Christmas deliveries and how to make them arrive safely

We are already in the countdown to Christmas and even if this season is full of happiness and magic, it also comes with a big concern… will my Christmas gift arrive on time?

For Captains and crew spending these holidays far from their home and their loved ones, to be able to send and receive goods on time and in good condition can be the difference between a merry Christmas or a not so merry one!

As a logistics and customs agency, Evolution has seen it all and we want to share with you some tips on how to make the most of your Christmas deliveries.

1.- Send your packages with enough time.

As this time of year, couriers are in their busy season. By allowing some extra time for the delivery, you have a better chance of ensuring the gifts arrive on or before the desired date.

2.- Make an accurate customs declaration.

Descriptions such as “gift” or “personal belongings” are not good enough for customs, there may be delays as they attempt to find out more information about the contents. Be sure to provide a contents list detailing the quantity, the description, and the value.

3.- Consider Spanish Customs laws concerning imports from outside the EU.

It is forbidden to import food, wine, cosmetics, health supplements or any other product intended for human consumption from outside the European Union. These kinds of goods require a special Customs clearance and are subject to sanitary control inspections, which are outside of the scope of Evolution’s licensing permissions. If Customs identifies any such contents within a delivery, the entire package could be confiscated or destroyed so it definitely won´t make it to under the Christmas tree!

4.- Never declare unreal values for high value goods.

When it comes to high value goods to be shipped, please do not falsify the commercial invoices with unreal values as it might be penalized with an administrative sanction by the Customs office.

5.- Choose a courier outside of the national postal service.

If goods are purchased outside of the EU (eg. China, UK, USA), through online platforms such as Amazon, Ebay, etc., please be sure to choose the shipping option via dedicated courier. At all costs avoid options that involve the Spanish national postal service (Correos) - delays are inevitable for clearance and paperwork (expect 30 days). In the case of Royal Mail in the UK and USPS in the USA, packages will enter the CORREOS system upon arrival in Spain and Evolution cannot intervene or speed up the necessary process. Please tell your vendors to always send goods by courier (FEDEX, DHL, TNT, etc.) and preferably to talk to our expert logistics team prior to shipment.

6.- Get in contact with Evolution before the shipment is sent.

If you seek the advice of our expert team before shipments are sent, we can advise how best to minimize import tax payments on all goods. Once the items are held by Customs, it can be an expensive and time-consuming process to release them.

Do you need some extra information about the shipping and deliveries at Christmas time? Don’t hesitate to contact our expert teams in logisticsbcn@evolutionagents.com for shipments to Barcelona and in logisticspmi@evolutionagents.com for shipments to Palma.