Porhibited And Restricted Items

UPS International (Vietnam)

Additional Import Documentation
To enable clearance for CITES shipments, please ensure CITES Certificate is forwarded by Express service.

High value shipments (invoice value more than 1 million VND) imported into VN related to food stuff or supplementary products should have state certificate of health and safety for clearance.

Consignees have to obtain it from Institute of Hygiene and Public Health and submit to customs to get approval for release. (B2C shipments or Personal consignees are not approved for this certificate).
Without the certificate, the shipments will be returned to origin or abandoned, up to decision from shipper/receiver.

Goods under IATA Special Provisions A67 require a MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet).

It is not required for all, however shipments can be held by local authority in United Arab Emirates after screening due to lack of MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) or NON DG (Dangerous Goods) declaration letter from the shipper resulting to misconnections and impacting end-to-end service.

It would be advisable for all shipments originating, transiting and terminating for UAE to have MSDS or NON DG declaration from shipper enclosed in the shipment and copies to be uploaded in IDIS.

Packing list is not mandatory required.
Additional Export Documentation
No Information found on this topic for the selected country or territory.
Additional Clearance Information
Import duty and tax are calculated based on C&F value. Taxable (Import Tax, VAT or Special Consumption Tax) amount is based on the total value of FOB invoice value plus Freight charge (based on public import rate of Express saver).

Customs will revaluate the shipment value if the value declared is deemed to be incorrect.

Effective from October 15th 2019, Vietnam Customs Authority has revised the declaration process per requirements of Circular Number 56/2019/TT-BTC. As per the new process, VAT tax code is required for customs declaration of both for low value and high value shipments, and detail declaration (or invoice line declaration) will also be required for low value shipments.
UPS cannot deliver to a P.O. Box address. All packages require a consignee's contact name and complete street address including apartment, suite or unit number if applicable. The consignee's telephone number should be provided if known.

Areas Served
Service is provided to and from some cities in the country or territory.
UPS cannot deliver to a P.O. Box address. All packages require a consignee's contact name and complete street address including apartment, suite or unit number if applicable. The consignee's telephone number should be provided if known.

Sunday, and official holidays.
Spring +0700/ Fall +0700
Vietnamese
Dong(VND)
Billing Options
  • Shipping charges can be billed to the shipper, receiver or a third party.
  • If VN Shipper selects F/C Billing terms, both the shipper and the consignee must have a valid UPS account number.
  • When billing to a third party, the third party's name, country or territory and account number are required.
  • Duties and taxes can be billed to the shipper, receiver or a third party.
  • When billing a third party, the third party's name, country or territory and account number are required.
  • If the duties and taxes are billed to an account outside of the destination country or territory, a "Duty and Tax Forwarding" surcharge will be applied.
  • Please note the following third party billing exceptions:
    • Shipments to and from the same country or territory (domestic shipments) cannot be billed to third party payors in other countries or territories. For example, shipments from Mexico to Mexico or Canada to Canada cannot be billed to a third party payor in the U.S. This rule does not apply to UPS domestic services in European Union countries or territories. For example, shipments from Germany to Germany can be billed to a third party payor in the U.S. (as long as the payor is a business and has a VAT or Tax/EIN ID on file with UPS).
  • When paying by credit card, check, or cash, only the shipper can be billed the shipping charges
  • The freight and duties can be billed to the shipper or a third party
  • The taxes can be billed to the receiver or a third party
  • A surcharge will be applied for the SDV billing option
Commodity Specific Stipulations

There are special stipulations on the following commodities when shipping to Vietnam. If you plan to ship one of the commodities listed below, be sure to adhere to the following stipulations in order to avoid delays and holds at customs.

Shipments of books must be censored by the Cultural Checking Department.
Shipments of brochures are subject to censorship by the Cultural Checking Department.
Shipments of business cards are subject to censorship.
Shipments of calendars require Import license from local Ministry of Communication & Information Department and are subject to censorship. Bikini swimsuit calendars are prohibited.
Shipments of Catalogs are subject to censorship by the Cultural Checking Department.
Shipments of chemicals, either in powder or liquid form require Chemical Analysis (CA) or Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS). Import certificate from Department of Chemical Substance, Ministry of Trade may be required.
An import license from Ministry of Police is required for clearance.
Import license is required for all cosmetic shipments except personal gifts with value less than 1,000,000 VND.
Shipments of credit cards require a declaration of credit line and an Import License.
An invoice is required for all shipments containing a CD-Rom/Disk. Invoice should indicate the value of the recording media (eg. CDR/DVD) & the intellectual/statistical value of the software/data separately.

Shipments of CDs are subject to censorship by the Cultural Checking Department.

Shipments of discs are subject to censorship by the Cultural Checking Department.
Shipments of diskettes are subject to censorship by the Cultural Checking Department.
Vietnam imposes a ban on the importation of second-hand consumer goods, including "family used electronic and electrical equipment".
Shipments of films are subject to censorship by the Cultural Checking Department.
Shipments of Intercompany Data on CD-Rom/Disk are subject to censorship by the Cultural Checking Department.
Shipments of labels are subject to censorship.
Shipments of magazines must be censored by the Cultural Checking Department.
Medical equipment requires Import License from the Ministry of Health.
***Medicine imported non-commercially (B2C) must get import license from Health Department regardless invoice value.
There are 2 exceptional cases:
a) The drug is personal belonging of an inbound person for treatment of his/her own disease (medicine value b) The drug (not a narcotic drug, psychotropic drug, precursor) is property of a diplomatic mission, consular office or representative office of an international organization in Vietnam or overseas diplomatic mission of Vietnam, its employees, organizations introduced by a diplomatic mission or overseas diplomatic mission of Vietnam (not more than 03 shipments in a year). Document required: Diplomatic document.

***Medicine imported commercially (B2B) are not limited in value. Import license from Health Department is required.

Shipments of microfilm and microfiche are subject to censorship by the Cultural Checking Department.
Each individual is allowed to import maximum 2 units of mobile phones per shipment without import license. An import license is required for commercial shipment.
Shipments of negatives are subject to censorship by the Cultural Checking Department.
Shipments of newspapers are subject to censorship by the Cultural Checking Department.
Shipments of paintings must be censored by the Cultural Checking Department.
Shipments of price/paper tags are subject to censorship and require an Import License.
Shipments of photographs are subject to censorship.
Shipments of publications are subject to censorship by the Cultural Checking Department.
A detailed invoice is required on all shipments containing radios & radio equipment.

An import license is required if radio contains wireless transmitter and receiver equipment with frequency higher than 60 MW.

Shipments of slides are subject to censorship by the Cultural Checking Department.
Shipments of tapes are subject to censorship by the Cultural Checking Department.

Computer recorded tapes require an Import License.

Shipment of toys is subject to quality inspection.
Shipments of Unmanned Flying Objects such as kites, radio control aircrafts, fire balloons and etc. require permission from Ministry of Defense.

The list of unmanned flying objects can be found in website link shown below. http://vbqppl.moj.gov.vn/vbpq/en/Lists/Vn%20bn%20php%20lut/View_Detail.aspx?ItemID=2867

Gift Exemptions
1000000.00 Dong VND
individual-to-individual
per shipment

This gift exemption applies for Vietnamese consignees only. If the consignee is not Vietnamese, the consignee will be charged the following:

  • Import duty of 0 to more than 100 percent (excludes Special Consumption Tax).
  • Value-added tax (V.A.T.) of 5 or 10 percent subject to different items

In addition to a detailed description of each item, write additional comments of "gift shipment" on the invoice and in the Special Instructions box of the UPS Waybill to insure a proper assessment of duties and taxes.

Invoice Requirements
Non-document shipments to Vietnam must include the original invoice.

Unit of quantity of each item must be stated in invoice.

All invoices accompanying merchandise into Vietnam must be declared in U.S. dollars. This enables Customs to correctly evaluate the value of the shipment for duty and taxes.

Invoice value should be declared clearly either in terms of FOB or C&F. Otherwise, the value will be taken as FOB value.

Import duty and tax are calculated based on C&F value. The consignee's telephone number, if available, should appear on the invoice.


UPS Paperless Invoice is available for small package exports from this country or territory.

UPS Paperless Invoice is accepted by Customs for small package imports into this country or territory.

Items Classified as Documents

The total weight of document shipment must be equal to or below 2 kgs. Otherwise it must be shipped as a non-document shipment. The destination country or territory considers the following items document shipments.

If criteria are listed, the shipment must meet this criteria to be considered a document shipment

Validated airline tickets are classified as documents. Blank airline tickets are classified as non-documents.
Charts related to geographic will be inspected by the Cultural Division.
Blank checks are prohibited. All other checks are classified as documents provided they are cancelled checks. All checks must be permitted by the State Bank of Viet Nam except blank checks.
Manuals are subject to censorship.

UPS can recommend which forms you need based on a few simple criteria. Forms can be completed online or printed. See which forms you need.
Prohibited or Restricted Commodities

In addition to the prohibited commodities listed here, it is prohibited to ship the following commodities to Vietnam.

Import of Alcoholic beverages into Vietnam is not permitted.
Ammunitions and explosives.
Used shipments are prohibited and are not allowed to be imported.

Commercial shipments will require import license. This includes shipments with more than (1) cell phone.

Shipments of used clothing are prohibited.

Shipments of clothing (more than 2 pieces) and Textiles with length of over 25m are subjected to Formaldehyde testing. A testing fee will be incurred. Expect delay of between 3 to 5 days.

Includes the following (this is not all inclusive and only a guideline): Military Aircraft parts, Military Motor vehicles, Tanks, night vision goggles', weapons, firearms, Artillery, Ammunition, Missiles, Explosives, military training equipment and protective personnel equipment, military electronics, space systems, Nuclear Weapons, Submersible vessels.
  • The export or import of defense articles which fall under the US State Department (DDTC) or ITAR control require special care to ensure shipments are presented to US Customs at the time of exportation or importation.
  • Failure to do so may result in penalties, seizure of the shipment.
  • Shippers who fail to provide the proper documentation and export details will have shipments returned to the shipper immediately.

UPS has compliance responsibilities under Export Administrator Regulations (EAR) and must know their customers and be aware of suspicious circumstances that may be present in an export transaction.

State Department Controlled shipments are those shipments which require either a State Department License (SDL) or SDL Exemption, also referred to as ITAR shipments.)

UPS (small package) State Department License (SDL) or State Department License Exemption (SDL Exemption) controlled shipments are prohibited to and from this country or territory.

Please note that UPS Freight Forwarding can address the customer's delivery needs by transporting these restricted shipments via alternate routes that bypass China.

Documents related to National Security.
Any type of narcotics.
Electronic Cigarettes can only be shipped with an International Special Commodities (ISC) contract.

An Import Licence is required.

Commercial shipment is under Government Control hence import license is required.

Shipment can be imported as personal gift if and only if consignee is able to prove that shipment is not for commercial purpose.

Customers must use an authorized UPS / MBE (Mail Boxes Etc) Store, UPS Customer Center or an ISC approved shipper to ship personal effects.

The UPS Store, Mail Boxes Etc., UPS Customer Center and ISC approved shipper will be required to identify personal effect shipments on the shipping label by placing "ISC-Personal Effects" in the Reference Field of a UPS "smart" label or in the Special Instructions Field of a UPS waybill. They must also clearly indicate 'Personal Effects' shipment on the Commercial Invoice.

Personal Effects are classified as used items (owned for a minimum of 6 months) intended for the consignee's personal use. Any items intended for any other use, such as wholesale or retail sales, business purposes, or for distribution are not considered personal effects and cannot be shipped on this basis. "Personal Effects" must be clearly stated on the invoice and goods description.

All of the following documents must be scanned into DIS/SIR and originals on the package:

  • An inventory list with estimated values with the reason for importation (holidays, move, relocation)
  • A confirmation that the goods are older than 6 months and that they are intended for personal use only
  • A photocopy of passport or ID card

Any items intended for any other use, such as wholesale or retail sales, business purposes, or for distribution are not considered personal effects and cannot be shipped on this basis.

Excisable goods (for example, perfume, alcoholic drinks, tobacco), medicine and perishable food cannot be cleared as personal effects.

Personal effects shipments are not allowed in combination with Return Services.

Personal effects sending as unaccompanied baggage must have "Un-accompanied Personal Effects Declaration". Consignee can obtain this declaration at the inbound border gate. Declaration will be submitted to customs together with passport for clearance.

Importation of seeds requires an original Agricultural Certificate/Phytosanitary Certificate. This is a requirement by Vietnam Agriculture Control Department.
Shipments of used audio/video computer products are prohibited.
Vietnamese individuals can receive tobacco as gift (no import license required) if shipment value is not greater than 1,000,000 VND. This is not applicable to foreigners.

Foreigners, (for example, expatriates, long term visitors or tourists) are not allowed to import tobacco products regardless of value and quantity.

All used items are prohibited to import into Vietnam.
All forms of weapons are prohibited.
Saturday Delivery Available

Saturday Delivery Available: Yes

Not available in all areas. Always check the international time in transit system for details of service availability within a country or territory.

Service Options

Always check Calculate Time and Cost for details of service availability and guarantee information within a country or territory. All Service Levels may not be available to or from every address within a country or territory.

  • UPS Express
  • UPS Worldwide Expedited
  • UPS Worldwide Express Plus
  • UPS Worldwide Express Saver
  • UPS WorldWide Express Freight
Special Clearance Requirements
No Information found on this topic for the selected country or territory.
Value Limits

Private Shipments

  • 1000000.00 Dong (VND)
      • 1,000,000.00 Dong (based on C&F value) provided that the commodity shipped is not a controlled item.

      Non-document shipments (non-controlled commodity) with value below Deminimis Value will enter the country or territory duty free. Customs has the right to inspect these shipments.


    Commercial Shipments

  • 1000000.00 Dong (VND)
      • 1,000,000.00 Dong (based on C&F value) provided that the commodity shipped is not controlled item.

      Non-document shipments (non-controlled commodity) with value below Deminimis Value will enter the country or territory duty free. Customs has the right to inspect these shipments.


    Weight and Size Limits
    70 kg (150 lbs.) per package
    274.00 cm (107.9 in.)  per package
    419.10 cm (165.0 in.)  per package
    Length and girth combined


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