What is a remote area? 

A 'remote area' within the logistics context generally refers to a location that is identified by a postcode or, in its absence, a suburb or town name, which is considered challenging to serve. Essentially, if a location falls outside our regular pickup and delivery paths, it is classified as 'remote'. This could include areas such as distant towns, secluded islands, or sparsely populated rural areas.

Challenges of delivering to or from remote areas

The process of executing a delivery service to remote areas involves complexities that differ from those encountered during standard islandwide delivery within an urban place like Singapore. Here are some of these challenges:

• Accessibility: Remote locations often lack well-structured roads and might be subject to adverse weather conditions, making the delivery process highly challenging.
• Transport modality: To access these remote places, it is often necessary to switch between various modes of transport. This could range from conventional delivery vans to boats or even small aircraft in extreme cases.
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• Manpower & time: Deliveries to or from remote locations demand additional manpower and extended working hours due to the intricate and time-consuming nature of the delivery process.

Understanding remote area surcharges

Considering the intricate nature and heightened costs associated with deliveries to and from remote areas, a remote area surcharge is essential. This additional fee serves to offset increased operational costs and ensure every parcel reaches its intended recipient, regardless of the remoteness of the location.

For DHL Express Singapore, this charge is set at S$0.60 per kg, with a minimum charge of S$36 for each shipment to or from one remote area.

DHL Express' remote area charges

Despite the inherent challenges of remote area deliveries, DHL Express is committed to bridging the geographical gap between businesses and customers. Our remote area surcharge guarantees we always have the necessary resources to reach even the most isolated destinations you need us to.

Various industries greatly benefit from this service. Businesses in the medical and pharmaceutical fields can depend on us to deliver essential medicines and equipment to rural areas. Similarly, telecommunications companies seeking to establish network connectivity in remote areas can count on us for seamless shipping and logistics.

The three famous international express company: UPS, DHL, FEDEX has their own remote areas and you can make a phone call or find related information on their official websites.

The easiest way is to ask your shipping agent if you have one. The forwarding companies always have reliable tools to check whether an address is considered as remote.

Remote areas are not only applied in international express but also in domestic expresses.

Especially in North America like UPS and FedEx and DPD, DHL in Europe.