UPS (Import)
- Driver Release Policy
- Delivery Attempts
- Day Before Delivery Alert
- Size & Weight Restrictions
- Volumetric Weight
- Surcharges
- Prohibited Items
General Information
Established in the United States in 1907, UPS has been delivering parcels for over 100 years. The company is now one of the world leading door-to-door courier and logistics providers, delivering an average of over 16 million packages and documents every day. We are proud to offer four premium UPS Services at heavily discounted rates: UPS Standard®, UPS Expedited, UPS Express® and UPS Express Saver®.
Please see the table below for an at-a-glance comparison of the UPS services we offer:
Service | Suitable for: | Information | UK | Europe | Rest of World |
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UPS Express® & UPS Express Saver® |
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Next business day delivery from most European addresses and fast deliveries from the rest of the world. All transit times from outside the EU are subject to customs. |
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Estimated Transit Time (Europe)*Next business day delivery from most European countries.
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Estimated Transit Time (Worldwide)*North America: 2 days to most business addressesAsia: 2-3 daysWorldwide: Estimation of delivery time depending on origin and destination
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UPS Standard® |
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For less urgent shipments within Europe. | ![]() |
Estimated Transit Time (Europe)*1-5 days depending on origin and destination
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UPS Expedited |
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For less urgent shipments from destinations outside Europe. All transit times from outside the EU are subject to customs. |
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Estimated Transit Time (Worldwide)* Estimation of delivery time depending on origin and destination
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*When you book one of our services, your estimated transit time will be displayed on the quote screen during the order process. These estimates are based on deliveries between major gateway cities and vary from service to service.
Transglobal Express offers "day definite" transit times with UPS. You can obtain an accurate transit time estimate by simply entering your collection and delivery postcode into here.
Please note: Duties and taxes will be charged on a secondary invoice for non-EU imports.
Driver Release Policy
UPS operates a driver release policy in the UK, which means that packages may be left at a residential delivery address without a signature—unless you pay a surcharge of £2.50 per consignment (see Surcharges below).
This applies as long as there is a safe, out-of-sight location that is sheltered from the weather. The residence must be a single-family dwelling with a private entrance.
However, this does not apply to business addresses or multi-family dwellings (apartments, condos, etc). Deliveries of high value packages will be at the driver’s discretion.
Delivery Attempts
From 1st June 2019, UPS will make only two "proactive" delivery attempts for domestic shipments and cross-border Standard shipments. After this, UPS will attempt to contact the consignee or shipper to arrange a third attempt. After 5 business days, it will be marked as undeliverable and returned to the shipper.
This includes services where Signature Required has been selected.
For Express and other worldwide shipments, UPS will continue to make up to three delivery attempts.
Day Before Delivery Alert
For certain destinations, UPS can send the recipient an automatic email or SMS alert the day before delivery, with the option to redirect or reschedule. All you need to do is provide a valid email address and a phone number with the international country code (e.g. 0044 for UK).
The alert is available in the following countries:
Alert Email | Alert SMS | Option to Redirect |
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Albania, Armenia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Moldova, Montenegro, the Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom | Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom | Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom |
Size and Weight Restrictions
Restrictions may vary depending on the destination of your shipment. The following information is provided as a general guide:
- Maximum weight: 70 kg to most areas
- Maximum size: 295cm girth*
- Maximum length: 270cm
*Girth is calculated as follows: (sum of two smallest dimensions X 2) + longest dimension.
For example: for a parcel of dimensions 20 x 30 x 40cm:
(20 + 30) x 2 + 40 = 140cm
For multi-piece shipments, UPS calculates the actual weight or the volumetric weight of each parcel (whichever is greater) and then adds them all together, rather than calculating the total weight or volume of the whole consignment.
Volumetric Weight
Your shipment will be charged by either actual weight or volumetric weight – whichever is greater.
Volumetric Weight is a value derived from the size rather than the weight of your parcel and may apply if your parcel is particularly large and contains relatively light items.
DHL Express Worldwide calculates volumetric weight on import services from countries outside of the EU, by multiplying the three dimensions of your parcel together and dividing by 5000
For example:
Service | Parcel Weight | Actual Weight | Dimensions | Divisor | Volumetric Weight | Chargeable Weight |
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10kg | 10kg | 50 x 30 x 20cm | 5000 | 6kg | 10kg |
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10kg | 10kg | 50 x 60 x 40cm | 5000 | 24kg | 24kg |
Surcharges
Category | Description | Fee |
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Extended Area Surcharge | Administered if the delivery location is classed as falling within an "extended" area. Addresses can be checked here. | For air services: £23.93 or £0.44 per kg, whichever is greater. For road services: £22.99 or £0.42 per kg, whichever is greater.* This will be added at time of booking. |
Remote Area Surcharge | This surcharge is applied for delivery to an area beyond UPS extended areas, which are less accessible for deliveries. | For air services: £23.93 or £0.44 per kg, whichever is greater. For road services: £22.99 or £0.42 per kg, whichever is greater.* This will be added at time of booking. |
Address Correction | Administered if any part of the collection or delivery address is missing or incorrect | £8.86 per consignment |
Additional Handling | Charged for:
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£9.75 per package for air services; £9.37 per package for road services.* |
Large Package Surcharge | Any package with a girth greater than 300cm. |
£45.69 per package for air services; £43.90 per package for road services, + billed at a minimum weight of 40kg.* |
Over Maximum Limits | Any package with a girth greater than 400cm, or a length greater than 274cm, or a weight greater than 70kg. |
£115.56 per package for air services; £111.03 per package for road services.* |
Duty Reversal | Admin charge administered for billing customs duties and taxes to the shipper rather than the receiver | £15.53 per consignment |
Residential Delivery | Applies if the delivery address is a residential address. | £2.75 per consignment for air services; £2.65 per consignment for road services.* |
Signature Required | Applies if signature is requested upon delivery to a residential address. | £3.23 per consignment |
Non-Routine Formal Entry | Where a shipment being exported requires special customs entry processing, such as temporary export, re-exportation of previously imported goods, or return shipments, UPS charges an additional fee. | £12.50 per consignment |
Over 5 Tariff Lines | When a customs invoice has more than five tariff lines, a surcharge will be applied per additional tariff line. | £2.50 |
Disbursement Fee | When importing a shipment, duties and taxes may apply. UPS may pay these fees in advance on behalf of the customer. A fee applies in addition to customs charges. | 2.5% of advanced duties/taxes, with a minimum of £11.50 |
Same Day Collection | Applies for scheduling a collection to take place on the same day the service is booked. Does not apply to Access Point drop-offs. | £1.05 (£4.20 if using Access Point with collection) |
*UPS Express and UPS Express Saver are air services; UPS Expedited, UPS Standard and UPS Access Point are road services.
Please note that any surcharges on deliveries to EU countries are subject to VAT.
Prohibited Items
- Our list of hazardous, prohibited and owner’s risk items is available here.
- If you’d like advice on whether or not your items are prohibited, please contact our Customer Services team via Online Chat, email or telephone (0345 145 1212 8:00am-6:30pm Mon-Fri, 09:00am-1:00pm Sat).
UPS Service Information
NEW UPS Access Point™
- Over 2500 convenient drop-off and collection points across the UK
- Receive notification when goods are ready to be collected
- Drop-off or collect goods in your own time, at your own convenience
