Embargoes and sanctions

General information on sanctions, embargoes and restrictions

Our customers send parcels worldwide every day, but some countries and international organizations, including the European Union, impose restrictions on what you as a customer can send to certain recipients, organizations or countries. These restrictions are also known as sanctions or embargo measures.

Embargoes can take many forms, but they are generally intended to prevent certain goods, services, financial resources or knowledge from being made available to certain recipients. It is your responsibility as a customer to check whether the goods you wish to send are subject to an embargo or export control.

If you violate embargoes or sanctions laws, your shipping service provider can handle your package in a variety of ways, including disposal. You may also be subject to investigation by the relevant authorities.

Where can I obtain further information?

If you are sending parcels from Germany, you can find information on the website of the Federal Office of Economics and Export Control at https://www.bafa.de/EN/Home/home_node.html . The website contains useful information and links to relevant information published by the UN or the EU.

Country-specific embargoes

In recent years, there have been embargo measures against the countries listed below. However, please note that the lists change from time to time. Therefore, you should check the status of a country before sending a parcel to one of the countries.

Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Myanmar (Burma), China, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Ivory Coast, North Korea, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan/South Sudan, Syria, Tunisia and Zimbabwe.

For each of these countries, there are special restrictions on the goods that can be imported. These are often goods that can be used for both civilian and military purposes (so-called dual-use goods). If you send parcels to countries that are subject to export controls, as a GLS customer you must ensure that you are authorized to do so.

Personal embargoes

The Federal Office of Economics and Export Control publishes fact sheets on its website on country-independent embargo measures to combat terrorism, including references to lists of names of the United Nations Sanctions Committee.

According to these, it is generally prohibited to make funds or economic resources available to the persons named in the banned lists. This includes, for example, the payment of cash, the presentation of a check or the delivery of goods.

These are often individuals and organizations associated with or located in the above-mentioned countries, but they can also be located anywhere in the world. As a customer, you should seek legal advice if you wish to ship goods to an individual or organization on the prohibited lists.