Export documents
A Commercial or Proforma Invoice naming each item, its HS code, value and origin. Higher-value or licensed goods add Electronic Export Information or a Certificate of Origin on top of the base invoice.
DHL Express, start to finish
How to ship DHL international
DHL Express walks a first-time shipper through five decisions before the box ever leaves: account or no account, a quote built on the heavier of actual or volumetric weight, the documents that travel with it, and a six-step customs process that runs after drop-off without you touching it. Everything below is DHL's own description of that process, read from dhl.com on 2026-08-28.
DHL's own process, quotedRead 2026-08-28Six customs steps, named
The paperwork does most of the work
Once the invoice is right, DHL's own process carries the parcel through customs on its own.
Account or no account, and how to get a quote
DHL prices a shipment differently depending on whether the sender has an account, and it says so directly on its own beginner's guide, read 2026-08-28.
“Without an account, rates as published in the DHL Express Service and Rate Guide apply.”DHL, basics of international shipping, dhl.com, read 2026-08-28
Opening an account instead unlocks preferred pricing plus online import and export tools, which matters most to anyone shipping more than a handful of times a year. Whichever path is chosen, a quote starts from the same four numbers: the origin and destination, the package weight, and its length, width and height. DHL is explicit about how those numbers turn into a price: shipping charges are based on the greater of the shipment's actual weight or its volumetric weight, so a big, light box can quote as if it were considerably heavier once its dimensions are entered.
Choosing a service and preparing the documents
DHL splits its offering into export and import products, and the documents required differ by direction. This part of the process happens before the parcel is ever handed over.
Import documents
A Certificate of Origin, a packing list, a power of attorney or a license, depending on what the goods are and what the destination requires of them.
The waybill
A completed DHL Express Waybill sits alongside the invoice, and DHL's own tools handle creating one, scheduling a pickup and paying shipping fees online in the same flow.
A description vague enough to just say "goods" or "gift" is the single most common reason a customs step below takes longer than it should. The fields a good declaration needs, in more depth than DHL's own quick-start guide covers, sit on our customs forms and HS codes guide, and the general document ladder across all four values is on our international shipping documents guide.
What happens after drop-off: DHL's six steps
DHL names this sequence explicitly on its own site and it runs the same way on every dutiable export, read 2026-08-28.
- Provide your data to DHL Express. The invoice information — descriptions, HS codes, values, origin — is submitted with the shipment.
- DHL Express performs the security filing. The shipment data is checked against US law and international requirements before it moves.
- DHL Express prepares the customs declaration. DHL may contact the shipper directly if a detail needs verifying or is missing.
- DHL Express submits the customs declaration. This happens once the shipment reaches the outbound gateway, on the shipper's behalf.
- DHL Express awaits customs response. Clearance can take anywhere from seconds to several days, with tracking updated throughout.
- Customs released. Once the destination country confirms compliance, the parcel proceeds to final delivery.
None of this requires a phone call from the sender unless step three flags a gap. A description that names the material and the function up front, rather than a category word, is what keeps step three from stalling on a question nobody is there to answer quickly.
Handing off the parcel
Two ways exist to get a packed, labeled box into DHL's network, and both are ordinary logistics rather than anything specific to the international side.
Drop it off
Any DHL Express ServicePoint location accepts a ready-to-ship parcel over the counter.
Schedule a pickup
DHL's own online tools book a collection at the shipper's address. Our DHL pickup guide covers the mechanics of booking one.
Weekend and delivery windows
What DHL commits to on speed and on weekend service is covered separately on our DHL weekend delivery guide and DHL Express transit time guide.
SMKlog does not sell DHL labels or any other international service. Our checkout prices and prints parcel labels for shipments inside the United States only, so this page exists to describe DHL's own process accurately rather than to sell any part of it.
Where these rules come from
- DHL, Basics of international shipping — the account vs no-account pricing split, the quote inputs, and the chargeable-weight rule. Read 2026-08-28.
- DHL, Six steps of the international shipping process — the named customs sequence from data submission to release. Read 2026-08-28.
DHL revises its process pages and rate guides on its own schedule. Treat the steps above as what dhl.com described on the date shown, and confirm the current guide before shipping.
Common questions
How do I start shipping with DHL internationally?
Decide first whether you are shipping with an account or without one, since DHL prices the two differently. With an account, DHL states you get preferred pricing and online import and export tools; without one, published rates from the DHL Express Service and Rate Guide apply instead. Either way you then enter the origin, destination, weight and dimensions to get a quote.
How does DHL calculate the shipping charge?
On whichever weight is larger. DHL states that shipping charges are based on the greater of the shipment's actual weight or its volumetric weight, so a large light box can be billed as if it were heavier than the scale shows. Measuring the box before quoting avoids a surprise at drop-off.
What happens after I hand my package to DHL?
A six-step customs process runs behind the scenes. DHL collects the shipment data from your invoice, performs a security filing, prepares and then submits the export customs declaration, waits on the destination country's customs response, and releases the shipment for final delivery once it clears. DHL states clearance can take anywhere from seconds to several days.
What documents does DHL need for an international shipment?
A Commercial or Proforma Invoice with a description, HS code, value and origin for each item is the base requirement on the export side, plus a Certificate of Origin or Electronic Export Information filing for shipments that need one. Import-side paperwork can add a packing list, a power of attorney or a license depending on the goods.
Do I need a DHL account to ship internationally?
No, but it changes the price and the tools available. Without an account, published rates apply and a shipment is booked through DHL's counter or online tools without preferred pricing. An account adds customs resources and negotiated rates, which matters more the more often a person or a business ships.