There are three ways to get documents abroad: with a traveler, by post or with an international courier. A traveler fits when the original has to reach a specific person by a specific date, the post fits when there is no rush, and a courier fits when speed matters and the service operates in your country. Below is how each option works and what to look at when choosing.
Which documents you can send
The most common ones are contracts, powers of attorney, certificates, notarized papers, diplomas and their copies. All of these can go by post, by courier or with a traveler.
Through Parcelane you cannot send other people's passports or ID cards, bank cards, SIM cards, blank forms, seals or stamps with a traveler. They are on our list of prohibited items. The courier document service described below does not accept ID documents or bank cards either.
With a traveler
A traveler hands the document to the recipient in person, on arrival or whenever you agree. This is convenient when you need the original by a certain date and someone is going your way.
When it fits
- The original is needed by a deadline: for a consulate, a bank, a university.
- The document has to reach a specific person, not a mailbox.
- There are trips on your route on suitable dates. You can check the route pages and the trips feed.
How it works on Parcelane
- Post a request: from where, to where, by when, what documents, with a photo of the envelope.
- Find a trip and message the traveler in the Parcelane chat, or wait for a response to your request.
- Agree on the meeting, the recipient and the reward. We charge no commission and process no payments: you agree on the amount yourselves, and some travelers take a small envelope for free.
- At the meeting, show what is in the envelope. The traveler must inspect what they take and does not accept anything sealed.
- Once the recipient has it, confirm the delivery on Parcelane.
Documents in an envelope are among the simplest parcels: they are light and take little space. The handover step by step is covered in the article on how to send a parcel with a traveler.
Limitations
- Timing depends on the trip date: if nobody is going your way, you will have to wait.
- Nobody guarantees delivery terms. We are not a carrier and take no part in the handover.
- Make a copy or a scan of important documents in advance.
By post
The post fits when there is no rush. The example below follows Russian Post rules.
- Registered letters abroad are accepted up to 2 kg and have a tracking number.
- EMS express items are accepted up to 30 kg to most countries; for some countries the limit is 20 or 10 kg. Length, width and height together must not exceed 300 cm.
- An electronic customs declaration is required for EMS with goods, parcels, small packets and printed-matter items containing goods.
Russian Post shows the delivery time and price for each country in the calculator on its website. Before sending, also check its "Postal exchange restrictions" page, where the operator lists countries to which acceptance is temporarily suspended or limited.
In the recipient's country, the letter is delivered by the local postal operator. An example from the receiving side: Serbian customs puts documents, letters and postcards in the group of items on which no import charges are levied.
When it fits
- The deadline is weeks away, not days.
- You want to follow the item by its tracking number.
- You are sending from a small town with no courier services.
By courier
An international courier promises the shortest delivery times and picks documents up at your door. But the service has to operate in both the sending and the receiving country.
- DHL Express. Under DHL Express's 2026 terms for the United States, Express Worldwide delivers "by the end of the next possible business day" and covers more than 220 countries and territories. For documents there is a separate Express Envelope of up to 10 oz (about 280 g). The "next possible" day differs by lane, so check the timing in the service's calculator.
- CDEK Express Documents. The service delivers business documents from 18 countries to Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan and Armenia, from 5 days. It accepts contracts, invoices, receipts and forms; it does not accept ID documents, bank cards, stocks or bonds.
Before choosing a courier, check on its website that it accepts shipments from your country to the one you need. Which services are available depends heavily on the route.
When it fits
- The document is needed as soon as possible, and the courier operates on your route.
- You need door-to-door delivery.
- The sender is a company that prefers to pay for delivery under a contract.
How to choose
Start with two questions: by when is the document needed, and does the original have to reach a specific person? The answers almost always decide it.
- Needed within days: a courier, if it operates on the route. If not, a traveler on the next flight.
- Needed by a specific date, original in hand: a traveler.
- Weeks to spare, tracking matters: a registered letter or EMS.
- A scan would do: check whether an electronic copy is accepted. It is faster than any delivery.
How to prepare the documents
A couple of simple steps protect you from loss and delays, whatever method you choose.
- Scan or copy every document and keep the copies.
- Put the documents in a stiff envelope or folder so they do not crease.
- For a traveler, leave the envelope unsealed: they need to see what is inside.
- Write the recipient's details in full: name, address, phone.
- Keep the tracking number or the chat with the traveler until delivery.
Post a request, and travelers on your route will see it in the feed.
Sources
- Russian Post: registered letter (in Russian), checked Oct 27, 2026.
- Russian Post: EMS "Courier Express" (in Russian), checked Oct 27, 2026.
- Russian Post: international items, electronic declaration (in Russian), checked Oct 27, 2026.
- Russian Post: postal exchange restrictions (in Russian), checked Oct 27, 2026.
- DHL Express: Service & Rate Guide 2026, United States, checked Oct 27, 2026.
- CDEK Express Documents (in Russian), checked Oct 27, 2026.
- Customs Administration of Serbia: postal items (in Serbian), checked Oct 27, 2026.
- Parcelane Prohibited and Restricted Items, checked Oct 27, 2026.