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Prohibited and specialist items

Most goods ship as normal. Some need extra paperwork, and a few travel as specialist cargo after we review them. Destination rules may be stricter.

Never accepted

  • Firearms, ammunition and replicas
  • Explosives and fireworks
  • Illegal drugs and paraphernalia
  • Counterfeit goods
  • Hazardous waste

Accepted with conditions

  • Lithium batteries (installed in equipment only)
  • Perfume and aerosols
  • Medicines and supplements
  • Alcohol and tobacco
  • Food and plant products
  • Jewellery and watches over $5,000

Specialist cargo, after review

Cash, bullion, bearer bonds, live animals and human remains are refused by most carriers. We carry them, but never as a standard booking: each one is reviewed first, with the paperwork below and a check on who is sending and receiving it.

Cash, bullion and bearer bonds

Banknotes, gold and silver bars and coins, bearer instruments

Paperwork we need

  • Proof of identity for the shipper and the receiver
  • Proof of ownership and source of funds
  • Currency or bullion declarations for export and import customs
  • Assay certificates or a bar list, for bullion

Sealed, tamper-evident packaging, insured to the agreed value and moved under escort. Bearer bonds are banned or restricted in many countries, so we confirm the route is lawful before we quote.

Live animals

Pets, working animals, livestock and zoo transfers

Paperwork we need

  • Health certificate from a licensed vet, issued close to departure
  • Import permit for the destination, and vaccination and microchip records
  • CITES permit for any protected species
  • An IATA-compliant travel container

Routes are planned around the animal: direct where possible, and never through hubs in extreme heat or cold.

Human remains

Repatriation of the deceased, and cremated remains

Paperwork we need

  • Death certificate, with a certified translation where needed
  • Embalming certificate, or cremation certificate for ashes
  • Certificate that the death was not from an infectious disease
  • Transit or burial permit and consular approval for the destination

Arranged with the family's funeral director, with one named contact at ShipraExpress from collection to handover.

How a specialist shipment works

  1. 1

    Tell us about it

    Send a specialist enquiry with the route, what it is and when it needs to move.

  2. 2

    Send the paperwork

    We list exactly what the route needs, and you send it to your specialist.

  3. 3

    We review it

    We check the documents and the people behind the shipment. Some routes take a few days.

  4. 4

    We book it with you

    Once approved, we quote, book and handle it end to end, with one named contact.

Start a specialist enquiry

These can't be booked online. Our team books them with you once the review is done.