Shipping to Residential Areas Abroad

Shipping to residential addresses by courier

Residential areas and gated communities are a popular location to live, offering both safety and privacy as well as a convenient location close to local amenities. When you need to ship a parcel to a residential area, or organise pallet delivery to a residential address, there are a few things to keep in mind to avoid delayed or even failed deliveries. If you’re wondering how couriers deliver bulky items to apartments, how delivery drivers get into gated communities, or simply how to ship to a residential area abroad or locally, Eurosender has all the answers you need.


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What is a residential area and which address to give to residential couriers?

Before you start shipping parcels to residential areas, you need to know what it is. A residential area is designed for housing rather than commercial or industrial purposes. Here are some examples of residential addresses:

Mobile homes
Apartment blocks
Multi-family housing
Retirement homes
Student dorms
Gated communities

Many of these types of dwellings often share a common entrance, which can cause issues for residential couriers to deliver to. The most important thing is to provide a correct address, whether you want to ship a parcel a residential area or arrange pallet delivery to your residential address:

  1. Country
    Choose the country of pick-up/delivery.
    Ex.: Canada
  2. Name and Surname
    Add the full name of the consignee.
    Ex.: Karen Jones
  3. Address
    Fill out the street name in full and the number.
    Ex.: Pine street 11 Residential complex: The Old Oak.
  4. Additional info – Optional
    Here you can write additional info as for example the job title of the consignee or perhaps a second consignee. Important: As these comments are optional, the courier doesn’t always take them into consideration.
  5. Zip code
    Add the zip code, please double check if it’s the right one.
    Ex.: K1A 0B1
  6. Town/city
    Add the full name of the town or city.
    Ex.: Ottawa
  7. Phone number
    Add the phone number, change the area code if needed.
    Ex.: +1 20 1234 12345

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Book low-cost shipping to residential areas – locally and abroad

Shipping parcels and more to residential areas is easy with Eurosender. Depending on the size and weight of your shipment, we have a solution to suit any requirement for shipping to residential areas locally and abroad:

Priority Express service

Expedite worldwide deliveries in 24-72 hours
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Standard shipping

The most price-convenient option for shipping boxes
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Freight Service

Send bigger shipments and furniture on pallets
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Dedicated Van Delivery

Dedicated to your direct delivery within Europe
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Preparing for a courier delivery to a residential area abroad

Before booking courier delivery to residential areas abroad, or even locally, there are a few things to consider first, to protect your shipment:

Insurance
Every standard shipment booked with Eurosender has basic insurance included in the price. Additional insurance is available to purchase during the booking process.
Packing
Before residential couriers arrive to collect your parcel, it must be packed properly. Follow our detailed packing instructions to pack and ship many different items.
Prohibited and restricted items
Stick to the rules and don’t get yourself in trouble by shipping restricted or prohibited items to residential addresses by courier. Check first to make sure your items are legal to ship.
Pick-up and delivery times
Use our online tools to estimate pick-up and delivery times, and track your shipment. If you have an urgent shipment, consider booking an express service or select the earliest possible pick-up date option.

Ensuring successful pick-up and courier delivery to residential areas abroad
    • Availability: Ensure that somebody can be present during collection and delivery. If you don’t think you will be home on the day, find somebody who can handle the delivery or consider shipping to a work address instead;
    • Check the address details carefully and provide as much information as possible. Double-check the information on the shipping label. Remember to provide instructions for doorbells, intercoms and be sure the name on the door matches the recipient;
    • Inform your neighbours in some cases residential couriers can deliver to a neighbour if you are not home. Let your neighbours know to expect a delivery, just in case.

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Issues to avoid when shipping to residential areas locally and abroad

No access code
Some residential areas require an access code to go through the main entrance. You should always inform the residential courier beforehand.
Pick-up issues
Multi-tenant buildings, fenced properties, access gates and anything else blocking direct access will cause issues with collection. Providing an easy alternative, like the main entrance as the pick-up location will alleviate these issues.
Gatekeeper
When shipping parcels to gated residential areas, you should inform the security guard or gatekeeper at the front gate to expect a delivery and make sure they are on shift that day.
Parking
Residential couriers need a suitable place to park during collection and delivery. Make sure parking is available within the proximity.
Multiple floors
Residential couriers usually deliver to the ground floor, especially for pallet deliveries to residential addresses. Make sure you can safely move any bulky items to the collection point, or ask someone to help you.
Phone number
When shipping to residential areas abroad, you should always provide a local telephone number to contact in a local language, in case the residential courier decides to call for any reason.

FAQ’s about courier deliveries to residential areas abroad

How do couriers deliver packages to apartments, gated houses and gated communities?

Depending on what you are shipping or from an apartment, in most cases, couriers will collect and deliver to the ground floor only. When you are expecting a parcel shipment to a residential area or a pallet delivery to a residential address with multiple floors, always make sure it can be collected or delivered to the ground floor, have somebody to help you carry it, and inform the courier if you require any additional services such as pallet jacks and lifts.

Most gated communities will have either a security office at the entrance, access-codes for after hours, or both, so make sure to inform the residential courier of any special instructions beforehand. In case the delivery driver is unable to figure out how to get into the gated community, he or she might decide to call the recipient, so also make sure you provide a local phone number of someone who can communicate with the residential courier in the local language.


What is the fastest way to deliver pallets and bulky items to a residential address in Europe?

The most direct way to deliver pallets of bulky items and furniture to residential addresses in Europe is to reserve our van service for your shipment. This way, your household items can be transported directly, with no stop-overs for other deliveries. You can book a van delivery in Europe and get an instant price right now, on our booking tool.


What is the cheapest way to ship a parcel to a residential area?

The cheapest option for parcel shipping to residential areas is to book it through our standard service. You can receive an instant price to ship a parcel to a residential area on most routes, on our booking tool.