Shipping Information:
Sending Biological Samples to Foreign Countries
Last updated: May 11, 2007

Please use the procedures below when shipping packages overseas. Otherwise, the carrier might refuse to pick up your package, or it might get stuck in customs or even confiscated.

Packing your shipment

Do not use dry ice as a packing material. Pack your items in such a way that they won't move or break when the dry ice evaporates. After a few days, most of the dry ice will be gone, and your samples will get slammed around inside the box. Wrap all slide boxes, sample boxes, etc. with duct tape to prevent them from opening. Use triangular-shaped cardboard tubes (made using duct tape and extra cardboard) to wedge the samples securely in the styrofoam box before adding any dry ice.

Put polyurethane foam inside sample boxes to prevent tubes from coming loose.

Add triangular cardboard tubes on top of samples so boxes are wedged in place when the lid is in place, even in the absence of dry ice. Remember that the box may be flipped upside down or dropped many times during shipment.

If your shipment is in a styrofoam box, the styrofoam box must be inside an outer cardboard box or FedEx will not pick it up.

Use padded envelopes for odd-shaped items such as Eppendorf tubes.

Commercial Invoice

A Commercial Invoice is required for all overseas packages, regardless of content or destination.

Include 3 copies of a signed commercial invoice (1 original + 2 copies). The commercial invoice must have your company's or institution's letterhead on top. If you use a generic commercial invoice (with no letterhead), FedEx will not deliver your package. Commercial invoices for our institute can be found here.

Enter the value of the item on commercial invoice for customs. This number can't be $0. It must agree with the value on the Waybill.

Put exact description of items on commercial invoice.

For consignee, enter full name and address of recipient.

Checklist:

Unregulated biological materials

This includes biological material that definitely cannot cause disease. Examples include purified enzymes, sterilized specimens, non-pathogenic bacteria as well as toxins, antitoxins, vaccines, blood and blood products that are used for transplantation or in a transfusion, but have no or very low probability of producing disease.

No special procedures are necessary for these materials.

If the shipment contains perishable biological materials, paste a purple Biological Perishable Materials sticker on box. (Print the sticker below so it is 4 inches wide and glue it onto the box.)
Purple Biological Perishable Materials sticker

Checklist:

If there are no dangerous substances in your package, don't put a random selection of labels on the box just to be "safe." However, many people don't realize that dry ice is considered a dangerous material and requires a special sticker (see below).

Dangerous Materials

If the shipment contains hazardous materials such as toxins, infectious substances or genetically modified microorganisms, you must include a Shippers Declaration for Dangerous Goods form. This is a multi-copy form with a red dashed line on either side.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) regulates international shipments of hazardous materials. Consult their website for more details.

Use triple packaging:

  1. Primary receptacle - Do Not Ship Petri Dishes!
  2. Leak-proof secondary container - If it is a liquid, include enough absorbent material to absorb all of the liquid in case the primary receptacle breaks. A metal can or a screw-capped plastic bottle sealed with tape or a shrink seal would be an example of a secondary container.
  3. Durable outer container - Must be at least 4 inches on all sides to accommodate stickers.

Do not hand-carry dangerous goods such as toxins or infectious materials in your luggage or on your person. This is a criminal offense and will result in fines and possible imprisonment. In the past few years, the rules have been tightened. Any liquid you try to carry onto a plane, even if you know it to be harmless, is liable to be confiscated and destroyed.

Human source material requires additional procedures because of the possibility of bloodborne pathogens and is outside the scope of this document. Flammable liquids (ethanol, formaldehyde, acetone, etc) require special procedures and are outside the scope of this document.

Diagnostic specimens are not considered hazardous materials unless the source patient or animal may have a serious communicable disease for which effective treatment is not usually available. Check the IATA Website for more details. If shipped by air, the package must contain a label saying:

Diagnostic Specimen Packed In Compliance With IATA Packing Instruction 650

Another category is "select agents." These substances are defined by the DHHS and USDA to have the potential to pose a severe threat to public health. Please do not try to ship select agents.

All packages containing Dangerous Substances require one of the following labels on the outer box. These are diamond-shaped stickers. These numbers also go on the Shippers Declaration of Dangerous Goods form.
Description UN Number IATA Class IATA Packing Instruction
Infectious substance affecting humans UN 2814 6.2 602
Infectious substance affecting animals UN 2900 6.2 602
Diagnostic specimens None None 650
Genetically modified microorganisms UN 3245 9 913
Dry ice UN 1845 9 904
Dry ice also must indicate Packing Group III (see below).

You also need to enter "Fiberboard box" on the Shipper's Declaration Form.

Checklist:

Infectious Materials

Infectious Materials are considered a category of Dangerous Materials with additional requirements.

The maximum quantity of infectious substance that can be shipped by air in one package is 4 liters or 4 kg. When shipping over 50 mL or 50 g of infectious substance, you must also put a Cargo Aircraft label on the outer container. This is a special orange and black sticker that says "DANGER DO NOT LOAD IN PASSENGER AIRCRAFT".

When shipping infectious substances by air, you must make advance arrangements with the consignee (recipient) and the operator to ensure that the shipment can be transported and delivered without delay. In the Additional Handling Information section of the Shipper's Declaration for Dangerous Goods, include the following statements:

Prior Arrangements as Required by the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations 1.3.3.1 Have Been Made. Prepared according to ICAO/IATA. Emergency Contact: (add name and phone number of person to contact)

For European Union countries, use the following instead:

ADR European Transport Statement: Carriage in accordance with 1.1.4.2.1.

There are two categories of infectious substances:

  1. Infectious substance, affecting humans (UN2814)
  2. Infectious substance, affecting animals only (UN2900)

Put the appropriate UN number on the forms.

The name and phone number of a responsible person must be on the outside box.

  1. A Shipper's Declaration for Dangerous Goods form. This is a form with red dashes along the left and right edge. Declaration forms must be filled out in triplicate. Keep one copy and supply two to the carrier. Regulations require that you must retain your copy for 365 days.
  2. A diamond-shaped "Infectious materials" sticker. Two are required on opposite ends of the outer package.
  3. Two "This end up" stickers containing an arrow on opposite ends of the outer package.
  4. If the package is entering the United States, it must have a current U.S. Public Health Service import permit label on the outside (see below).

Checklist:

Biological Substances Category B

Infectious biological materials that are not in a form that can cause permanent disability or life-threatening disease are called Biological Substance Category B (UN 3373).

If it contains liquids, include absorbent material between the inner and outer container.

Add a yellow UN3373 sticker.

Don't put it in a FedEx drop-box or use FedEx boxes.

Checklist:

Genetically-Modified Microorganisms

Genetically-Modified microorganisms are considered Dangerous Goods by the IATA and must be marked in the same way as Infectious Substances. If the modified microorganism is non-infectious, use packages compliant with Packing Instruction 650 and affix a Class 9 Miscellaneous Dangerous Goods label indicating "Genetically modified microorganisms". The maximum allowable quantity per vial is 100 mL or 100g. There is no maximum net quantity per package.

Genetically modified organisms that are known or suspected to be dangerous to humans, animal or the environment cannot be transported by air.

Genetically modified materials (such as DNA) that are not infectious and pose no risk to humans, animals or plants have no particular requirements.

Regular Ice

If using regular ice, the packaging must be leakproof (e.g., bricks). Otherwise, the ice will melt and leak out, possibly causing a panic.

Dry Ice

Paste two Dry Ice stickers on the box and fill out the blanks on the stickers. A Declaration for Dangerous Goods form is not required if dry ice is the only hazardous material in the package. The stickers must say "UN1845" and "Class 9".

Use blocks of dry ice if possible. Blocks sublimate at a lower rate than pellets. A 5-pound box of pellets, properly packaged in a styrofoam container, sublimates at a rate of about 2% per hour. Dry ice is hazardous because the gas is poisonous to humans. Dry ice has caused incidents in planes that could have resulted in death. One pound of dry ice creates 8.8 cubic feet of carbon dioxide gas. Toxic effects become detectable when the concentration in air exceeds 0.5%.

Packages containing more than 4.4 pounds (2 kg) of dry ice cannot be carried in the passenger cabin of most airlines. Therefore, if you want to hand-deliver the package, it must have less dry ice than this. Dry ice must be carried onboard in a hard plastic that allows ventilation. Please advise a ticket or gate agent if you plan to travel with dry ice.

Liquid nitrogen requires special procedures and containers.

Checklist:

Glass

If samples contain glass, write "Fragile" on container and attach a "glass" sticker.

Radioactive materials

Do not ship radioactive materials by yourself.

You must consult with the local Radiation Safety Officer (RSO), who is responsible for ensuring that the recipient is licensed to receive the radioisotope in the quantity you plan to ship. In most cases, the RSO will ship the package for you. Most institutions are only licensed to possess a specific total amount of each isotope, and they are required to know where it is located at all times. If you ship radioactive materials to someone, you will be in serious trouble for "losing" it, and the recipient will be in serious trouble for having it.

FedEx Waybill

Attach plastic envelope to box and insert a completed Expanded Service International Waybill form. This is different from a regular International Waybill. There are two different International Waybills. For biological materials, you need the Expanded one, which is 11 inches high and has a box for "Shipment Information". Our secretary has these forms.

Software shipments require a value breakdown on the commercial invoice (value of media + value of software)

Enter the Waybill number on the Biological shipments form.

You must sign in two places: on Waybill and Commercial Invoice.

Harmonized codes can be found at http://www.foreign-trade.com/reference/hscode.htm
Examples:
382200 Composite Diagnostic or Laboratory Reagents
392310 Boxes, Cases, Crates and Similar Articles, of Plastics

Ask Pauline to call FedEx for pickup, or schedule pickup yourself online.

Notify recipient of Waybill Number in case package gets stuck in customs.

For institute personnel: copies of all the required forms are on our server at engram:/temporary/fedex-forms. Extra Waybills and dry ice stickers are in file cabinet.

Shipping Live Animals

If your shipment contains live animals, the recipient may need an importation license (depending on country and species). If someone is shipping live animals (including invertebrates) to you, you may need an importation license from the U.S. Department of Agriculture depending on the species.

You will need one or more of the following licenses before shipping. Some of these licenses may take several months to obtain. If you try to ship without the license, your shipment will be confiscated and possibly destroyed. It is recommended to use a U.S. supplier if possible.

Importation

Exportation