Shipping Packages from Colombia to the United States: 4-72, DHL, FedEx, and Customs Rules

Short version: if you are a private person in Colombia, 4-72's Encomienda Internacional is the counter product written for you. A private courier like DHL or FedEx is the alternative when you want a quote and tracking built around your box. Everything below is about the outbound direction. If your parcel is stuck on the way into Colombia, read our guide to a package held by DIAN. For the reverse lane, a US address forwarding to you, see the mail and casillero guide and the virtual casillero guide.

The most common mistake I see is mixing three layers: the product rules of the carrier, Colombia's export rules, and US arrival rules. They are different, and they change independently. I keep them separate below.

What an individual can hand to 4-72

According to 4-72's Encomienda Internacional page (accessed October 2026), the service admits both individuals and companies. The published document list at the counter is a photocopy of your cédula, a carta de responsabilidad, and, for small parcels, a commercial invoice in dollars.

Limits on that page: 0 to 30 kg, longest side not over 1.20 m, and length plus the greatest girth not over 3 m. Measure the box before you queue, not at the window.

Honest downside: the published list says cédula. It does not mention a foreign passport or a cédula de extranjería, so I would not assume either is accepted. Ask the counter before you pack and print everything.

Timing is the part people underestimate. 4-72's own time matrix builds in up to 5 business days for Policía Nacional inspection, and it says destination customs time is outside its control. Flight time depends on the airline. Your job is simple: declare the contents accurately and sign the carta de responsabilidad truthfully. I will not tell you how to pack around an inspection, because the right answer is to not try.

If a return happens, 4-72 says the customer pays the return plus the national taxes the return generates. Factor that into a decision to ship something borderline.

When Exportafácil is the wrong product

Exportafácil EMS and Exportafácil Courier look attractive in searches, but 4-72 publishes both as products for personas jurídicas. That means a registered company with a RUT, the legal representative's cédula, a Declaración Exportafácil, a carta de responsabilidad and a dollar commercial invoice.

• EMS: 0 to 30 kg.
• Courier: 0 to 70 kg.
• Both: declared value up to USD 5,000, billing on the greater of actual or volumetric weight (cm L × W × H / 5,000), 120 cm maximum side, and 300 cm length plus girth.

Exportafácil Courier's public price is the kilo cost plus fuel surcharge and other extra charges, multiplied by that day's TRM. I am not printing peso figures: 4-72's tariff PDFs are dated 1 June 2026, so open those for the current table.

One nuance worth knowing: the USD 5,000 cap is a 4-72 product limit. DIAN's Decreto 360 de 2021 removed the value and quantity ceiling from the customs export modality, and DIAN's own presentation says the USD 5,000 figure was dropped from article 386. So the law does not cap every export at USD 5,000; 4-72's Exportafácil products still do.

What DIAN actually requires on the way out

DIAN's Oficio 906776 de 2022 explains that exports by postal traffic and urgent shipments cover correspondence, items leaving through the official post, and urgent deliveries, once any permits other agencies require are in hand. Each parcel needs a label with:

• sender name and address;
• the courier's name;
• consignee name and address;
• description and quantity;
• value in US dollars;
• gross weight in kilograms.

The export is filed by the official postal operator or by a courier licensed by Mintic and registered with DIAN (Concepto 3979 de 2023). If your goods need a permit, you show it at export.

Warning: the DIAN page everyone quotes, with USD 2,000, 50 kg, 10% duty, 19% VAT and USD 200 relief, describes parcels arriving in Colombia. It is not an outbound rulebook. Do not apply those numbers to your box to the US. The same goes for inbound electronics rules, which are written for the other direction.

According to active listings on Colombia Move (October 2026), the mudanzas category has 3 active service listings and 3 recent ones.

What happens when the box reaches the United States

This is where outdated blog advice does the most damage. According to CBP's e-commerce guidance (last modified 2 September 2026), the duty-free de minimis treatment for goods valued at USD 800 or less is indefinitely suspended for international mail and for every other mode, unless a separate exemption applies. A new mail informal-entry process has been in effect since 24 July 2026.

A bona fide gift can still qualify: a gift from a person abroad to a person in the US valued at USD 100 or less in the country of shipment remains eligible, per the Federal Register notice of 24 June 2026. A purchase, a barter, or an item "given" with a purchase is not a gift, and writing "gift" on a sale does not change that.

From 22 October 2026, goods claiming Chapter 98 or 99 treatment, a free-trade-agreement preference, or subject to a US partner-government-agency requirement are excluded from the new mail informal-entry process and need another entry type. I am not quoting a duty percentage: CBP says duties follow tariff classification, origin and value, so check the classification for your item.

Documents, gifts, coffee and crafts

Documents are the easy case. DHL Express guidance says a commercial or proforma invoice is required for parcels but not for document-only shipments, and that used or personal goods should show their original value and be marked used or personal.

Food and coffee need more care. The FDA generally does not act on a missing prior notice when one individual ships food to themselves, family or a friend for non-business use. If a store ships it, that is a commercial shipment and the policy does not apply.

APHIS's coffee rules are written for travelers' luggage: roasted coffee may enter in unlimited quantity if declared, green beans are barred from Hawaii and Puerto Rico, and fresh coffee cherries are prohibited. Those are luggage rules, not a mail clearance guarantee. I would not mail crafts made of wood or plant material, seeds or fresh food on the assumption they pass; check with the carrier first.

Medicine is its own world, and rules differ by direction. See the medication guide for the inbound side; this article does not clear a medicine shipment.

Planning around Monday 12 October 2026

Under Ley 51 de 1983, 12 October is a national rest day, and in 2026 it already falls on a Monday. Its official name is Día de la Diversidad Étnica y Cultural de la Nación Colombiana, and the city mobility page of 8 October 2026 treats that Monday as the holiday. See Bogotá's page. I have not verified counter hours that day for 4-72, DHL or FedEx, so confirm them directly before you travel with a box.

Private couriers: DHL and FedEx

DHL Colombia publishes an online quote tool but no flat Colombia-to-US peso rate on that page. FedEx Colombia lets shippers file the commercial or proforma invoice electronically, which saves printing and a second trip. Neither page showed a fixed rate, so I will not invent one.

My practical advice: get a live quote for your exact weight, size and contents from each carrier, and compare it with 4-72's June 2026 tariff PDFs if you qualify. If you ship a parcel rather than documents, prepare the invoice first. If customs returns the box, private-courier return terms come from that shipment's quote, so read them before paying.

Frequently Asked Questions

❓ Can I use Exportafácil if I am not a registered company?

No. 4-72 publishes Exportafácil EMS and Courier for personas jurídicas, while individuals use Encomienda Internacional. Exportafácil also has a USD 5,000 declared-value cap and requires company documents such as the RUT and the legal representative's cédula (verify with the official source, as accessed).

❓ What do I take to a 4-72 counter?

The published list is a cédula copy, a carta de responsabilidad, and a dollar commercial invoice for a small parcel. A foreign passport is not on that list, so ask the counter to confirm your ID before you go (verify with the official source, as accessed).

❓ Does a package under USD 800 enter the United States duty-free?

No. That de minimis exemption is indefinitely suspended for mail and couriers. A bona fide gift valued at USD 100 or less can still use the gift exemption, but a sale labeled as a gift does not qualify (verify with the official source, as accessed).

❓ Can I mail coffee or food I bought in Colombia?

A store shipment and a personal shipment are treated differently, and luggage coffee rules are not mail rules. FDA generally does not act on missing prior notice for one individual sending food to family or a friend, but clearance is never promised (verify with the official source, as accessed).

❓ How long can the police check add?

4-72's own time matrix allows up to 5 business days for Policía Nacional inspection, and destination customs time comes on top. Accurate contents and a truthful carta de responsabilidad are your part of the process (verify with the official source, as accessed).

❓ Who pays if US customs sends the box back?

On 4-72, the customer pays the return and the national taxes the return generates. With a private courier, return terms come from the quote for that shipment, so read them before you confirm (verify with the official source, as accessed).

❓ Where do I see a real DHL or FedEx price?

Use the carrier's own quote for your weight, size and contents. This guide has no peso rate, and 4-72's current tariff files are the PDFs dated 1 June 2026 (verify with the official source, as accessed).