Last verified: October 9, 2026
Sending a package overseas from Korea? Choosing EMS or an international parcel service is only the first step. The customs declaration tells the destination country what you are sending, how many items there are, what they are worth and where they were made. A box labelled simply “gift” or “personal belongings” does not answer those questions.
For Korea Post, prepare a line for each distinct type of goods in English, including quantity, value, net weight, country of origin and an accurate HS Code when requested. Then check the recipient's address and the destination's restrictions. You can prepare the information through Korea Post's international smart-acceptance service before visiting the counter.
Open the box and match its contents to the declaration. Describe the actual items, not the reason for sending them. Check the figures, currency, origin, HS Code and recipient's contact details before you submit.
Which customs declaration fields will Korea Post ask for?
Korea Post's current international smart-acceptance screen asks the sender to identify the shipment category—Gift, Merchandise, Sample or Document—and to enter customs information in English. For parcels containing goods, the fields include an HS tariff number, a detailed item description, quantity, total value, net weight in grams and country of origin. The service also collects sender and recipient details.
Korea Post calls the goods declaration on its English EMS address-label guide CN23. The smart-acceptance service can prepare the relevant postal information for counter handling, but an old paper label or another country's form is not a substitute for the electronic data required on your shipment. Those fields are not decorative. Customs authorities can use the electronic data before the parcel arrives. Korea Post's application warns that missing or inaccurate advance customs information may cause a hold or compulsory return. The rules apply to gifts as well as sold goods; marking the package Gift does not excuse you from describing the contents.
| Field | What to enter | Common mistake |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Gift, merchandise, sample or document, according to the actual shipment | Calling an online sale a gift |
| Detailed description | Specific English product name, material or use where helpful | “Goods,” “stuff,” “accessories” |
| Quantity | Number of units in that line | Listing one set when several products are inside |
| Total value and currency | Defensible value for the goods in that line | Entering a unit price as if it were the total |
| Net weight | Weight of the contents in grams, using the form's required unit | Confusing net item weight with the packed box's shipping weight |
| Country of origin | Where the product was manufactured or produced | Entering Korea just because the parcel is posted in Korea |
| HS tariff number | Product classification verified with the available search tool | Choosing a plausible-looking but unrelated code |
Most people do not need to memorize these fields. Collect the product labels, receipts and item list before opening the application. If something is missing, ask the seller or manufacturer rather than inventing an answer to get past a required field.
Describe the product—not the occasion
A customs officer who has never seen your package should be able to tell what kind of goods are inside from the item description. “Birthday gift” is an occasion. “Souvenirs” is still too broad when the parcel contains a ceramic cup, T-shirt and cosmetics. Name each item in ordinary English.
| Too vague | Better description |
|---|---|
| Gift | 2 cotton T-shirts |
| Goods | 1 ceramic coffee mug |
| K-pop merchandise | 1 printed music album, 3 paper photocards, 1 acrylic keyring |
| Beauty products | 2 face creams, 5 sheet face masks |
| Personal effects | 4 used paperback books, 2 used shirts |
Korea Post's online description field allows up to 75 characters per entry, so shorter, accurate nouns are more useful than a long story. If a label identifies the material, add it when the distinction matters: cotton shirt, ceramic mug or paper album. Avoid falsely specific technical or medical language.
Do not combine different products into one vague line solely to avoid extra typing. Korea Post's smart-acceptance instructions permit up to 20 customs line items. The printed label can display only four; if you have more than four entries, Korea Post instructs you to arrange a separate invoice printout at the counter. This is particularly useful for care packages with many small items.
Declared value: be consistent with the actual goods
The declared value is not a discount you choose to keep foreign import tax low. For a new product, retain the receipt or order confirmation showing the actual transaction. For two shirts costing $15 each, if the form requests total value for that line, enter a quantity of two and a line total of $30—not $15 or $300. Review the price unit shown on the actual screen.
Used clothes, gifts from your own wardrobe and items received long ago may have no recent purchase receipt. In those cases, use a reasonable, supportable value reflecting the goods and any applicable destination-country guidance; do not automatically type zero. A second-hand laptop is still worth something even if you have already used it for years. Keep photographs or comparable value information for more valuable belongings.
The current Korean smart-acceptance interface accepts major currencies including KRW, USD, EUR, GBP, JPY and CNY, with specific service exceptions. Its instructions require a consistent currency across all contents of the shipment. The older Korea Post English CN23 guide refers to values in USD. Follow the currency setting of the current service you are actually using, and confirm how the printed declaration will represent it.
A false value can delay or block destination clearance and create problems if you later file a loss or damage claim. Declaring a gift does not make it automatically duty-free; the destination country decides whether tax relief applies.
The value used by customs and the value covered by postal insurance are not necessarily identical. Don't assume entering an expensive number creates insurance coverage. If loss compensation matters, check the service's limits and whether separate insurance must be purchased. Retain the shipping receipt and proof of value until delivery is complete.
HS Code: search carefully instead of guessing
An HS Code describes a product within the Harmonized System used for international customs classification. The internationally harmonized part is generally six digits; customs authorities may add country-specific digits for detailed tariff rules. The code relates to the physical product, not to whether it is a gift.
The live Korea Post EMS application has a “상품(HSCODE)검색” (Product/HS Code Search) function beside the customs declaration entry. Korea Post's current notice calls for accurate HS information for advance customs data, including gifts. An incorrect or nonexistent code can itself be a reason for a customs hold or return. That is more precise than assuming an occasional personal sender can ignore the field.
Begin with the product's material, purpose and actual form. A printed cotton shirt, a metal keyring and a rechargeable electronic lightstick are not interchangeable merely because they are all K-pop goods. If a code search produces several plausible results, compare the descriptions instead of selecting the first number. For an expensive or commercial shipment, ask the postal service, destination customs authority or a qualified broker when classification remains uncertain.
Keep country of origin separate from the place you bought the item. A T-shirt bought in Seoul may have been made in Vietnam. A music album produced in Korea may correctly show Korea as its origin. Do not set every item's origin to Korea just because your parcel starts its trip at a Korean post office.
This English walkthrough by Innominate Kraken shows how product descriptions, values and recipient information are entered on an international postal form. It demonstrates a U.S. Postal Service form, not the Korea Post interface. Use it to understand the fields, then follow the current Korea Post application linked in this guide. For the actual Korean fields, use Korea Post's live smart-acceptance service.
Fill out each item and prepare the label
Korea Post's EMS and international-parcel smart-acceptance services let you enter shipping details ahead of a counter visit. The exact menus depend on the service, but the main workflow follows the same order: enter sender and recipient, select the destination and shipment type, then complete the customs lines and check the summary.
- Confirm the shipment category. Use Gift for a genuine noncommercial present, Merchandise for sold goods, Sample for commercial samples and Document for qualifying correspondence or papers.
- Enter the goods separately. Use the English description, correct quantity, value, net weight, origin and HS Code. Add another line for each different product type.
- Review the total. Confirm that the declared values add up, currency codes are consistent and the goods on screen match what is physically in the box.
- Review the address. Check the recipient's name, street, city, state or region, postal code, country and a phone number the recipient can actually answer.
- Keep the application reference. Present it with your parcel at the post office. If more than four goods lines need to appear, ask the clerk about the separate invoice printout.
Some destination countries demand additional advance customs information, tax identifiers or product-specific supporting documents. Korea Post's current screen warns about the EU's ICS2 advance-data requirements and the delays caused by inaccurate entries. Don't invent a recipient's tax identification number if you don't have one. Ask the recipient or courier which information is actually required for that destination.
If you are selling goods internationally, the buyer, marketplace or courier may require a commercial invoice, product classification, seller registration or import-tax arrangements beyond the ordinary postal form. A simple gift declaration is not a way to bypass those commercial requirements.
Final check: put the declaration next to the open box
Before sealing the parcel, compare each declared line with the contents. If a box contains an album, two shirts, a keyring and face cream, the declaration should not only say “music merchandise.” Check the quantity, currency and totals. A misplaced zero or a mismatch between the invoice and declaration is worth correcting before it reaches an overseas customs desk.
Look for items that a customs form cannot make acceptable: perfume, aerosols, medicines, certain foods and battery-powered devices may be refused by the postal operator or restricted by the destination country. Declaring the item honestly is necessary, but it is not proof that the carrier agrees to transport it. Confirm acceptance before you pay.
Keep a photo of the completed form or submission confirmation, the original item list, proof of value, shipping receipt and tracking number. If the recipient is later asked for a payment receipt or an ingredient list, those records help explain the shipment without reconstructing your order history from memory.
“I've sent one parcel from Korea containing two shirts, a music album and a keyring. Here is the tracking number and the declared item list. Please let me know if your local customs office asks for any documents or payment.”
If the parcel is delayed, distinguish a destination customs hold from a delivery problem. Ask the carrier which line or document needs correction. If the package is returned, keep the reason notice and original declaration before repacking or resending anything.
Two short Korea desserts
A change of pace from item values and customs paperwork, with LE SSERAFIM's official music video.
An official VisitSeoul TV neighborhood outing through Seoul Children's Grand Park, a local cafe, Achasan Garden and a forest library.
- Korea Post — International Smart Acceptance, Current Customs Fields and HS Code Search (Korean)
- Korea Post — EMS Counter and Collection Application Manual (Korean)
- Korea Post — EMS Address Label and CN23 Guidance (English)
- Korea Post — International Mail Restrictions and Destination Conditions (English)