To ship a laptop to a remote employee in another country, a company has to clear three hurdles: air transport rules for the lithium battery, export formalities where the parcel leaves, and import rules where it arrives. The first two are much the same everywhere. The third changes the outcome: the same laptop can cost 18% in taxes in one country and close to its own value in another. This guide explains what stays constant, what varies, and when shipping is the wrong answer.
What makes shipping a laptop abroad different from sending a parcel?
A laptop is a regulated shipment for three reasons: its lithium-ion battery is classed as a dangerous good for air transport, it is declared as an export in the country it leaves, and it is imported by someone in the country it enters. For an employee shipment, that someone is usually the employee, who becomes the recipient customs deals with.
The battery. A laptop shipped with its battery installed travels under UN3481, lithium-ion batteries contained in equipment. For batteries of 100 Wh or less, which covers most business laptops, IATA Packing Instruction 967 Section II applies, with simplified marking and an air waybill statement instead of a full dangerous goods declaration (DHL guide, IATA DGR). In practice, the laptop must be switched off, packed so it cannot move, and declared as containing a lithium battery when booking. Express carriers handle the marking.
The data. A laptop carries access to company systems. Before it leaves, enroll it in your MDM so it can be locked or wiped remotely, turn on disk encryption (FileVault or BitLocker), and record the serial number, which goes on the customs invoice and your asset register.
The recipient. Most employee shipments go through express couriers under simplified import regimes designed for parcels. Those regimes identify the recipient by a personal document or tax number and often cap the value they accept. Getting the recipient's details right is the part most often underestimated.
Which rules change from one destination to another?
Five variables decide how hard a destination is: the import taxes on a laptop, any restriction on importing laptops, a mandatory product certification, the identification asked of the recipient, and the value ceiling of the courier regime. Two countries that are both common destinations for remote hires show how far apart they can be.
| Variable | India | Brazil |
|---|---|---|
| Import taxes | 0% customs duty, 18% IGST on the CIF value | 60% import tax on the customs value, plus 17% to 20% state ICMS |
| Import restriction | Laptops restricted; one unit by courier exempt from licensing | No licensing for a single parcel within the courier regime |
| Product certification | BIS registration (Compulsory Registration Scheme) | Anatel homologation for devices with Wi-Fi or Bluetooth |
| Recipient identification | KYC document (Aadhaar, passport, PAN or voter ID) | CPF tax number |
| Courier value ceiling | Not the binding constraint for one laptop | US$3,000 customs value, freight included |
In India, the constraint is regulatory: laptops are restricted imports, but a single unit sent by post or courier is exempt from the licence requirement (India Law Offices). Taxes are moderate, with 0% basic customs duty and 18% IGST (Deel). In Brazil, the constraint is financial: the simplified regime applies a 60% import tax to consignments up to US$3,000 (Receita Estadual RS), and ICMS of 17% to 20% is added depending on the state (Receita Federal).
Country-by-country procedures cover these variables in detail:
- How to ship a laptop from the US to India
- How to ship a laptop from the EU to India
- How to ship a laptop from the US to Brazil
- How to ship a laptop from the EU to Brazil
What do you need to handle on the export side?
Export formalities depend on where the laptop leaves from, not where it goes. From the US, the trigger is a value threshold for an electronic filing. From the EU, the value decides whether the transport document is enough or a full export declaration is needed, and the company needs an EORI number.
Shipping from the US. Electronic Export Information must be filed in the Automated Export System when the value per Schedule B number is over $2,500, or when an export license is required (trade.gov). A single high-end laptop can cross that line. The filing produces an ITN that the carrier needs before pickup. Check the export classification (ECCN) published by the manufacturer to confirm no licence is required for the destination.
Shipping from the EU. Express consignments up to EUR 1,000 that are not liable for export duty are deemed declared for export when presented at the office of exit, based on the transport documents (European Commission). Above EUR 1,000, a standard export declaration is filed under the exporter's EORI number, usually by the carrier or a broker. On VAT, a supply of goods shipped outside the EU can be exempt under Article 146 of the VAT Directive when the exit is proven (EUR-Lex, CJEU C-563/12), which matters when an EU reseller ships directly to the employee.
On both sides, the commercial invoice is the central document: exact description with brand and model, HS code 8471.30, serial number, real value, country of origin, and the purpose (company equipment provided to an employee, not for resale).
Who pays duties and taxes, and how do you avoid surprising the employee?
The company decides who pays when it books the shipment. With DDP (duties and taxes billed to the sender), the carrier pays at clearance and invoices the company. With DAP, the carrier asks the recipient to pay before delivery. For company equipment sent to an employee, DDP is almost always the right choice.
The amounts explain why. In India, IGST alone adds 18% of the landed value. In Brazil, the 60% import tax combined with ICMS calculated on a base that includes itself can bring the total close to the value of the laptop (Urban Remessas). Asking a new hire to pay that on the doorstep damages their first week and can leave the device stuck at customs.
Whatever the terms, declare the real value. Undervaluing a laptop to reduce taxes exposes the shipment to reassessment by customs, and describing company equipment as a gift does not change what it is. Budget the landed cost (device, freight, insurance, taxes and carrier fees), not the courier quote alone.
Should you ship at all, or source the laptop locally?
Shipping from headquarters makes sense for occasional hires in countries with moderate import taxes and simple rules. It stops making sense when the destination taxes laptops heavily, restricts their import, or when hires become regular. At that point, sourcing the device in the employee's country removes customs, import taxes and battery rules from the process.
A few questions help decide:
- How much does the destination tax a laptop? Where the tax approaches the device's value, as with courier imports into Brazil, buying locally is usually cheaper even at higher local prices.
- Is there a restriction or certification to manage? Each shipment to India must stay a single-unit courier import with a BIS-registered model; each shipment to Brazil needs an Anatel-compliant model and the recipient's CPF.
- How many people will you hire there? One laptop a year can be handled case by case. Several a quarter justify a local channel.
- How will the device come back? Offboarding means exporting the laptop again, or storing and redeploying it locally. Plan this before the first shipment, not at the first departure.
Fleet sources IT equipment locally and delivers it to employees in more than 150 countries, pre-enrolled in the company's MDM (Fleet). That turns an international shipment into a domestic delivery, and makes retrieval and redeployment local too.
Pre-shipment checklist
Before any international shipment to an employee, check that:
- the destination's import rules are known: taxes, restrictions, certification, recipient ID, value ceiling;
- the laptop model meets the destination's certification (for example BIS in India, Anatel in Brazil);
- the device is enrolled in MDM, encrypted, and its serial number recorded;
- the recipient's legal name, ID or tax number and full local address are confirmed in writing;
- the commercial invoice shows the exact description, HS 8471.30, serial number, real value and purpose;
- export formalities are covered (EEI above $2,500 from the US; EORI and export declaration above EUR 1,000 from the EU);
- duties and taxes are budgeted and billed to the company (DDP);
- the laptop is switched off, packed rigidly and declared as containing a lithium battery;
- a return or redeployment process exists for when the employee leaves.
Simplify international laptop shipping with Fleet
Getting a laptop to an employee abroad doesn't have to mean checking battery rules, filing export paperwork and budgeting import taxes country by country. You can do it manually, but every destination adds time, risk and extra work.
Fleet runs the entire process end to end in one platform, across 150+ countries, from the moment someone signs their offer to the day they leave:
- Local sourcing: buy or lease Macs and PCs from Fleet's catalogue, sourced in the employee's country so customs, import taxes and battery rules drop out of the process
- Fast global delivery: devices are delivered to employees in 150+ countries in under 5 days
- Ready on day one: laptops arrive pre-configured, with the employee's tools installed and your security policies enforced through Fleet's MDM
- Real-time visibility: every device, every employee and every security status tracked in one dashboard, connected to your HR tools
- Onboarding and offboarding in a few clicks: order a device when someone joins; when they leave, transfer it to a colleague or let Fleet retrieve, wipe, store and redeploy it
- IT support on Slack: your employees get help with device issues, replacements and access changes where they already work
Book a demo and see how Fleet helps you equip teams in every country you hire in.
FAQ
Can I ship a laptop internationally with the battery inside?
Yes. A laptop with its battery installed ships as lithium-ion batteries contained in equipment (UN3481). For batteries of 100 Wh or less, the simplified Section II rules of IATA Packing Instruction 967 apply. Declare the battery when booking and the courier applies the required marking.
What documents do I need to ship a laptop to an employee abroad?
A commercial invoice with description, HS code, serial number, value and purpose, the air waybill issued by the carrier, and the recipient's identification required by the destination, such as a KYC document in India or a CPF in Brazil. Depending on the origin, add an EEI filing (US, above $2,500) or an export declaration (EU, above EUR 1,000).
Do I have to pay customs when sending a company laptop to a remote worker?
Usually yes, in the destination country. The amount depends entirely on local rules: 18% IGST in India, 60% import tax plus state ICMS in Brazil. Booking with duties and taxes billed to the sender means the company pays, not the employee.
Can I declare a company laptop as a gift to avoid import taxes?
No. A laptop provided by an employer remains company equipment, and it should be declared as such at its real value. Customs can reassess shipments whose value or description does not match the goods, which delays delivery and can add penalties.
Conclusion
Shipping a laptop to a remote employee is predictable once the constant rules (battery, data security, export formalities) are handled the same way every time and the variable ones are checked per destination. For destinations where taxes or restrictions make shipping costly, local sourcing is the more reliable route.
See how Fleet handles this in practice
200+ devices, sourced locally and delivered pre-configured to 150 countries — buy or lease, same price.
