International Mail
Transmitting HS Codes, sub codes and other information for mail items to EU countries, etc.February 21, 2023
(Last update: March 1, 2024)
As requested by custom authorities of EU member countries, effective Friday, September 22, 2023, we recommend sending information such as HS codes of mail contents in the form of EAD when sending international mail to corresponding countries/territories.
If these information is not transmitted, or if inaccurate information is provided, inconveniences may be experienced, such as delays in customs clearance, return of mail items, or payment of excessive customs duties by the recipient, per the determination of the customs authorities of the destination countries.
In order to send information, such as HS codes, in the form of EAD, we kindly ask you to use the “International Mail My Page Service” on our website.
Depending on the decision of the destination country/territory, there is a possibility that new specific requirements are added, in which case we will announce these on our website as soon as we receive the corresponding notification from EU member countries, etc.
Target countries/territories, postal services
For more information about the countries/territories in colored cells, please see here.
Target Countries/territories (EU countries, etc.)
| Iceland | Ireland | Italy | Estonia | Austria |
| Netherlands1 | Cyprus | Greece | Croatia | San Marino |
| Switzerland | Sweden | Spain | Slovakia | Slovenia |
| Czech Republic | Denmark2 | Germany | Norway | Hungary |
| Finland | France3 | Guadeloupe | French Guiana | Martinique |
| Reunion | Bulgaria | Belgium | Poland | Portugal |
| Malta | Monaco | Latvia | Lithuania | Liechtenstein |
| Romania | Luxembourg |
- Except for Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, and Caribbean Netherlands.
- Except for Greenland and Faroe Islands.
- Except for St. Pierre and Miquelon, New Caledonia, French Polynesia, Wallis and Futuna, and French Southern and Antarctic Territories.
Important Notes
- Great Britain is not targeted.
Target customers
All customers are targeted. If you send items under the name of a company or if you send goods for sale in commercial use, the items will be strictly inspected by the customs authorities of the destination countries.
Target postal services
Following postal items are eligible.
EMS (for goods)*, international parcels, small packets, international e-Packet Light, special mailbags for printed matter and other letter-post items containing articles with a declarable value that may be subject to customs inspection.
- EMS containing goods and/or papers with a declarable value.
For dutiable items sent to Germany, such as books, calendars, letters and other printed matter, it is recommended that you transmit HS codes or sub codes.
For detailed information, please see "Countries/territories requiring special attention" in the lower part on this page.
Information recommended for transmission
If you send goods to EU countries, etc., the transmission of EAD is required. For details please see here.
The customs authorities of EU countries, etc. require transmission of the following information as EAD.
1. Information commonly required by EU countries, etc.
- HS codes (6 digits)
- Telephone number or email address of addressee
- Zip code of addressee
- You can find postal code type (digits, characters) for some EU countries here.
When entering the postal code of the recipient in the International Mail My Page Service, please input it in the "Postal code" column of the recipient's information.
In addition to this information, please enter accurate information such as the address and name of both the addressee and the sender, the type of contents.
If HS codes or sub codes are not transmitted, or if the wrong codes are transmitted, inconveniences may be experienced, such as delays in customs clearance, return of mail items, or payment of excessive customs duties by the recipient, per the determination of the customs authorities of the destination countries. If other required information than HS codes is not transmitted, or if inaccurate information is transmitted, delays in customs clearance or delivery may occur. In such cases, we regret that we cannot refund the postage or compensate for damages on the items because we are not responsible for the customs declarations of the sender.
2. Information required by each country/territory
The following countries/territories require transmission of more detailed information.
France, Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Martinique, Reunion and Ireland
For more information, please see "Countries/territories requiring special attention" in the lower part on this page.
Transmitting HS code and sub code
What is the HS code and sub code?
The HS code is an item classification code used for exporting and importing items. The first 6 digits are universal, while the last 3 or 4 digits are different for each country and are used to further categorize the description.
Some EU countries require transmission of CN codes (8-digit codes consisting of the universal 6-digit HS codes and EU-local 2-digit subclass codes) or TARIC codes (10-digit codes consisting of the universal 6-digit HS codes and EU-local 4-digit subclass codes).
How to find HS codes and sub codes
You can find the list of HS codes and sub codes (CN code and TARIC code) for items frequently sent on our web site.
How to search and send HS codes is explained below the video.
- The International Mail My Page Service screen shown in the video is in the specification prior to Sunday, October 1, 2023.
- International ePacket cannot be selected as it is no longer available since Saturday, September 30, 2023.
Japanese-English / Chinese-English translation of item names, HS codes and sub codes (CN code and TARIC code)
https://www.post.japanpost.jp/int/use/publication/contentslist/index.php?lang=_en
If you would like to find a specific HS code, you can find it on the following Japan Customs web site:
Item Classification Page
https://www.customs.go.jp/zeikan/seido/item_classification.htm
Tariff Classification Search Page
https://www.customs.go.jp/searchtc/jtcsv001.jsp
If you would like to find a specific CN code or TARIC code, you can find it on the following web page of the European Commission.
TARIC Consultation (European Commission)
https://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/dds2/taric/taric_consultation.jsp?Lang=en
Please see here for information about how to find the CN code or TARIC code on the above web page.
- It is the responsibility of the sender, who is a declarant to customs and understands the details of the contents of the item, to declare the HS code and sub code to the customs authority of the destination country. Therefore, we are not able to find or determine the HS code on your behalf. We would appreciate your understanding on this.
How to transmit HS codes and sub codes
When you create labels via the International Mail My Page Service, please enter the HS codes and sub codes in the "Register the contents" section.
"Register the contents" section on International Mail My Page Service, PC version.
Mail content registration screen of the "International Mail My Page Service" for smartphones
"Register the contents" section on the Electronic Advance Data Transmission Application installed in tablets at the counter of each post office.
Important Notes
- Please enter the HS codes or sub codes as numbers only, without periods and spaces. Periods and spaces may hinder the accurate transmission of EAD.
- If you find that you have entered the wrong HS codes or sub codes, you will need to create a new label using the International Mail My Page Service. Please note that if you manually correct or add information to the shipping label you create using the International Mail My Page Service, such as corrected HS codes or sub codes, the manual correction will not be reflected in the accompanying EAD.
- For Small Packets, International ePacket Light, Printed Matter, and other regular mails, even when entering multiple HS codes, only one code will be printed on the label. However, in the form of EAD, all codes will be transmitted to the destination country/territory (you may handwrite missing HS codes onto the label).
Countries/territories requiring special attention
For regional customs authorities of certain destination countries, more detailed information may be required. If you would like to send international mail to the following EU countries, etc., please refer to the following information.
France, Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Martinique and Reunion
It is recommended that you transmit an 8-digit CN code of the item contents. For more information, please see here.
Ireland
It is highly recommended that you transmit a 10-digit TARIC code of the contents. For more information, please see here.
Also, depending on the decision of the destination country/territory, there is a possibility that new specific requirements are added, in which case we will announce these on our website as soon as we receive the corresponding notification from EU member countries, etc.
