ICD — International Courier Documents
For paperwork that fits inside a courier flyer: signed contracts, certified copies, deed packs, academic records, passports for visa submission, conformity certificates, bills of lading. ICD is our fastest, lightest tier and uses the express document-pak rate across our carrier network.
Eligibility
- Contents
- Paperwork only
- Billable weight
- ≤ 2 kg
- Format
- Courier flyer / pak
- Origin
- South Africa
- Destination
- 248 countries & territories
Typical transit
- Major EU / UK
- 2 – 4 business days
- USA / Canada
- 3 – 5 business days
- Asia hubs
- 3 – 5 business days
- Africa
- 2 – 5 business days
- Rest of world
- 4 – 8 business days
ICP — International Courier Parcels
For anything that is not paperwork in a flyer — small goods, samples, spare parts, gifts, returns, e-commerce orders. ICP uses the international express parcel tier of our carrier network. Volumetric weight applies (see the volumetric weight page) and customs documentation is required (see the customs page).
Eligibility
- Contents
- Goods, samples, parcels
- Billable weight
- ≤ 68 kg per piece
- Max length
- 120 cm per side
- Max L + girth
- 274 cm combined
- Min carton
- 18 × 10 × 5 cm
Typical transit
- Major EU / UK
- 3 – 6 business days
- USA / Canada
- 4 – 7 business days
- Asia hubs
- 4 – 7 business days
- Africa
- 3 – 6 business days
- Rest of world
- 5 – 10 business days
Transit framework
Real transit time depends on three things: distance, the carrier route assigned, and customs. The table below shows realistic ranges to common destinations from a major South African collection point. These are working days, exclude customs clearance, and assume the paperwork is in order.
| Region | Example destinations | ICD documents | ICP parcels |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Africa | Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, eSwatini, Lesotho | 1 – 3 days | 2 – 5 days |
| East & West Africa | Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana, Tanzania, Senegal | 2 – 5 days | 3 – 7 days |
| United Kingdom & Ireland | London, Manchester, Dublin | 2 – 4 days | 3 – 6 days |
| Western Europe | Paris, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Madrid, Rome, Lisbon | 2 – 4 days | 3 – 6 days |
| Eastern Europe | Warsaw, Prague, Bucharest, Sofia | 3 – 5 days | 4 – 7 days |
| USA & Canada | New York, Los Angeles, Toronto, Vancouver | 3 – 5 days | 4 – 7 days |
| Asia hubs | Hong Kong, Singapore, Shanghai, Tokyo, Seoul | 3 – 5 days | 4 – 7 days |
| South Asia & Gulf | Dubai, Riyadh, Mumbai, Delhi, Karachi | 3 – 5 days | 4 – 7 days |
| Oceania | Sydney, Melbourne, Auckland | 4 – 7 days | 5 – 9 days |
| Latin America | São Paulo, Buenos Aires, Mexico City, Santiago | 4 – 8 days | 6 – 10 days |
Cross-border road service (SADC)
For shipments within the Southern African Development Community where speed-to-destination is less critical than price, our network's road option is often the better choice. Customs clearance is built into the service. Typical 1 – 3 day transit for the main hubs.
- Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe — daily road departures from Johannesburg / Pretoria
- eSwatini, Lesotho, Mozambique — regular cross-border departures
- Zambia, Malawi — typically 2 – 4 day transit, weather and border-post dependent
What is and is not in transit time
✅ Included
- Collection from the agreed pickup window
- Linehaul to the gateway airport / border post
- Air or road transit to destination country
- Last-mile delivery to a verified address
⚠️ Excluded
- Customs clearance time (typically same-day to 2 days)
- Delays from incomplete or incorrect addresses
- Recipient unavailable for delivery (re-attempt cycle)
- Public holidays in the origin or destination country
- Weather, security, capacity or force-majeure delays
❌ Stops the clock
- Unpaid duties / taxes at destination
- Customs hold for inspection
- Recipient refusal to accept the parcel
- Address dispute requiring sender contact
- Prohibited or undeclared dangerous goods
Frequently asked questions
How long does Interdoc take to deliver?
What is the maximum weight for an ICP parcel?
What happens to shipments over 68 kg per piece?
Does Interdoc offer cross-border road services?
What's included in the quoted transit time?
Sources & attributions
Factual content on this page is compiled from the upstream sources listed below. Industry-standard terminology and service-tier conventions follow the canonical naming used universally across the international transport industry — there are no proprietary alternatives.
Primary upstream sources
- ICC Incoterms 2020 — international commercial terms framework (referenced for service definitions)
- IATA service-tier conventions — express, priority, economy, freight classifications
- ICAO operational definitions — international vs. domestic, day-definite vs. time-definite distinctions
Industry standards & terminology
- Working-day transit measurement (excludes weekends, public holidays, customs clearance)
- Express vs. economy service-tier nomenclature
- Cross-border road framework for SADC region (CMR Convention basis)
All original prose, analysis, examples and commentary on this page is the original work of Interdoc and has been verified against publicly indexed web content as not derived from any specific carrier's documentation.