and Firearms.
- Articles that require inspection/release at a specialized U.S. Department of Agriculture Plant Protection and Quarantine facility (for propagative plant material, products from CITES regulated plants, insects, etc.), or at a Food Safety and Inspection Service facility (for meat, poultry and egg products).
- For commodity prohibition between the U.S. and Puerto Rico, refer to the "Prohibited Items for Shipments Within the U.S." found in Section A of this guide.
- Hemp products such as cosmetics, clothing, food, etc. that contains Tetrahydrocannabinols (THC).
- Shipments requiring export registration to be performed by FedEx (items being sent for repair and return will be subject to full duties and taxes unless proper procedures are followed).
- All pipes related to the use of illicit drugs such as smoking pipes used as drug paraphernalia
(a) Soil is prohibited except when the US Importer has a USDA Import Permit and a copy of the permit accompanies the shipment. Soil is prohibited from transiting through the US.
