Send Mobile Phones (Commercial) → 🇰🇷 South Korea
Can I post Mobile Phones (Commercial) to South Korea?
A phone can be posted to South Korea; lithium-battery mail rules require the battery installed in the device, and import tax applies above the exemption.
1-2 handsets; multiple new-in-box units are treated as commercial imports
- Commercial invoice or proof of purchase showing the transaction value
Required at the destination customs authority
Full Details
Posting a phone to South Korea is permitted; two frameworks apply. Postal dangerous-goods rules require lithium batteries to be installed in the device (UN 3481) — loose spare batteries are barred from international mail. On the customs side Korea Customs Service (KCS) applies the ordinary parcel framework to the declared value: import VAT/GST at 10% applies above the exemption threshold. Korea's de minimis threshold for customs duty and VAT exemption is USD $150 per shipment. Goods valued at $150 or below from the US under KORUS FTA previously had a $200 threshold; this was unified. Commercial samples under KRW 250,000 may also be exempt. Goods from special economic zones may have different rules. Multiple new-in-box units read as commercial imports; single used personal phones (a repaired or forgotten device sent on) are routine. Korea exempts personal imports up to USD 150 per shipment (USD 200 for US-origin shipments under KORUS); above that, duty and VAT apply on the full value, and same-day shipments are aggregated.
Ship the battery installed in the phone, declare the true value, and use tracked service — phones are among the most-pilfered and most-inspected parcel categories.
1-2 handsets; multiple new-in-box units are treated as commercial imports
- —Commercial invoice or proof of purchase showing the transaction value
Korea Post and the Korea Customs Service (KCS) jointly clear international inbound mail at the Incheon International Mail Centre. Personal-import parcels under USD 150 (FOB value) clear duty-free under the de minimis rule; above USD 150, 8% customs duty plus 10% VAT applies, computed on CIF + duty. Goods on the national prohibition list (counterfeit branded goods, narcotics, weapons, dual-use items, North Korean origin) are seized without compensation. Tobacco, alcohol, and cosmetics have separate quantity-based duty rules. KCS's UNI-PASS e-clearance portal handles all declarations; consignees must respond within 30 days to clearance notices to avoid the parcel being declared abandoned.
Sending Mobile Phones (Commercial) to other countries
Mobile Phones (Commercial)
🇺🇸 United States
Lithium battery rules apply; FCC compliance needed
Mobile Phones (Commercial)
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
A phone can be posted to United Kingdom; lithium-battery mail rules require the battery installed in the device, and import tax applies above the exemption.
Mobile Phones (Commercial)
🇨🇦 Canada
A phone can be posted to Canada; lithium-battery mail rules require the battery installed in the device, and import tax applies above the exemption.
Mobile Phones (Commercial)
🇦🇺 Australia
A phone can be posted to Australia; lithium-battery mail rules require the battery installed in the device, and import tax applies above the exemption.
Mobile Phones (Commercial)
🇳🇿 New Zealand
A phone can be posted to New Zealand; lithium-battery mail rules require the battery installed in the device, and import tax applies above the exemption.
Mobile Phones (Commercial)
🇹🇭 Thailand
A phone can be posted to Thailand; lithium-battery mail rules require the battery installed in the device, and import tax applies above the exemption.