Help! customs form on post?

[sianperkins89]

hi everyone, this is really important please can anyone who has sent a parcel or package to tunisia recently answer me this....did you have to put a customs form on it? this is with royal mail.
i've been worrying about this for 2 weeks now, wondering why the parcel isn't there and i just read on royal mail that it is ESSENTIAL that all parcels have a customs form, even if its just printed papers in the parcel.
i am so stressed with this as all my originals were in that parcel and i'm so worried it's got lost or stuck in some pile of stuff coz i didn't put a custom form or a return add on the outside of the parcel!
please answer and tell me if you put this customs CN22 or CN23 form??

 

[CAIRO]

I thought a customs form was only needed if u were sending goods, not paperwork were u given a tracker number??

 

[sianperkins89]

it says sending goods in a packet or parcel and even 'printed papers'
we got a tracking number but it tracks just inside the UK once it leaves it doesn't do anything! it has been passed to the overseas postal service nearly 2 weeks ago and we haven't heard anything since. my husband went to his home post office and they said they haven't received it and it isn't in the town yet. how can it take 2 weeks 2 get from england to tunisia??? we are terrifed that it is lost coz of this customs form and the fact that i didnt put a return address...surely the people in the post office should tell me this???

 

[CAIRO]

Im sure printed papers means magazines ect as that what the guy told me to write on the customs form when i sent my brother a magazine ? If u sent it from the post office they wouldnt accept it surely without a customs form if this was needed as when they weigh it u have to tell them what country it is going to ?? When did it arrive overseas ?

 

[khl]

I hope this aint to do with ur visa sian??

I dont know if its the same cz different country but i sent everything for visa to algeria i had to put a form INSIDE the package and left it open so the guy collecting can see i did it.... i dont use royal mail, i go with dhl and it had arrived to my husband 3 days later.
Have you tried calling Royal mail?

 

[sianperkins89]

yes well i had to make my mum take it in to be sent as i was so busy that weekend.
they didnt tell her about a customs form and she did tell them what country it was going to and they put his address in the tracking system right.
im not sure if it arrived overseas at all as the message said on 27th nov, we recieved ur parcel and will process it....then on about 1st dec it said..your parcel has been passed to overseas postal service for delivery in tunisia.
that is the last message we will see as it doesnt track it out the UK. i don't know what to think
why didnt they tell my mum about the customs form? the royal mail site says parcels without a customs form will be delayed and may be returned to the UK. plus i forgot to tell my mum to put a return address on the parcel! it may end up in a big centre and they need to open it 2 find an address and contact me. this will take weeks and why will they go to the effort 2 do this for 1 parcel?
it's not a parcel so much it's a packet of paper, like 800g. all our visa stuff is in it!

 

[khl]

oh bloody hell.....

Surley that means its in tunisia just waiting to be delivered?
Some parcels like that need to be collected in person or signed for. I think just sit tight and it will get to him. Ive heard of parcels taking 3 weeks.

Sian did u get any kind of ref number that ur hubs can take to the post office and see if they can track it?

 

[sianperkins89]

yeah they gave me a ref no. but its only good in england. he went 2 post office in tunisia and asked and they said that number means nothing to them they won't work on the same system so he just needs to wait. im just worried about this customs form as suddenly everyone is telling me that they always have 2 use this customs form! i wasnt told about it and my parcel was paper, not anything big or of value but i dont know if that makes a difference or not?

 

[khl]

hmm... let me look on the RM site see if i can spot anything. U should try and email them and ask them if this would cause a problem in delivery.

 

[khl]

Sian its right what u say, u need the form for whatever u send including papers and u sent documents???
I think not including that form just delays the delivery from what i see.

 

[sianperkins89]

yes i sent some of the papers for our visa. some of which are originals. i thought this was fast and secure and gets there in 5 days, thats what the site says. if i had know it was gonna cause me so much worry i would have taken it with me next time i go over.
and if it gets there when i have prepared a whole new bunch of papers i am so going to sue for that £250 compensation! i just found out from my mum that they didnt put that return address sticker on it that they do with all recorded delivery parcels that ive sent before (tunisia and UK). why would they not do that??????

 

[khl]

sue the post office too. My god.. and for something so important and sending overseas u would think they would have the sence to put something onit.

Im sure he will get it Sian. Tell him to keep nagging them... put a little bit of the british into him, thats what i do to my husband lol

 

[sianperkins89]

he may get it but it may take weeks and weeks. i'm going to see him at the end of dec so if the parcel hasnt arrived i will need 2 prepare a new one u see. that will mean getting copies of my bank statements and the copies are not good enough proof! more printing of papers, more stamping, expense and time and worry! hmm
i just would hate it if we submit a new application and then the next day he gets the parcel through his door! i would go mental.

 

[bobby g]

Sorry to say Sian, I don't know why your Mum was'nt asked to fill in the customs declaration, I thought it to be standard practice for anything other than a letter. Whenever I have posted a parcel with Royal Mail to anywhere abroad I've always been asked to fill one in.

I also write my address on the reverse of the parcel to say who it's from just to be safe. I don't think you can hold Royal Mail responsible to the parcel after it has left the UK, once it reaches Tunisia it will no doubt be up to the local postal service there. Hope you hear soon as to it's whereabouts.

 

[aljaye]

Ive only ever sent two things..one was a valentines card with chocolate in which someone ate somewhere cos he never got it and one was a card with some info in it which he got no problem Ive never filled in a form for anything tho ..

 

[scarlett rose]

Hi sian yes it can take up to three weeks I sent a parcel last xmas it took four weeks to arrive in hammamett and it had been opened when my friend checked ..fortunately only some paracetemol tablets had disappeared everything else was there just had been checked ..My fiancee now tells me that they have changed the law and the postal workers are NOT allowed to open the parcels BUT the douane have to and YES I alwaysd have to have a custom label and stipulate what is in the parcel..I hope your parcel arrives safely ..

 

[sianperkins89]

even my letters get opened to tunisia. i read on royal mail site that they check parcels into the UK but they don't open letters or cards. i thought the same may apply to other countries but all the letters i send to tunisia get opened as the sellotape is scored and money went missing once. that'll teach me to send money in the post.
thanks i hope it gets here soon too. we will continue to wait, if it's not here next week i will start to re-prepare all these visa papers. thanks for your advice and experiences everyone

 

[sianperkins89]

it arrived today!!!!!!!
sorry to be so annoying with my negativity, it was just when i found out about this customs form i was convinced that the parcel was late or lost because of the absence of this form. turns out it was just slow! so happy that it got there finally and in one piece as it was very important. i just need to be more patient in the future

 

[Essem]

Hi sian that's a relief! Great news that it's arrived safely.

More patient yes but also always have a return address & customs form - just in case!

 

[khl]

Alhamdulilah Sian.... thank god.