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- Dangerous and restricted goods
Are you posting safely?
To comply with transport legislation, to protect the health, safety and wellbeing of our employees and customers, and make sure that the mail we transport doesn't present a danger to the general public, Jersey Post Group restricts or prohibits certain items from its network.
‘Dangerous goods’ are articles or substances which are capable of posing a risk to health, safety, property or the environment. Existing regulations prohibit sending nearly all dangerous goods in the mail. Prohibited items (such as explosives and corrosive liquids) must never be sent in the post. Please refer to this guide and the relevant terms and conditions before packaging or posting any items to ensure you meet minimum safety requirements.
Classes of dangerous and restricted goods
There are nine classes of dangerous and restricted goods. Remember that the ICAO Technical Instructions prohibit nearly all dangerous goods from being transported in the mail.
For more information on prohibited and restricted goods, please see below.
| CLASS | EXAMPLES | EXAMPLE LABELS |
|---|---|---|
| Explosives | Fireworks, sparklers, flares & ammunition |  |
| Gases | Aerosols (e.g. air fresheners), camping gas cylinders, cigarette lighters, butane refills in hair straighteners |  |
| Flammable Liquids | Cigarette lighters, perfumes, alcoholic beverages with high alcohol content (>24% ABV), nail varnish remover, fuel in any car parts or used garden machiner(e.g. chainsaw with petrol) |  |
| Flammable solids substances liable to spontaneous combustion; substances which, in contact with water, emit flammable gases | Matches, firelighters, ‘Chinese lanterns’ containing solid fuel |  |
| Oxidising substances & organic peroxides | Bleach, car repair kit hardener |  |
| Toxic & infectious substances | Pesticides, weedkillers, poisons |  |
| Radioactive material | Smoke alarms, luminous dials |  |
| Corrosive material | Battery acid, drain cleaner, mercury (for example in a barometer) |  |
| Misc. substances and articles | Lithium batteries, lead acid batteries (for example car batteries), batteries for golf buggies, motorised wheelchairs and mobility scooters |  |
‘Dangerous goods’ are articles or substances which are capable of posing a risk to health, safety, property or the environment.
Existing regulations prohibit sending nearly all dangerous goods in the mail. Prohibited items (such as explosives and corrosive liquids) must never be sent in the post.
Some everyday household items bear consumer warning markings which may indicate if they are classified as dangerous goods. Products bearing the following consumer warning markings ARE classified as dangerous goods:
Unless specifically permitted (as shown in the A-Z list) dangerous goods are forbidden in mail.
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), Department for Transport (DfT) and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) have agreed these rules with Jersey Post Group for sending small quantities of specific consumer items in the mail.
European regulations require a Safety Data Sheet (SDS) to be provided for many products, either before or at the time of first delivery.
Section 14 of the EU format SDS indicates that a product is classified as dangerous goods by the presence of a four digit ‘UN’ number. Unless specifically permitted dangerous goods are forbidden in mail.
For more information please visit our page Dangerous Goods.
Please note that specific country restrictions may also apply which you should check before posting any item outside the UK, IOM or other Channel Islands. It is your responsibility to check the list of prohibited and restricted items and any applicable packaging, volume, quantity and labelling requirements that apply prior to posting any item. This list of prohibited and restricted items reflects our general terms and conditions.
Some products are zero-rated for VAT purposes, for example, children's clothing and books.
Please visit www.hmrc.gov.uk for a full list.