Shipping - Sponsored Hires
Sponsor-hired personnel will receive a relocation allowance of US$2,000 for shipping household goods ($3,000 per teaching couple, $500 for up to two dependents) to Post. The same amount for shipping personal effects when leaving Post, and increased by 10% for each year after the initial 2-year contract at ACS. The school will pay up to US $500.00 only, in customs duties on the inbound shipment.
General Shipping Considerations
If you are not sending large shipments, consider bringing them as excess baggage or send items via Couriers such as Federal Express or DHL, etc... Items should arrive within a week. However, you must time the arrival of your shipments in Jordan to follow your arrival. Household shipments may NOT arrive in Jordan before you.
Send bags as unaccompanied freight. Check with your local airport, as costs and regulations vary by country and airline. Sea freight is the most cost-effective form of shipping for a large shipment.
Large shipments of personal effects and household goods should come by sea freight. The school will pay the cost of packing and shipping up to your allotted amount. Shipment should be made door to door, and inclusive of custom clearance. Any shipment may be opened by customs. Books, CDs, and videos may be held for review by the customs authorities to determine suitability for release.
Rates per pound vary from carrier to carrier so it is advisable to obtain comparative prices on air freight, sea freight, or in the case of just a few bags or boxes, accompanied baggage. Rates vary for the types of goods being shipped. The requested quotations should be for personal effects or household goods. When obtaining your quote, require the agent to clearly specify the rates per pound per cubic foot on household or personal effects as rates are based on specific densities, and make sure they give quotes on chargeable actual weight and volume weight.
Your rate will be a gross/chargeable weight; therefore including the weight of cartons and/or containers. Use a large container only if absolutely necessary due to its weight.
You are strongly advised to insure your shipment for its total real value for protection. This insurance must be purchased at an additional cost from the shipper or its insurance agent. Do not assume that the carrier insures for full value as they do not do so. You must ask for additional full coverage.
For your own personal record, inventory and number each box and bring a copy with you.
Clearing a shipment usually takes from 7 to 20 days. Your name and the following address should appear on all cartons and the air way-bill.
YOUR NAME
AMERICAN COMMUNITY SCHOOL
AMMAN, JORDAN
Attach packing list to air way-bill.
ALL items should be declared as USED. Items being shipped, especially electrical goods SHOULD NOT be shipped in original packing or boxes so they appear as legitimate USED items.
Shipments belonging to expatriates working for a private organization or company in Jordan are subject to customs duties and taxes even for their used personal effects. The amounts for duties and taxes are calculated based on physical inspection of goods and Customs value and may be as high as 55 % of the current value. On the air way-bill and in the section "Declared Value for Carriage", the letters N.V.D should be inserted. This means NO VALUE DECLARED. In the section "Declared Value for Customs" place N.C.V. (No Customs Value). In the section "Amount of Insurance" the letters N.I.R. should be inserted. (No Insurance Required). In the section "Nature and Quantity of Goods" place the phrase "Used Personal/Household Effects Not For Sale Or Resale".
The school will pay up to $500.00 in customs charges. Customs duties will be charged for any electrical goods or appliances in the shipment. There may be a charge on computers. Computer software, CDs and CD players, radios, stereos, etc., will be taxed at an exorbitant rate.
Any customs charges in excess of $500.00 are the responsibility of the employee.
All of these directions are to help avoid any excess customs charges. The agent should sign the form. A list of items, their value, and an insurance contract should be carried with you personally and not attached to the airway-bill.