How realistic is it to send a passport by courier to another country?
The law does not prohibit sending passports and other identification documents by mail. However, two obstacles arise: not all postal and courier services are willing to deliver such documents, and sometimes they get lost during delivery. This problem is solvable, but sometimes it may be more cost-effective, or even cheaper, to obtain a new passport.
Passports, ID cards, and other identification documents are sent for various reasons. Let's look at the most common ones.
- If a person left Russia using a foreign passport and forgot their Russian passport in another country, they can report it as lost, pay a fine for careless storage, pay the state fee for a new passport, and obtain a new document.
- Another reason for sending a passport is to update information, such as information about children, marital status, or deregistration from a residential address. However, they are not in the Russian Federation.
- One of the most popular reasons today is to receive a passport from a consulate after receiving a visa for another country.
What does the law say about courier delivery of passports?
Passports may be sent by mail within Russia. For example, embassies of some countries have published lists of prohibited and permitted items for import and export, requiring special permission. However, the export of passports is exempt from most restrictions.
The uncertainty surrounding the sending of passports is due to the current USSR Law No. 2261-1 of June 24, 1991, which prohibits the sending of identity cards, military ID cards, and work record books abroad. Even upon final departure abroad, these documents were required to be surrendered. Although the later Federal Law "On Postal Service" no longer prohibits the sending of personal documents, the law prohibiting the sending of passports still applies.
Do carriers accept passports?
Let's start with the largest postal service, Russian Post. Its regulations do not prohibit the delivery of passports within the country, importing them from other countries, or exporting them outside the country. Russian Post is even ready to deliver your passport by airmail. Delivery time is a few days.
SDEK states in its regulations that it does not transport goods prohibited by the laws of the sending and receiving countries. This means that a passport can be sent within Russia.
DHL states in its frequently asked questions that it ships passports and original documents internationally.
Pony Express does not accept identification documents such as passports, ID cards, and military ID cards for international shipment. This is not a legal prohibition, but an internal company restriction. Apparently, they simply don't want to take on such responsibility.
The KSE courier service does not ship passports of all types, identification cards, military IDs, birth certificates for minors, or ID cards abroad, but it does ship these documents within Russia.
We believe that the inconsistencies in the shipping terms of various courier services indicate that the service is not in demand: companies don't want to deal with sending identification cards abroad.
Can a passport get lost in transit?
It happens. Typically, courier companies offer the option to insure valuable cargo for a fee, but this still doesn't guarantee that the passport will reach its owner. Especially by the required date.
Insurance will allow you to get a refund for the service not rendered and cover future costs for obtaining a new passport and any fines issued by the government. But in any case, you'll have to spend a considerable amount of time on bureaucracy.
The Bottom Line
You can send a passport, but not all courier companies carry such documents.
AviaSend air couriers have successfully delivered passports, certificates, ID cards, bank cards, and other equally important documents to various countries on an urgent basis. Personal delivery of a passport or other document by courier is not prohibited by law in most countries. Moreover, it is the most reliable, secure, and fastest delivery method.
Before shipping valuable cargo, be sure to consult with our specialists. You can ask a question by phone or messenger at any time of the day.