Surcharges for Exceptional Activities

DHL Express is committed to providing customers with the best delivery service, which is why we are continuing to offer coverage to more parts of the world than any other company.

In order to maintain a consistently high level of service, DHL Express levies under given conditions a surcharge for exceptional activities. DHL Express regularly evaluates the level of these surcharges to reflect the changing costs associated with offering exceptional activities, and we strive to ensure these surcharges remain fair for our customers.

A surcharge is applied per shipment when the delivery destination location is remote. Remote is defined as islands and highlands; or a post code/zip code that is difficult to serve; or a suburb/town that is distant, inaccessible or infrequently served.

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A surcharge is applied per shipment when the pickup location is remote and the transport charges are being billed to the account holder at destination or in a third country. Remote is defined as islands and highlands; or a post code/zip code that is difficult to serve; or a suburb/town that is distant, inaccessible or infrequently served.

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DHL Express is certified in certain classes of Dangerous Goods in accordance with IATA and ADR regulations. The handling and transportation of Dangerous Goods is not possible between all origins and destinations.

A surcharge is applied per shipment when the handling and transportation of shipments involves substances and commodities classified as fully regulated in accordance with the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations. Such dangerous goods are restricted to single piece shipments that weigh no more than 67 lbs and are accepted from approved Shippers only.

A surcharge is applied per shipment when the handling and transportation of shipments involves Dry Ice UN1845 used as a freezing agent for non-dangerous goods such as diagnostic specimens. Such contents are accepted from approved Shippers only.

A surcharge may apply per shipment when the handling and transportation of shipments involves Lithium Ion or Lithium Metal batteries compliant with the appropriate IATA Packing Instructions 966, 967, 969 and 970, Section II. DHL Express will not accept any shipment containing lithium batteries that are known or suspected of being defective or damaged.

A surcharge is applied when the handling and transportation of shipments involves consumer goods such as perfumes, aftershaves, aerosols, nail varnish and prescription medicines, Such contents are also Dangerous Goods and are most often sent in small quantities to private individuals. All must be properly labeled.

A fixed surcharge is applied to any piece, including a pallet, that exceeds the scale weight of 70kg or with a single dimension in excess of 120cm. Shipment pieces, skids or pallets with an actual weight above 1000kg or that exceed 300cm in length, width or height are not accepted. DHL reserves the right to assess additional surcharges.

A surcharge is applied when any pallet in a shipment cannot be stacked, either on request of the Shipper or by nature of the shape, content or packaging of the goods on the pallet.

This fixed surcharge is applied to any shipment that has an incorrect delivery address at the time of pickup and the delivery cannot be fulfilled after making efforts at the destination to determine the correct address. The Address Correction surcharge applies to domestic and international shipments.

A variable percentage is applied to the transportation charge of each shipment to offset the volatility of the cost of fuel used in the transportation process. The fuel surcharge is indexed to the USGC kerosene-type jet fuel index. The fuel surcharge applies to transportation charges on all services and to the following surcharges (where applicable): Elevated Risk, Non Standard Pickup, Remote Area Delivery, Remote Area Pickup, Saturday Delivery, Saturday Pickup, Out of Service Area, Over Weight Piece, Over Sized Piece, Non-Stackable Pallet, Premium 9:00, Premium 10:30 and Premium 12:00. Get More Information

A surcharge is applied when shipping to a destination country, DHL is operating at elevated risk due to continuous state of war, civil unrest, or continuous threats from terrorism. Destination countries affected: Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Mali, Niger, South Sudan, Syria and Yemen.

A surcharge applies when shipping to a destination country that is subject to trade restrictions imposed by the UN Security Council. Countries in scope: Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Iran, Iraq, North Korea, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen.

A charge will apply when shipping to a destination country that is subject to trade restrictions imposed by federal regulatory agencies such as the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). This charge will apply to all non-document shipments destined to Afghanistan, Belarus, Cuba, Lebanon, Myanmar, South Sudan and Zimbabwe. This charge may apply in addition to Elevated Risk.

The following surcharges are payable on international shipments:

Description	Surcharges (USD)
Remote Area Service	36.00 USD or 0.36 USD per lb. if higher
Dangerous Goods	98.25 USD
Dry Ice (UN1845)	5.25 USD
Lithium Batteries Section I, II (PI965)	98.25 USD
Consumer Goods ID8000	23.00 USD
Oversize Piece	89.00 USD
Non-Stackable Pallet	195.00 USD
Address Correction	15.00 USD
Elevated Risk	20.00 USD
Restricted Destination	30.00 USD
Exporter Validation	30.00 USD