The customs authorities in South Korea have decided that from 1 July 2018, 'de minimis' B2C and C2C shipments (shipments with a value no more than $150, destined for private individuals) must be provided with a personal code of the private consignee/importer, the so-called Personal Customs Clearance Code (PCCC). This decision was taken in the context of the so-called 'Real Name Verification' and serves to prevent import under false names or abuse of names during import. This requirement does not apply to document shipments (DOX).
A transition period has been set up until January 1, 2019. From that date, a PCCC is mandatory. Korean private recipients must apply for a PCCC if they wish to import. Senders must request this code from the recipient/importer before a shipment is sent. In the unlikely event that a PCCC cannot be provided in time, the date of birth (YYYYMMDD) of the private recipient/importer can be used.
A PCCC can be applied for by the South Korean private individual via one of the websites below:
https://unipass.customs.go.kr/csp/persIndex.do
https://m.customs.go.kr
Foreign recipients/importers in South Korea should contact the customs authorities in South Korea regarding the application for a PCCC.
When booking a DHL shipment, senders must enter the PCCC in the Receiver/Consignee field. DHL South Korea will then take care of forwarding the required data to the South Korean customs authorities. Failure to complete the PCCC will only lead to possible delays until January 1, 2019 due to physical examination of the shipments. As of January 1, 2019, shipments that do not have a PCCC must be declared with a formal import declaration. This formal procedure will have a negative impact on the processing time at the South Korean customs authorities.
For more information, please contact your DHL contact person or DHL Customer Service on 088 - 0552 000.
Want to know more?
