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POSTING RULE

Send Mobile Phones (Commercial) 🇵🇭 Philippines

ANSWER

Can I post Mobile Phones (Commercial) to Philippines?

ALLOWEDVERIFIED · 2026-07-26LOW CONFIDENCE

A phone can be posted to Philippines; lithium-battery mail rules require the battery installed in the device, and import tax applies above the exemption.

QUANTITY / LIMITS

1-2 handsets; multiple new-in-box units are treated as commercial imports

DOCUMENTS

  • Commercial invoice or proof of purchase showing the transaction value

DECLARATION

Required at the destination customs authority

SOURCE

customs.gov.ph
Verify against the official customs authority before acting on this answer.Report a correction

Full Details

Posting a phone to Philippines is permitted; two frameworks apply. Postal dangerous-goods rules require lithium batteries to be installed in the device (UN 3481) — loose spare batteries are barred from international mail. On the customs side Bureau of Customs (BOC) applies the ordinary parcel framework to the declared value: import VAT/GST at 12% applies above the exemption threshold. Under the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA), the de minimis threshold is PHP 10,000 (approximately USD $175–$200). Goods valued at or below this amount are exempt from duties and taxes. This was raised from PHP 1,000 by the CMTA in 2016. Multiple new-in-box units read as commercial imports; single used personal phones (a repaired or forgotten device sent on) are routine.

PRACTICAL ADVICE

Ship the battery installed in the phone, declare the true value, and use tracked service — phones are among the most-pilfered and most-inspected parcel categories.

OFFICIAL SOURCES

POSTING DETAILS

QUANTITY / WEIGHT LIMITS

1-2 handsets; multiple new-in-box units are treated as commercial imports

DOCUMENTATION REQUIRED

  • Commercial invoice or proof of purchase showing the transaction value

DESTINATION CUSTOMS

Bureau of Customs (BOC)

COUNTRY POSTING NOTES

Philippine Postal Corporation (PHLPost) and customs process international mail. Balikbayan boxes up to PHP 150,000 value are tax-exempt once per year. Regular postal parcels follow standard de minimis rules.

Sending Mobile Phones (Commercial) to other countries

RULES5,339COUNTRIES85ITEMS111CARRIERS28GUIDES46UNIQUE SOURCES645LATEST VERIFICATION2026-07-26MethodologyChangelog