If you are a frequent user of FedEx & receive a lot of international shipments then you might have seen the “FedEx package available for clearance: status on your package tracking page.
Do you know what FedEx package for Clearance means, How long would it take to deliver a package but you have to do it in case it gets delayed?
This article covers every aspect related to the “FedEx packages available for clearance”. If you have seen this notification for the first time, there is nothing to worry about. Clarence usually means your package has reached the custom facility now they will inspect the paperwork and the content of the package and make sure it complies with the customs rules and regulations.
What’s the Meaning of “FedEx Package Available For Clearance”?
Usually, all international shipments go through customs to get a ‘clearance’ before they make their way to the recipient’s address. If you have received this notification “FedEx package available for clearance” it means that your package has successfully arrived in the destination country. It has reached the local FedEx facility and from there, it will make its way to the customs facility to get the “Custom Clearance” before it gets delivered to the recipient.
FedEx cannot deliver the package until the customs official gives it clearance. Depending upon the volume of packages and workload at the facility your package might take from a few hours to even days to get the clearance.
Once it gets the clearance then it will be released back to FedEx to make the delivery to the final recipient.
So, if you have received this notification ‘available for clearance’ then there is nothing to worry about it’s just a standard process that needs to be followed if anyone receives any international shipment.
Why does any shipment or package need a customs clearance?
Custom clearance is a very important cheque for any package international package as it’s the only way to know whether the content of the package complies with the rules and regulations of customs or not. It helps to prevent the import of illegal or prohibited items to the country. Down below I have listed a few of the reasons why it’s important for a package to get customs clearance.
- Security Measures: It’s one of the most important reasons why a package needs customs clearance. It ensures that no illegal or prohibited items such as illegal drugs, weapons, counterfeit goods, arms & ammunition enter your country.
- Rules and Regulation: Each country has its own rules and regulations when it comes to Importing any item from any other nation. Custom clearance helps to ensure that all packages or shipments comply with those rules and regulations.
- Applicable Taxes: The process of clearance usually involves evaluating and collecting applicable tax duties and fees on the imported shipment. These charges may vary and depend upon the type of item its value and the country of origin.
- Prevent Fraud: During the process of clearance, the officials also verify the accuracy and completeness of the document like commercial invoice certificates of origin and permits that are required to import the goods. It helps to prevent fraud and ensure that all good values are properly declared without any fraud and malpractices.
How long does a package take to get customs clearance via FedEx?
There is no estimated time limit within which your package will get the customs clearance but If you are staying inside the US then you might expect to get the clearance within 24 or 48 hours once it has arrived at the customs facility.
But if you are staying in any other nation then it might take up to a week depending upon the procedures and workload of the customs officials.
Delays are bound to happen during the customs clearance process so be prepared for that. If your package contains something suspicious then officials might hold up your package and you are required to produce more documents to show that the content in the package is not illegal or some prohibited item.
If something like this happens then you need to contact FedEx and provide them with the required documents so that your package can get the clearance as soon as possible.
Why my package status is stuck at the “Available for Clearance”?
If your package status remains stuck at available for clearance then it means that your shipment is awaiting customs clearance before it can proceed any further in the delivery process. These are a few of the reasons that can cause your package to get delayed and remain stuck on the same status for too long.
- Incomplete Documentation: If your package is missing some important documentation like commercial invoices, certificate of origin, and permits required then customs officials might hold up your package until you provide them with the required documents to verify the athenticity.
- Hold for Addition Inspection: If officials find something suspicious in your package then they will hold up your package for further inspection. To check the content, they will put your box under the X-ray machine to see what’s inside it. Even after they notice something suspicious they will open up your package to verify whether the content matches with the product description given in the paper or not.
- Payment of Tax and Duties: If you somehow have forgotten to pay the taxes and duties associated with your package then customs officials might hold up your package until you clear all those payments. Usually, in most cases, FedEx pays the tax and duties on your behalf and you are required to pay the bill once your package gets delivered to you.
- High Volume of Shipments: This usually happens during the time of holiday season when the customs facility gets piled up with hundreds and thousands of shipments. It results in a heavy backlog that ultimately slows down the entire process of sorting and processing the packages in the facility.
So, if you have got the notification and it remains stuck on that for days then chances are there that your package might be held up due to a reason listed above in the answer.
How can you get faster clearance from Customs?
There is no such way that you can use to get fast customs clearance. There are a few things that you can do so that your package can get customs clearance without having any issues.
- Provide Accurate Documents: Whenever you are expecting a package international package make sure it comes along with all the required documentation like commercial invoices, required permits, and certificate of origin. So the customs officials can process it without having any difficulty.
- Provide Detailed Description: Make sure the content of your shipment has been clearly described in the customs documentation. Provide all the information like type of goods, quantity, value, and the intent of use. With all this relevant information customs officials can process your order more effectively which can make your package get clearance a bit faster.
- Prepay Duties and Taxes: If possible, try to prepay all your applicable taxes and duties so that your package won’t hold up at the customs facility. Prepayment can reduce the delay that is likely to be caused by unpaid taxes and duties.
What to do if your package is getting delayed at customs clearance?
If your package is getting delayed after the “available for clearance” status for more than a week then you are required to follow these simple steps.
- If these have been passed and you haven’t noticed any changes then you need to contact FedEx support and request them to provide the true status of your package.
- If you think there is some issue with the Customs Department of the destination country then you can either call or email them with your shipment tracking number to and ask them why your package is getting delayed.
- If that doesn’t seem to work then contact your shipper and ask them to contact FedEx on your behalf as FedEx will respond more efficiently to the shipper.
- Be patient as the whole process can take some time in the meantime keep checking your tracking status frequently.