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MANNHEIM, Germany — Many Americans in Germany order products by mail from abroad or have relatives mail them things.
But some items may not be mailed to an Army Post Office address from countries outside Germany, and recent checks by U.S. and German authorities have resulted in seizures of banned items, U.S. Army Europe customs officials said.
Bill Johnson, chief of the USAREUR Customs Executive Agency, outlined the types of items that cannot be mailed to APO addresses.
• Counterfeits of trademarked goods. Many producers of DVDs and CDs and designers of goods such as purses, shoes or clothing have registered their trademarks with customs officials, who inspect the mail for fake versions of trademarked items, Mr. Johnson said.
“Trademark violations are the illegal use of signs, names, logos and business names that brand manufacturers use to distinguish their products,” Mr. Johnson said.
• Medications and supplements. Mr. Johnson said it’s wise to consult a postal officer before ordering medications, diet pills or nutrition supplements by mail, as the rules governing their importation are very complicated. Even items such as vitamins in highly measured doses or ginseng roots should not be mailed.
• Food products. Food is also problematic, Mr. Johnson said, due to animal and plant health regulations.
“Meat or meat products like beef jerky, game or ham are banned from the mail, as are canned meats and even soup mixes or pasta containing meat,” he said.
Caviar from sturgeon is forbidden because all species of sturgeon are endangered, and there are further restrictions on potatoes, milk, milk products and eggs.
• Firearms and ammunition. These are restricted items that should only be mailed to Germany with the required permits, Mr. Johnson said. He added that some types of paintball guns available in the U.S. are more powerful than German law allows, and suggested consulting customs officials before having paintball guns sent through the mail.
• Endangered species products. Buying products made from endangered animals and plants adds to the risk that they will become extinct and can result in fines and confiscation, Mr. Johnson said. Reptile skins are often used in watchbands, handbags, belts, wallets and shoes. Most products made from crocodile, lizard and snake, and all sea turtle products, are prohibited, as are ivory, whale tooth decorations known as scrimshaw and netsuke, and many plants, such as cacti and orchids.
“People should also remember that coffee, tobacco products and alcoholic beverages are rationed in Germany and may not be mailed via the APO,” Mr. Johnson added.
He said it is perfectly legal to have things such as coffee, liqueurs or cigars sent to a German home address via the German mail system or a commercial parcel service, but tax and import duty — which can sometimes be quite expensive — must be paid on these items.
He said using the APO to import any item for resale, a business or a volunteer organization is also banned. Items imported for these purposes must be sent through the normal postal system or via a parcel service and are subject to import duties and tax.
Sending items via the APO system without paying tax and duties is tax evasion — a violation of the law, Mr. Johnson said, and tax exemption certificates cannot be issued for rationed items or goods not intended for personal use.
Military customs offices can provide advice and information about what can be sent through the mail. More information is also available on the German customs Web site at www.zoll.de/english_version/b0_prohibitions_and_restrictions/index.html.
