U.S. Citizen Services
Shipping Instructions
IMPORTANT: ONLY for freight being consigned to USEMBASSY for official USG purposes
A) FOR SHIPMENTS TO BE SENT TO PARAGUAY AS CARGO:
a) INFORMATION IN THE AWB
1. In the AWB in the space where the nature of goods has to be described it should read depending on the type of cargo:
I - DESCRIPTION OF THE GOODS - DIPLOMATIC CARGO
II - DIPLOMATIC POUCH (CORREO DIPLOMATICO).
Nothing else has to be added. For Customs purposes, no value needs to be declared.
2. The notify party should read: AMERICAN EMBASSY, GSO OFFICE, MABEL STAMPF, PHONE 213715, ext 2061
3. The consignee should read:
AMERICAN EMBASSY
ASUNCION, PARAGUAY
FOR: ODC (specify if it is for SOCSOUTH, SOUTHCOM or any other office)
DO NOT CONSIGN, REPEAT, DO NOT CONSIGN IT TO A SPECIFIC PERSON IN THE AWB. DIPLOMATIC POUCH IS NOT CONSIGNED TO A PERSON BUT TO THE MISSION.
If the AWB shows the name of a person who is not accredited to the GOP, it creates difficulties in extracting the shipment from Customs (because only accredited diplomats have duty-free privileges). The difficulties may mean that the shipment remain in Customs for weeks.
If the cargo is consigned to a person who is accredited to the GOP, this cargo will be charged to his allowance.
b) MARKS ON THE CRATES
1. All the crates should be marked with the AWB number and they all should have tags that show that the crates are DIPLOMATIC POUCH if they are being shipped as diplomatic pouch or DIPLOMATIC CARGO.
c) INFORMATION ABOUT AIRLINES – WHEN SHIPPING A CARGO TO PARAGUAY PLEASE KEEP IN MIND THE FOLLOWING:
1. TAM AIRLINES: we only have one regular commercial airline coming to Asuncion on a daily basis: TAM Airlines. It flies to Asuncion from Sao Paulo, Montevideo, Buenos Aires, Santiago de Chile, La Paz/Cochabamba.
TAM has 2 types of aircrafts, one is a FOKKER 100 and the other is an A-320.
The A-320 only flies the following itinerary:
SAO PAULO/ASUNCION
BUENOS AIRES/ASUNCION
ASUNCION/BUENOS AIRES
ASUNCION/SAO PAULO
1.1 FOKKER 100: there are two options related to the door hole dimensions toship the Cargo. The door hole dimensions are:
Option one:
1.70 mt width
0.80 mt depth
0.50 mt height
Option two:
1.30 mt width
0.68 mt depth
0.60 mt height
Maximum weight per piece: 100 kls gross if the flight is transiting SAO PAULO
Maximum weight per piece: 80 kls gross if the flight is transiting BUENOS AIRES
1.2 A-320: The door hole dimensions to ship the cargo are the following:
1.41 mt width
0.85 mt depth
0.65 mt height
Maximum weight per piece: 150 kls gross if the flight is transiting SAO PAULO
Maximum weight per piece: 80 kls gross if the flight is transiting BUENOS AIRES
2. LAN CHILE: The crates are bigger and heavier than the ones allowed by TAM, you have the option of using LAN CHILE cargo aircraft to transport them to Asuncion. LAN CHILE flies from Miami to Asuncion, non-stop direct flight. It flies to Asuncion once a week, usually on Saturdays. It is a cargo aircraft only so it does not have any type of inconvenience/restriction regarding the weight or dimensions for each crate. The plane is a B707/300.
The door hole dimensions are:
3 mt width
2 mt depth
2 mt height
3. DHL cargo aircraft: It is a Farchild Metro 3. It flies only from Buenos Aires to Asuncion on daily basis. It is a small aircraft.
Maximum weight per piece: 50 kls gross.
If you will use DHL and the package is bigger and heavier than what the DHL aircraft can handle, they any way will hire the services of LAN CHILE to transport the package to Paraguay.
If possible, a copy of the AIRLINE AWB should be forwarded to the General Services Office in advance in order to track the shipment as well as be advised of the itinerary and scheduled arrival date to Paraguay.
d) FEES AT THE AIRPORT
No duties or storage fees will be paid. In order to use the airport forklift, you will be required to pay a user fee. These user fees cannot be determined in advance, but only after the final gross weight of the cargo and the number of pieces/pallets is determined.
It is not necessary to hire the services of a door-to-door company as the GSO section can process the paperwork in Customs and pick up the shipment (only in cases of diplomatic pouch).
B) FOR SHIPMENTS TO BE SENT TO PARAGUAY VIA COURIER (BY DHL, FEDEX, ETC)
a) INFORMATION IN THE AWB
1. The consignee should read:
AMERICAN EMBASSY
ASUNCION, PARAGUAY
FOR: ODC (specify if it is for SOCSOUTH, SOUTHCOM or any other office)
DO NOT CONSIGN, REPEAT, DO NOT CONSIGN IT TO A SPECIFIC PERSON IN THE AWB.
2. In the AWB in the space where the nature of goods has to be described should read:
CONTENT OF THE PACKAGE (DIPLOMATIC MAIL).
Nothing else has to be added. If possible, for Customs purposes, NO value should be declared.
Even though the package arrives by DHL or FEDEX or any other courier company, Customs can confiscate the package if they consider it as a cargo and GSO will have to clear the shipment through the GOP. The clearance process usually takes around 5 to 6 weeks from the date it arrives to the country. If the package is consigned to a person who is not accredited to the GOP, it may make it difficult to pick it up from Customs unless the Consignee agrees to pay all the duties.
Even when the shipper is DHL, FEDEX or any other courier company, the tracking number should be forwarded to GSO.
If you have any further questions, please contact:
Shipping, Customs & Travel/GSO Office
AMERICAN EMBASSY ASUNCION
Email: paraguayusembassy@state.gov
Embassy Phone: 595-21-213715, ext 2061
Fax: 595-21-213878
Non Emergency Services
Shipping Instructions
