At a glance
Interdoc is an online international courier built for South African senders. Behind the scenes we work with a network of major air and road carriers to move your shipment to its destination — you book through us, we handle the rest. Our service offering is deliberately simple: two clear product tiers, one quote, one waybill, end-to-end visibility. The numbers below are the working envelope of our network.
Read the guide
Eleven sections, each one a standalone page. Jump straight to the topic you need, or read end-to-end.
🚚 Services & transit times
Our two service tiers (ICD & ICP), realistic delivery expectations to common destinations, and how our cross-border road network works.
Read →⚖️ Weight & dimension limits
Maximum weight per piece, maximum length, the length-plus-girth rule, minimum carton size, and what triggers a refusal or rebill.
Read →🧮 Volumetric weight
Why a light, bulky box costs more than a heavy compact one — with a live calculator that mirrors the industry-standard ÷ 5 000 formula.
Calculate →📦 Packaging
How to pack so your shipment arrives intact. Materials we recommend, the H-tape method, and the mistakes that cause damage claims.
Read →🚫 Prohibited & restricted
What we will never carry, and what we can carry only with prior authorisation or a permit. Searchable list.
Read →☣️ Dangerous goods
The nine IATA classes, the lithium-battery rules, and why aerosols and perfumes need special handling.
Read →📋 Customs & documentation
Commercial invoice essentials, HS codes, duties and taxes (DDU vs DDP), and SARS-side requirements for SA exporters.
Read →🛡️ Liability & claims
The Montreal & CMR convention defaults, our optional cover, when to use it, and how to lodge a claim if something goes wrong.
Read →💸 Surcharges & fees
Fuel surcharge, security screening (Civil Aviation Regulation 1997 Part 108), remote-area handling, and other line items you may see on a quote.
Read →🛠️ Operations & delivery
Signature options, undeliverable shipments, customs abandonment, and how we handle exceptions.
Read →Five things worth knowing up front
L × W × H ÷ 5 000 produces a larger number. See the
volumetric weight page for the calculator.
About this guide
The information in this guide is compiled from the international conventions and regulations that govern air and road freight worldwide — the Montreal Convention 1999, the CMR Convention 1956, the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations, the World Customs Organisation Harmonized System, SARS customs procedures, and the South African Civil Aviation Regulations 1997. Where our carrier-network rules diverge from the treaty defaults, we say so plainly.
This is a living document. We update it when carrier-network capacity changes, when fuel surcharges move materially, or when a customer asks a question that ought to have been answered here. If something is unclear, tell us — admin@interdoc.co.za.
Frequently asked questions
What is Interdoc?
How many countries does Interdoc ship to?
What is the difference between ICD and ICP?
Who pays the import duties and taxes?
Can I ship cash, perishables or live animals?
How is volumetric weight calculated?
Sources, attributions & methodology
This guide is compiled from primary upstream sources only — international transport treaties, regulatory body publications, and South African statutes. Each section page has its own detailed source list at the foot of the page. The overarching framework is built on the following authorities:
International conventions & treaties
- Montreal Convention 1999 — international air-carriage liability (Articles 22, 31, 35)
- Warsaw Convention 1929 + Hague Protocol 1955 — legacy air-carriage framework
- CMR Convention 1956 — international road-carriage liability
- ICC Incoterms 2020 — international commercial terms (DAP, DDP, FOB, CIF…)
Regulatory bodies & standards
- International Air Transport Association (IATA) — Dangerous Goods Regulations, packaging conventions, volumetric weight standards
- International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) — Technical Instructions Doc 9284
- World Customs Organization (WCO) — Harmonized System (HS) codes
- International Monetary Fund (IMF) — Special Drawing Right (SDR) basket valuation
- United Nations — Model Regulations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods
- CITES — Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora
South African statutes & regulators
- Civil Aviation Regulations 1997, Part 108 — air-cargo security screening
- Customs & Excise Act 91 of 1964 — export / import declarations, record retention
- Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA) — consignee data handling
- South African Revenue Service (SARS) — Customs Trader Portal, RLA, SC-CF-42
- South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) — Aviation Security Office
All original prose, analysis, examples, worked calculations and commentary throughout this guide is the original work of Interdoc and has been independently verified against publicly indexed web content as not derived from any specific carrier's documentation. Industry-standard terminology (UN numbers, packing instructions, IATA classifications, SDR units, HS codes, Incoterm names) follows the canonical naming used universally across the international transport industry — there are no proprietary alternatives.