Ongoing Transport Strike in Spain Disrupts USPS, UPS and FedEx Deliveries

Spanish Post has advised other mail operators worldwide that a strike by truck drivers in Spain is affecting mail deliveries in the country.

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The strike which started on March 14, but now seems to continue indefinitely despite the government’s efforts to find a solution, is delaying parcels and deliveries to many areas of Spain, including the Canary and Balearic Islands.

For merchants sending items to Spain via any of the USPS services such as Priority Mail International and Priority Mail International Express, this means shipments may arrive in Spain, but tracking may stop for some considerable amount of time.

USPS Global Express Guaranteed is generally transported by FedEx. Please see FedEx alert below.

Shippers should contact customers in Spain and advise them that their shipments may be delayed due to the transport strike and they should contact Correos (Spanish Postal Service) for the latest service updates in their city or province.

Spanish Customs Advisory

In addition to the strike situation, Spanish customs is still receiving many shipments that are not conforming to the latest EU VAT rules because they are missing important data that enables them to contact the recipient.

Not providing the information needed to process inbound parcels will delay the clearing of Spanish customs.

And since it appears so many parcels are still arriving without the proper declarations, Spanish customs is requesting that shippers make provide information that will help them seek answers from recipients when necessary.

Therefore, shippers sending items via USPS should ensure that an address label is provided formatted as below or that shippers include all this information on an electronically printed shipping label through their shipping platform.

Name
Address
Postal Code, City (Province)
SPAIN

It is also advised that shippers ask the recipient for their mobile phone number to be used as the primary contact information for Spanish Customs. However, absent the mobile number, shipments should include a phone number and/or email address.

If Spanish customs cannot clear a package for importation, it will be returned!

UPS and FedEx Advisories on Spain

• UPS pick-up and delivery services may also be disrupted in areas of Spain, the company warned in a service alert. While UPS service providers are not part of this labor action and the company said contingency plans have been put in place to minimize disruption for its customers, shippers should expect delays.
• FedEx issued a similar warning saying that “transit & delivery times for Spain may experience delays due to a (non-FedEx/TNT related) transport industrial action.”

While we have not seen a service alert from DHL regarding Spain, we do believe that other carriers are experiencing potential delays as well, including services like eBay Global Shipping that use different shipping partners to transport and deliver packages in Spain.

USPS Other International Mail Disruptions

Please visit our USPS Service Status on International Mail Shipments page for the latest information on this situation and other disruptions facing mail services globally.

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