Documents You Need to Ship to the Caribbean

Most shipping delays are paper delays. Gather these before drop-off and the barrel moves; miss one and it sits.

• Your photo ID — the sender is always recorded.
• The receiver's full legal name and phone number — exactly as on their ID at home. A nickname on the barrel and a legal name at the port means a wasted trip.
• Your packing list — what is inside, in plain words. Customs can ask for it on either end.
• For a car: the title in your name (or notarized permission), your ID, and the receiver's tax ID number in the destination where one is required.
• For commercial quantities: invoices or receipts. Quantities that look like resale without papers are the fastest route to a seized barrel.
• For appliances and electronics: receipts help customs value them honestly instead of guessing high.

Photograph every document and keep the photos with your receipt and tracking number. Paper burns, floods and gets lost; your phone copy does not.