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🇰🇭 Shipping from Cambodia

Customs Guide — Shipping from Cambodia to Asia-Pacific

Customs rules, required documents, import taxes, prohibited items and practical tips for Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore.

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Customs Basics

Essential documents and customs procedures

Before you ship, make sure you understand the four pillars of international customs compliance.

🧾
What is a Commercial Invoice?
A commercial invoice is the official transaction document between sender and recipient. Customs authorities use it to assess value and duties. It must include:
  • Full name and address of sender and recipient
  • Detailed description of each item (not "gift" or "samples")
  • HS tariff code for each product
  • Declared value per item and total in USD
  • Country of origin of the goods
  • Quantity, unit weight and total weight
  • Date and signature of the exporter
Provide at least 2 printed copies — one outside the parcel, one inside.
📋
What is a Packing List?
A packing list is a detailed inventory of parcel contents — without prices. Customs agents verify the contents match the declared goods. Include:
  • Item description (material, colour, model)
  • Quantity of each item
  • Net and gross weight per item
  • Package dimensions
  • Box or carton number
A typed packing list significantly reduces the risk of physical inspection.
📝
How to fill in a Customs Declaration
Postal parcels use CN22 (under 300 g / under $300) or CN23 (heavier/higher-value). Couriers use the commercial invoice instead. Key rules:
  • Select the correct category: gift, sale, sample, return
  • Never write "gift" on a commercial order — this is fraud
  • Declare actual fair market value, not cost price
  • Print clearly — handwritten smudges cause delays
  • For food items, include full ingredient list and country of origin
  • Include recipient phone number for delivery notification
🚨
What if a parcel is stopped at customs?
The recipient is notified by mail, email or SMS. Common reasons:
  • Missing documents — customs requests docs within 5–15 days
  • Undervaluation or mismatch — customs reassesses and charges duties
  • Prohibited item — returned to sender or destroyed
  • Random inspection — opened, verified, released in 1–3 days
  • Duty payment required — recipient pays before release
Keep proof of purchase and tracking number. Respond immediately — unclaimed parcels are destroyed after 30 days in most countries.
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🇯🇵 Japan 🇰🇷 South Korea 🇦🇺 Australia 🇳🇿 New Zealand 🇸🇬 Singapore
Asia-Pacific

Customs rules by country

Australia and New Zealand have the world's strictest biosecurity rules. Japan and South Korea are highly efficient but thorough. Singapore is the most business-friendly customs environment in the region.

🇯🇵Japan
📄
Required documents
Commercial invoice (in English or Japanese), packing list, customs declaration. Certificate of origin required if claiming RCEP preferential tariff. Food items require ingredient list in Japanese.
⚖️
Customs limits
Personal-use goods: duty-free allowance up to ¥200,000 total value per shipment. Gifts from abroad: ¥10,000 threshold per item before duty applies. Below this, goods enter free.
🚫
Prohibited items
Narcotics and stimulant drugs (zero tolerance), firearms, explosives, obscene materials, CITES-listed species (ivory, certain reptile products), some medicines exceeding personal-use quantities.
💰
Import taxes
Consumption tax (消費税) 10% on dutiable goods. Import duty varies: clothing 10–17%, ceramics 6.6%, food products 0–30%, Kampot pepper at 7%.
💡 Pro tip: Japan Customs is exceptionally thorough with food items. Even a small seasoning sachet packed inside clothing must be declared — failure to disclose leads to the entire parcel being held for inspection.
🇰🇷South Korea
📄
Required documents
Commercial invoice, packing list, value declaration form for goods above KRW 150,000. RCEP certificate of origin can reduce duty for eligible goods.
⚖️
Customs limits
Personal gifts under USD 150 (~KRW 200,000): duty-free. Above that, full declaration required. Commercial shipments above USD 2,000 require formal clearance through Korea Customs Service (KCS).
🚫
Prohibited items
Narcotics, weapons, counterfeit goods, material deemed harmful to national security, unauthorised pharmaceuticals, products with anti-Korean government content.
💰
Import taxes
VAT 10% on all dutiable imports. Customs duty 0–20%: electronics 0–8%, textiles 8–13%, cosmetics 6.5%, food products 10–30%. RCEP reduces many rates from Cambodia.
💡 Pro tip: Korea Customs Service (관세청) scans every international parcel. Attach a clear commercial invoice in English or Korean — ambiguous descriptions cause delays of 5–7 business days.
🇦🇺Australia
📄
Required documents
Commercial invoice, packing list. For goods above AUD 1,000 a formal import declaration (B374) must be lodged with the ABF (Australian Border Force).
⚖️
Customs limits
AUD 1,000 threshold for all imports. Goods under AUD 1,000 are assessed for biosecurity but generally cleared without duty. Above AUD 1,000: GST + duty apply.
🚫
Prohibited items
Fresh or unprocessed food, untreated timber and wood products, live plants, seeds, soil-contaminated items, animal products without permit. Australia has the world's strictest biosecurity laws.
💰
Import taxes
GST 10% on goods above AUD 1,000 (collected by ABF). Customs duty 0–10% for most goods; higher for some agricultural products.
💡 Pro tip: Even a forgotten spice packet inside a garment can trigger a full biosecurity hold. Declare every food-related item, even as a trace ingredient.
🇳🇿New Zealand
📄
Required documents
Commercial invoice, packing list. For goods over NZD 1,000 a Customs Entry is required. A biosecurity declaration is mandatory for all shipments regardless of value.
⚖️
Customs limits
NZD 1,000 (~USD 600) threshold: goods under this value enter duty-free but go through biosecurity screening. Above NZD 1,000: GST 15% + customs duty apply.
🚫
Prohibited items
Fresh food, live plants, seeds, soil, untreated wood — New Zealand has biosecurity laws almost as strict as Australia. Also narcotics, weapons, counterfeit goods.
💰
Import taxes
GST 15% on goods above NZD 1,000. Customs duty 0–10% for most goods. NZ Customs levies a transitional facility charge for cleared goods.
💡 Pro tip: Like Australia, even a single seed or trace of plant matter triggers full biosecurity confiscation. Clean all items before packing and declare all natural materials — wood, fibre, leather — explicitly on the customs form.
🇸🇬Singapore
📄
Required documents
Commercial invoice, packing list, TradeNet declaration through Singapore Customs portal. GST registration required for commercial importers with annual imports above SGD 1 million.
⚖️
Customs limits
SGD 400 (~USD 295) for non-dutiable goods imported by air or post: GST-free. Above SGD 400: GST 9% applies. Dutiable goods (alcohol, tobacco, motor vehicles): no exemption.
🚫
Prohibited items
Chewing gum (standard), controlled drugs, counterfeit goods, weapons, certain e-cigarettes/vaping products, obscene materials under Singapore law.
💰
Import taxes
GST 9% (raised in 2024). Customs duty applies only to 4 dutiable categories: intoxicating liquors, tobacco, motor vehicles, and petroleum products — most goods are duty-free.
💡 Pro tip: Singapore has one of the world's most efficient customs systems — properly declared parcels clear within 24 hours. The main risk is undeclared dutiable goods (alcohol, tobacco); fines are substantial and enforcement is strict.

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