Q: WHAT ITEMS ARE NOT ALLOWED TO BE INCLUDED IN A BALIKBAYAN BOX?

1. Currencies, checks, money orders, and travelers checks 2. Pieces of jewelry 3. Firearms, ammunitions and explosives 4. Prohibited drugs and substances 5. Pornographic materials, gambling cards, and toy guns 6. Pirated products i.e. cd, tapes, etc. Aside from the above list of items prohibited by the authorities. BM EXPRESS ALSO RESTRICTS SOME ITEMS FOR SECURITY MEASURES: FOR SEA CARGO: perishable items, liquid items FOR AIR CARGO: food, medicine, valuable items, LAGS (LIQUID, AEROSOLS, GELS), electronic items

Question 1

WHAT IS BALIKBAYAN BOX?

Accepted Answer

A Balikbayan box refers to a package of personal effects or “pasalubong” sent by Filipinos working or residing abroad to their families, relatives, or friends in the Philippines. Balikbayan boxes enhance the Philippine culture and tradition of strong family ties through caring and love expressed in gift-giving.

Question 2

WHAT ARE THE ITEMS ALLOWED IN BALIKBAYAN BOXES?

Accepted Answer

Non-commercial goods or items that are strictly for personal use only and not in commercial quantity.

Question 3

WHAT ARE THE SIZES OF THE BM EXPRESS BALIKBAYAN BOXES?

Accepted Answer

BM Express Australia & New Zealand Balikbayan box available in Jumbo size, 21x21x25.
BM Express Singapore Balikbayan box available in, Medium, Large, King & Super ﻿King.﻿
For air cargo, you can use any kind of box, as long as it is thick and sturdy enough to handle the weight of the items inside. You can even use TV boxes or computer boxes for air cargo shipment.

Question 4

WHAT IS THE WEIGHT LIMIT WHEN SENDING A BM EXPRESS BALIKBAYAN BOX?

Accepted Answer

FOR AIR CARGO:
The minimum shipment weight is 20kg.
For the VisMin area, any kind of box is allowed but it will be computed based on the volumetric computation as charged by the airline.
100% open inspection as aviation security regulation.

FOR SEA CARGO:
The minimum shipment weight is 50-60kg.

NOTE: Charges depend on whichever is higher between the weight of the box from the actual size.

Question 5

WHAT ITEMS ARE NOT ALLOWED TO BE INCLUDED IN A BALIKBAYAN BOX?

Accepted Answer

1. Currencies, checks, money orders, and travelers checks
﻿2. Pieces of jewelry
﻿3. Firearms, ammunitions and explosives
﻿4. Prohibited drugs and substances
﻿5. Pornographic materials, gambling cards, and toy guns
﻿6. Pirated products i.e. cd, tapes, etc. Aside from the above list of items prohibited by the authorities.
​

BM EXPRESS ALSO RESTRICTS SOME ITEMS FOR SECURITY MEASURES:
﻿FOR SEA CARGO: perishable items, liquid items
﻿FOR AIR CARGO: food, medicine, valuable items, LAGS (LIQUID, AEROSOLS, GELS), electronic items

Question 6

WHAT ARE THE ITEMS THAT I CAN SEND?

Accepted Answer

For sea cargo services, we can ship household items such as beds, lounge, fridge, and LCD televisions for special shipping rates.

NOTE: If you are interested in sending items like the aforementioned, please send us an email or call us to inquire about the rates.

Question 7

WHAT CAUSES THE DELAY OF THE BOXES TO THEIR ULTIMATE CONSIGNEES?

Accepted Answer

1. Unforeseen circumstances or/and natural calamity such as earthquake or typhoon that sets back the arrival of the cargo carrying vessels.

﻿2. The consolidated shipment is tainted by:
Mis-declared or undeclared goods/items Regulated or banned cargoes such as prohibited drugs, ammunition and firearms, gambling materials or apparatus, pornographic materials and pirated products.
Products that are in commercial quantity.
Consolidated shipments that are abandoned by the Philippine representative, agent or broker for reasons of non-remittance of funds by the foreign freight forwarding entity/consolidator.
Wrong address and contact details of the consignee/ recipient in the Philippines Hard to find consignee/recipient address the recipient/consignee lives in a very remote area or a place where the BM Express team needs to cross a river.
The recipient lives in war-torn or potentially dangerous areas such as Basilan.

Question 8

DOES YOUR AIR CARGO SERVICES PERFORM FULL INSPECTION?

Accepted Answer

For Air cargo services we do 100 full inspections of your item once it reaches our warehouse.  BM Express wanted to ensure that no prohibited items will be allowed to transfer via air and to avoid embargo of our other balikbayan boxes.

Question 9

WHAT HAPPENS TO MY CONFISCATED ITEMS?

Accepted Answer

BM Express will contact our customers that have prohibited items in their air cargo balikbayan box.  Rest assured that your items will remain safe and secure until you collect them in our main office in Minto NSW.

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