An international shipment crosses several borders and several checkpoints before reaching its destination. At any of these stages, your package can legally be opened for inspection — this is normal, regulated, and only affects a minority of shipments.
Who Is Allowed to Open It
Only competent authorities and sworn officials may open a package in transit: customs, police, or a freight forwarderacting as part of an official inspection — at departure, in transit, or on arrival. ZCL itself does not open its clients' packages outside this framework.
Why a Package Is Opened
Most inspections are standard checks: confirming that the contents match what was declared, checking for prohibited items or undeclared dangerous goods, or a random check as part of anti-fraud measures. It's almost never linked to a specific issue with your shipment.
Why an Honest Declaration Protects You
ZCL is not responsible for the contents of packages and relies solely on the client's declaration — which is why precisely describing what you're sending (rather than simply "personal effects" or "miscellaneous") speeds things up in the event of an inspection: the authorities find exactly what was declared, nothing more. A vague or incomplete declaration is precisely what most often triggers a thorough examination.
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