Draft for review — not legal advice and not customs advice. Version 0.1. The lists below are generic; personal allowances and prohibited categories differ by country, by the traveller's nationality and residency, and by trip duration. This must be reviewed by a lawyer, and every destination rule verified with the customs authority of that country, before it is relied on. Do not publish as-is.

Prohibited and Restricted Items Policy

Version 0.1 · Draft · not in force

1. What this policy is

This policy sets out what may and may not be requested through BagFellow, and what a Traveller may and may not accept.

It is indicative, not exhaustive. An item being absent from these lists does not mean it is permitted. The Traveller remains solely responsible for the contents of their baggage and for compliance with the laws of every country they transit or enter.

This policy is not customs advice. It does not confirm that any item may lawfully be carried, imported, or exported. Rules differ by country, by the traveller's residency, by trip duration, by quantity, and by declared value — and they change.

2. The rule that sits above every list

Nothing sealed. Nothing uninspected.

A Traveller must be shown every item, unsealed and open, before accepting it. A Traveller must never accept a closed package, a wrapped gift, or anything they have not seen the inside of.

A Traveller may refuse any item, at any point before departure, without giving a reason and without any effect on their rating or standing.

If a Traveller cannot inspect it, they must not carry it. This rule has no exceptions and overrides everything below.

3. Never carried

These may not be requested or accepted under any circumstances, on any route.

• Weapons and anything resembling them — firearms, parts, ammunition, air weapons, replicas, knives and blades sold as weapons, tasers, pepper spray, body armour.
• Explosives and pyrotechnics — fireworks, flares, detonators, ammunition primers.
• Narcotics and controlled substances — narcotics of any kind, cannabis and its derivatives including CBD, drug paraphernalia, and any substance controlled in the origin, transit, or destination country.
• Scheduled and prescription-only medicines — any medicine classified as controlled or scheduled in the origin, transit, or destination country; any prescription-only medication, including medication lawfully prescribed to another person; and injectables. Non-prescription medicines and supplements are covered in section 4.
• Tobacco in all its forms — cigarettes, cigars, loose tobacco, shisha and molasses tobacco, heated-tobacco sticks, vaping devices and liquids, and nicotine pouches.
• Currency and monetary instruments — cash, cheques, money orders, bearer instruments, gold or silver bullion, loose precious stones, and hardware wallets holding cryptocurrency. These are excluded for a specific reason: a Traveller cannot verify whether notes or instruments are genuine, or whether a precious metal is of the purity claimed. The inspection that protects them on every other item does not work here.
• Living and biological material — live animals, insects, plants, seeds, soil, human or animal remains, blood, tissue, biological or medical samples.
• Perishable food — meat, poultry, fish, dairy, eggs, fresh produce, and any item requiring refrigeration.
• Counterfeit goods — customs authorities seize counterfeit goods on their own initiative, without any complaint from a brand owner, and a penalty may be imposed on the person carrying them. That falls on the Traveller.
• Dangerous goods — flammable liquids and gases, corrosives, oxidisers, compressed gas cylinders, mercury, magnetised material, radioactive material, paints, solvents, lighter fuel, camping gas.
• Loose lithium batteries and uninstalled power banks, and any battery exceeding the carrying airline's stated limit.
• Material restricted on public-morality grounds in the destination country.
• Anything unlawful in the country of origin, any country transited, or the destination country.

4. Restricted — conditions apply

These may be carried only where the conditions are met and the destination permits them. The app must show the destination-specific rule before the Traveller accepts.

• Non-prescription medicines and supplements — permitted where the product is available without prescription in both the origin and destination country, is in unopened manufacturer packaging with its labelling fully visible, and is in a quantity consistent with personal use. Two cautions: many products sold as natural or herbal contain scheduled substances, and vitamins and supplements are treated as medicines in several Gulf and North African markets. The Traveller must check the rules of their destination before accepting, and must refuse if uncertain.
• Electronic devices — permitted where the battery is installed in the device and within the airline's limit. Devices must be capable of being powered on if requested at security.
• Power banks — subject to airline capacity limits and cabin-only carriage.
• Cosmetics, perfume, and liquids — subject to volume limits in cabin baggage, and to alcohol-content restrictions in some destinations. Perfume is treated as a flammable liquid above certain volumes.
• Branded goods — permitted where authenticity can be shown. Original receipt or invoice must accompany the item.
• High-value items — where the declared value exceeds the destination's personal allowance, customs duty applies and is the Traveller's responsibility. The app must show the threshold before acceptance.
• Alcohol — only within the destination's personal allowance, and never to destinations where alcohol is prohibited.
• Drones, GPS trackers, satellite phones, two-way radios, signal jammers, night-vision equipment — prohibited outright in several countries. Requires a destination check and, in some cases, a permit.
• Books, printed matter, films, and recorded media — subject to content restrictions in several destinations.
• Religious items and texts — subject to restriction in some destinations.
• Medical devices — permitted where not containing controlled substances and not requiring a prescription.
• Food — non-perishable, commercially packaged, sealed by the manufacturer, and within destination limits. Manufacturer-sealed packaging is the one permitted exception to section 2, and the Traveller must still see the packaging and its labelling in full.

5. Generally accepted

Subject to sections 2 to 4 and to the destination rules shown in the app: clothing, footwear, and accessories; consumer electronics in original packaging with receipt; books and documents; toys and games; non-perishable packaged food; cosmetics within volume limits; spare parts and small components; stationery; and sports equipment without gas cartridges or fuel.

6. Quantity — the personal-use line

One item is baggage. Several of the same item is import.

BagFellow counts what a Traveller is carrying across a single trip and warns before they accept a second item of the same category. Carrying multiple identical items materially increases the likelihood of customs treating the shipment as commercial, with duty, delay, and questioning as a result.

Weight must sit within the Traveller's own allowance. BagFellow does not show requests that would push a Traveller into excess baggage charges. Any excess charge incurred is the Traveller's own cost.

7. If this policy is breached

BagFellow may, depending on severity: remove the request or listing; withhold release of held funds pending review; suspend or terminate either party's account; retain the transaction record; and cooperate with any lawful request from a customs authority, law enforcement agency, or regulator.

Attempting to have a prohibited item carried is a serious breach and will normally result in permanent removal from the platform.

8. Reporting

If a Traveller is stopped, questioned, or has an item seized, they should notify BagFellow through the app as soon as it is safe to do so. This is so the transaction can be paused and the funds position resolved correctly — it is not a substitute for following the instructions of the authority concerned.