Document courier vs parcel courier
A document courier service carries paper of no commercial value — correspondence, agreements, certified copies and the like. Because there is nothing dutiable inside, it moves on a simplified customs basis and does not need a commercial invoice. A parcel service carries goods, which always need a commercial invoice and are assessed for import duty and VAT at the destination.
| Document service | Parcel service | |
|---|---|---|
| Carries | Paperwork, no commercial value | Goods with a value |
| Commercial invoice | Not required | Always required |
| Destination duty / VAT | Generally none on the paper itself | Assessed on declared value |
| Typical customs clearance | Fast | Depends on contents & value |
| Tracked | Yes | Yes |
The documents people send most
- Passports & visa paperwork — to embassies, consulates and visa-processing centres. Time-critical; always track.
- Signed contracts & agreements — wet-ink originals where a scan will not do.
- Academic records — degree certificates, transcripts and diplomas for study or work abroad.
- Certificates — birth, marriage, police clearance and similar civil documents, often for immigration.
- Tender & bid submissions — where a hard-copy original must arrive by a deadline.
- Legal & financial originals — powers of attorney, share certificates, notarised deeds.
Certifying, notarising and apostilles
The courier will move any document as-is. Whether the receiving institution accepts it is a separate question — and one you must settle before you send, because it cannot be fixed in transit. Depending on what the recipient requires:
- Certified copy — a commissioner of oaths confirms the copy is a true copy of the original.
- Notarisation — a notary public authenticates a signature or document, common for legal and corporate paperwork.
- Apostille / legalisation — for use in a foreign country, official South African documents are often legalised via the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO). Countries in the Hague Apostille Convention accept an apostille; others need full embassy legalisation.
Transit times and customs treatment
On express international services, documents to major destinations — the UK, Europe, North America — typically arrive within a few business days, with more distant or remote destinations taking a little longer. Documents generally clear customs faster than parcels precisely because there is no dutiable value to assess. That said, a handful of destinations treat printed matter above a certain quantity as a commodity, so unusually bulky paperwork can occasionally be reclassified — if in doubt, ask us at quote time.
Note there is no destination duty or VAT on the documents themselves in the normal case, and international courier freight is VAT zero-rated in South Africa, so the price you are quoted is the price for getting the envelope there.
Packing and tracking documents
Documents are low-risk to ship, but a few habits protect against the two real hazards — moisture and loss:
- Use a rigid, water-resistant envelope or a flat document box so pages cannot be creased or folded.
- Slip originals into a sealed plastic sleeve inside the envelope as a moisture barrier.
- Keep a scan or photograph of every page before it leaves your hands — your insurance against the unthinkable.
- Fill in the recipient's full name, complete address and a working mobile number so the courier can call on arrival.
Every Interdoc shipment, documents included, travels on a tracked waybill. You get a tracking number that shows the collection, export, in-transit and delivery scans, finishing with a proof-of-delivery signature. Track any shipment from the tracking page.
Sending goods rather than paper? Read what drives international parcel cost and the customs and documentation guide.