On Board Courier to and from Paris

What an on board courier is, and how it differs from next flight out

With an on board courier, a person travels as a passenger and carries the shipment as cabin or accompanied baggage. Nobody else handles it. With next flight out, the shipment is put on the first available flight as air cargo: it is faster than a standard express service, but it goes through the airline's cargo terminals on both sides. With FedEx or UPS express, it goes through their hubs and sorting centers and arrives in one to three business days.

An on board courier is the right choice when the item cannot wait a business day, cannot be duplicated, or cannot be let out of sight: a contract that must be signed tomorrow morning in Paris, a part that is holding up a production line, a piece of jewelry bought for a buyer abroad.

Into France: from the US to Paris and anywhere in France

A nonstop flight from New York to Paris takes about seven to eight hours, and Paris is six hours ahead. A courier who boards an evening flight on the East Coast lands in Paris the next morning and delivers in central Paris the same morning. When the destination is outside Paris, the courier continues by TGV or by car and delivers anywhere in France the same day.

Inbound missions often end with a step on the ground: documents taken straight to a notaire for signature, a part delivered to a factory, a gift placed in a hotel room. Our team in Paris handles that last step, which is where most international couriers hand over to a local subcontractor. For gifts, buying in Paris is usually faster still: see our gift delivery service in Paris.

Out of Paris: to New York, London, Dubai and beyond

The courier collects in any Paris arrondissement, at La Défense or anywhere in Île de France: a signed deed at a notaire, a sample at a workshop, a purchase at a boutique. Collection and purchase can be combined in the same mission. The courier then flies from Charles de Gaulle or Orly and delivers in person at destination.

For destinations a train can reach, the train is often faster than the plane door to door. Our courier boards the Eurostar at Gare du Nord and delivers in central London in under five hours from collection, as detailed on our Paris to London hand carry page. Brussels is 1 hour 22 minutes by train, Amsterdam 3 hours 20 minutes, Geneva 3 hours 5 minutes and Zurich about 4 hours, see hand carry from Paris to Brussels.

Customs and what can travel with a courier

Documents generally travel without duties. Goods carried by an on board courier are declared at customs on arrival like any commercial shipment, with a commercial invoice prepared before departure. Samples and professional equipment that will leave the country again can travel under an ATA Carnet, which avoids paying duties on a temporary import.

Airline rules apply to what the courier can carry: dangerous goods, some lithium batteries, liquids above cabin limits and cash are restricted or refused. Tell us what the item is when you brief us and we confirm what is possible before anyone books a ticket.

How much an on board courier costs

Each mission is quoted on its route and its deadline. Missions start from €450. Travel costs, the flight or train ticket, are billed at cost on a separate line, so the quote shows what the courier's time costs and what the transport costs. A same day Paris to London hand carry by Eurostar costs much less than a transatlantic flight, which is why we always check the train first.