How to ship extra luggage when you study abroad (2026)

If you are going away for a semester or a year, one 20–23 kg suitcase is rarely enough. To ship luggage for study abroad you have three options: pay for another checked bag, send it door to door with a luggage-shipping company, or pack less and buy on arrival. Which one pays off depends on weight, on whether you leave the EU, and on when you need your things.

In this guide

Quick summary

Inside the EU, shipping a suitcase needs no customs paperwork; outside the EU, it does.
Shipping companies charge for actual weight or volumetric weight (length × width × height in cm ÷ 5,000), whichever is higher.
Far-away countries ask you to declare on arrival that luggage is following you, and give you a deadline to receive it.
Never put anything you need in the first week in the shipped bag.

See also the study abroad packing list to decide what travels with you.

Extra bag or shipping: which pays off

Option	Best when	Keep in mind
Another checked bag	One extra piece and a direct flight	Buy it online when you book: at the airport it costs far more, and excess kilos are expensive
Door-to-door shipping	Two or more pieces, boxes, or flights with little baggage included	Collected at home and delivered to your accommodation; takes days and passes customs outside the EU
Pack less, buy there	Bedding, hangers, kitchen basics	Cheap to buy on arrival, but it adds to the first-month budget
Storage	You return to the same city next year	Useful over the summer between two semesters

Airline prices change by route, fare and date: compare on your airline’s website with your real dates.

How door-to-door shipping works

Get a quote with origin, destination and weight of each piece. Some services work in weight bands (for example, up to 15 kg and up to 30 kg).
Work out volumetric weight: length × width × height (cm) ÷ 5,000. A big, light box can be charged as if it weighed more.
Pack it: a sturdy suitcase or reinforced cardboard box, nothing fragile inside.
Attach the label and have the bag ready on collection day. The driver needs to get close to the door; if nobody answers, they may not come back.
Track it and tell your residence or landlord that a parcel is coming in your name.

Time it to arrive a couple of days after you, not before: many residences will not accept parcels for someone who has not checked in yet.

Inside the EU

Between EU countries there is no customs paperwork: it is like sending a large parcel. What you must always check is the list of prohibited items. Send My Bag does not accept aerosols, liquids, pastes, gels, toner cartridges, tobacco, money or medication. Medication always travels with you in the cabin.

Outside the EU: paperwork

Packing list with items, quantities and approximate value. It is the basis for customs, not insurance.
Personal effects form in many countries: clothes and personal items pass tax-free, usually if you have owned them for at least 6 months.
Extra time: customs can take 24–72 hours to process a shipment and as long again to release it. It may open the bag or ask for your passport.

Duties or local charges, if any, are paid by the sender, and shipping prices do not include them. Avoid new items with tags or high-value goods: they are what holds a bag at customs. The United Kingdom is no longer in the EU, so shipments to or from the UK need customs paperwork.

Far from Europe: what each country asks on arrival

Almost every far-away country works the same way: you declare on landing that luggage is following you, even if it has not arrived, and you have a deadline to receive it. If you do not declare it, customs may treat your own clothes as an import and charge tax. Rules change: always check the official customs website before shipping.

Asia

Country	What to do when you land	Deadline
Japan	Fill in two copies of the Declaration of Accompanied and Unaccompanied Articles; customs hands one back with a seal. Keep it: without it there is no exemption. Mark the parcel “unaccompanied baggage”.	6 months from your arrival
South Korea	List the items shipped separately on the customs declaration and get the officer’s approval at inspection.	Confirm with Korea Customs
Taiwan	Declare unaccompanied baggage at the red channel, even if it arrives later. It counts towards your NT$35,000 personal-effects exemption.	6 months from your entry
China	List unaccompanied baggage on the baggage declaration when you enter.	Usually 6 months; confirm before shipping

North America and Oceania

Country	What to do when you land	Deadline
United States	Personal effects arriving separately are declared on CBP Form 3299. Clothing and electronics are not always duty-free.	Depends on the shipment; see the CBP 3299 instructions
Canada	Declare goods that will follow at your first point of entry, with a detailed list (form BSF186A). Ask CBSA which regime applies to you as a student.	As shown on your arrival list
Australia	Complete the unaccompanied personal effects statement (B534). Biosecurity is strict: itemised list, no food, soil or untreated wood, and clean hiking shoes.	Processed when the shipment arrives

Latin America

Country	What to do when you land	Deadline
Brazil	If you have goods to declare, fill in the e-DBV. Unaccompanied baggage is only released once you prove you have arrived (passport or ticket).	3 months before to 6 months after your arrival
Argentina	Declare at the airport that you are expecting a shipment. The published rule gives 90 days to declare baggage that arrives without you; confirm with ARCA.	90 days (published rule)
Chile	The arrival declaration is joint Customs–SAG, which checks farm products. We found no clear official rule for shipped luggage: ask customs before shipping.	Confirm with Chilean customs
Mexico	Anything that is not part of your personal luggage must be declared. For separate shipments, ask customs (ANAM) before sending anything.	Confirm with ANAM

Where it says “confirm”, we give no figure because we could not verify one in an official source. An email to customs or to your host university’s international office beats a fine.

Coming home: shipping from your exchange city

This is the most common case: you arrive with one suitcase and leave with two, because over the semester you have bought clothes, books, gifts. Shipping it home is easier than it sounds, even from Asia: when you book, the shipping website asks you to fill in the packing list online and handles the customs paperwork for you. Students who have shipped home from Taiwan, for example, usually report no problems.

Book before you check out. Ask for collection at your residence a few days before you leave; some services collect straight from student halls at the end of term. Check with reception whether they can hand the bag to the driver if you have already gone.
Send it to someone who is in. Ship to your family’s address and tell them the day: if nobody answers, the driver may not come back.
Inside the EU, nothing changes: a semester in Italy or Poland and back to Spain needs no customs paperwork.
From outside the EU, fill in the packing list honestly. Used clothes and personal things go as personal effects. The one thing to know: new purchases (electronics, gifts, items with tags) can pay VAT when they enter the EU, so declare their real value and keep the receipts.

The same partner can collect from your residence abroad: ask for a quote with the exchange city as origin.

What to ship (and what not)

Ship: out-of-season clothes, books, bedding, shoes, winter coat.
Keep with you: passport, acceptance letter, Learning Agreement or visa documents, medication, laptop, chargers and clothes for the first 5–7 days.
Better not: anything fragile, liquids, new items with tags, or anything you cannot afford to lose.

Where to go next

Sources

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it cheaper to ship luggage or check another bag?

For a single piece on a direct flight, an extra checked bag bought online is usually better. With two or more pieces, boxes, or flights with little baggage included, door-to-door shipping usually pays off. Always compare for your route and dates.

How long does shipped luggage take?

It depends on the route. Inside the EU it is days; outside the EU customs adds time, 24–72 hours to process and as long again to release. Ship early and keep first-week essentials with you.

Do I need customs paperwork to ship a suitcase within the EU?

No. Between EU countries there is no customs paperwork. You need it when the shipment leaves or enters the EU, including the UK.

Can I ship my luggage before I arrive in Japan, Taiwan or Brazil?

It has to clear customs after you arrive and declare it. Japan and Taiwan give 6 months from your arrival; Brazil accepts luggage arriving from 3 months before to 6 months after you. The safest plan is for it to arrive after you.

Do I pay tax when I ship my things home at the end of the exchange?

Not from inside the EU. From outside the EU, you fill in the packing list when you book and the shipping company handles the paperwork; used clothes usually pass as personal effects. New things you bought there can pay VAT, so declare their real value and keep the receipts.

What can’t I put in a shipped suitcase?

Aerosols, liquids, gels, pastes, tobacco, money and medication, among others. Keep medication in your cabin bag and check the destination’s rules.

Sources & References

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