DHL: Available additional services for shipping via your own carrier contract

You can use these additional services when shipping via your own DHL business rates in connection with Shipcloud

Ina Kahl avatar
Written by Ina Kahl
Updated over a week ago

You can use these additional DHL services integrated in Shipcloud with your own DHL contract.


For the carrier DHL, we have integrated the following additional services into Shipcloud, which you can use when shipping via your own DHL business rates.

In this article 👇


DHL Additional Insurance

For particularly valuable shipments DHL offers the possibility of a higher insurance. This exceeds the liability of the usual EUR 500 to up to EUR 2,500 or EUR 25,000 for your shipment.

Please note the following requirements:

  • Can be booked via your own DHL contract (or via Shipcloud business rates),

  • for national and international shipping,

  • in connection with the services DHL Standard (DHL Paket/DHL Paket International), DHL Prio, DHL Europaket and DHL Retoure,

  • via API Request.

You can also find more information about the booking parameters in our Developer Portal.


DHL Cash On Delivery

With this additional service, you as the sender can be sure that you will receive your money. The package will be handed over to the recipient only after payment of the outstanding amount.

Please note the following requirements:

  • Can be booked only via your own DHL contract,

  • for national and international shipping,

  • in connection with the services DHL Standard (DHL Paket/DHL Paket International) and DHL Prio,

  • via API request.

You can also find more information about the booking parameters in our Developer Portal.


DHL Closest Droppoint Delivery (CDP)

With this additional service, you can improve your delivery rate in selected EU recipient countries. Your items will be delivered by the delivery partner to a droppoint (parcel shops, parcel lockers or similar delivery options) based on the recipient's address. The delivery partner will inform your recipients of the exact delivery location by email. Therefore, you must always provide a valid recipient email address to DHL when booking the additional service.

Please note the following requirements:

  • Can be booked via your own DHL contract (or via Shipcloud business rates),

  • for selected EU receiving countries (currently Denmark, Finland and Sweden),

  • in connection with the service DHL Standard (DHL Paket International),

  • only in connection with the additional service "Parcel Notification" [Advance Notice"],

  • only in connection with the transfer of a valid recipient email address.

📌 Please note that from January 2023, when shipping to Finland and Sweden, the selection of a delivery option is required and DHL will invoice you a surcharge for door-to-door delivery. For smooth shipping and to avoid additional costs, we will therefore automatically book the delivery option "Closest Drop Off Point Delivery" for you when shipping to Finland and Sweden from January 1st, 2023, if you transder the additional service "Advance Notice" via API request to us.

Good to know: You can also book the "Closest Drop Off Point Delivery" via API request for shipping to Denmark, taking into account the above requirements. If needed, you can also book the additional service independently for Finland and Sweden. However, as we do this for you by default when you pass "Advance Notice" to us, this is not mandatory.

Example API request


DHL Delivery Day [Preferred Day]

With this additional service you can increase your delivery rate. Your recipients can specify, either for individual parcels or permanently for all shipments within Germany, on which delivery days (Mon-Sat) they would like to receive their shipments.

Please note the following requirements:

  • Can be booked only via your own DHL contract,

  • for national shipping within Germany,

  • in connection with the services DHL Standard (DHL Paket) and DHL Prio,

  • via API Request.

You can also find more information about the booking parameters in our Developer Portal.


DHL GoGreen [Go Green]

With this additional service you can send your domestic and international shipments climate neutral. If you book DHL GoGreen, the greenhouse gases generated by the transport are offset by DHL climate protection projects.

Please note the following requirements:

  • Can be booked via your own DHL contract (or via Shipcloud business rates),

  • in connection with the services DHL Standard (DHL Paket/DHL Paket International), DHL Prio, DHL Europaket, Warenpost und DHL Retoure,

  • via API request or in the Shipcloud webUI using a setting in your DHL configuration in the menu item "Carriers".

You can also find more information about the booking parameters in our Developer Portal.


DHL Ident Check

With this additional service, you can have goods delivered discreetly within Germany. In doing so, you ensure that your parcels are only handed over to the recipient personally - after the identity and, if applicable, the age have been verified on the basis of identification and documentation.

Please note the following requirements:

  • Can be booked only via your own DHL contract,

  • for national shipping within Germany,

  • in connection with the services DHL Standard (DHL Paket) and DHL Prio,

  • via API request.

You can also find more information about the booking parameters in our Developer Portal.


DHL Named Person Only

With this additional service, you can ensure that your parcels within Germany are only handed over to the recipient personally or to an authorized person by means of ID-based identification during delivery.

Please note the following requirements:

  • Can be booked only via your own DHL contract,

  • for national shipping within Germany,

  • in connection with the services DHL Standard and DHL Prio,

  • via API request.

You can also find more information about the booking parameters in our Developer Portal.


DHL No Neighbor Delivery

With this additional service, you can offer discreet deliveries within Germany if your recipients are not encountered during delivery. Maintain the privacy of your customers by excluding alternative neighbor delivery.

Please note the following requirements:

  • Can be booked only with your own DHL contract,

  • for national shipping within Germany,

  • in connection with the services DHL Standard or Prio,

  • via API request.

You can also find more information about the booking parameters in our Developer Portal.


DHL Parcel Notification [Advance Notice]

With this free additional service you can ensure that your customers know when they will receive their parcel and where they can pick it up. For national shipments within Germany, your recipients can also choose an alternative delivery option for their parcel, if required, and, for example, specify a drop-off location or redirect it to a Packstation. DHL takes care of the shipping communication and informs your customers of the expected delivery time for each shipment via email. Therefore, you must always provide a valid recipient email address to DHL when booking the additional service.

Please note the following requirements:

  • Can be booked via your own DHL contract (or via Shipcloud business rates),

  • for national and international shipping,

  • in connection with the service DHL Standard (DHL Paket and DHL Paket International),

  • only in connection with the transfer of a valid recipient email address,

  • via API request.

You can also find more information about the booking parameters in our Developer Portal.


DHL Preferred Location

With this additional service, you can improve your delivery rate. Here, your recipients can specify a drop-off location on your property, either for individual parcels or permanently for all shipments within Germany, and receive your parcels even when you are not at home. In this way, unnecessary delivery attempts can be prevented and CO2 emissions reduced.

Please note the following requirements:

  • Can be booked only via your own DHL contract,

  • for national shipping within Germany,

  • in connection with the services DHL Standard, DHL Prio and Warenpost.

  • via API request.

You can also find more information about the booking parameters in our Developer Portal.

📌 Please note that this service includes a drop-off permit, which means that DHL's liability for damage or parcel loss ends when the parcel is dropped off at the agreed location and is automatically transferred to the recipient.


DHL Preferred Neighbor

With this additional service, you can increase your delivery rate. Your recipients can specify a preferred neighbor in their immediate vicinity, either for individual parcels or permanently for all shipments within Germany, where the parcels will be left when they are not at home.

Please note the following requirements:

  • Can be booked only via your own DHL contract,

  • for national shipping within Germany,

  • in connection with the services DHL Standard, DHL Prio and Warenpost,

  • via API request.

You can also find more information about the booking parameters in our Developer Portal.


DHL Premium International

With this additional service you can optimize the shipping for your international parcels. Shipments with DHL Premium are preferred and always transported to the destination country by the fastest means of transport.

Please note the following requirements:

  • Can be booked only via your own DHL contract,

  • for international shipping outside from Germany,

  • in connection with the service DHL Standard (DHL Paket International),

  • via API request or in the Shipcloud webUI using a setting in your DHL configuration in the menu item "Carriers".

You can also find more information about the booking parameters in our Developer Portal.


DHL Retail Outlet Routing [Parcel Outlet Routing]

With this additional service, you can improve your delivery rate within Germany. Shipments that cannot be delivered in the first attempt are not returned directly to you as the sender, but are stored at the nearest DHL retail outlet for seven working days for collection by the recipient.

Please note the following requirements:

  • Can be booked only via your own DHL contract,

  • for national shipping within Germany,

  • in connection with the services DHL Standard, DHL Prio and Warenpost,

  • via API request.

You can also find more information about the booking parameters in our Developer Portal.


DHL Sender's Instructions [Endorsement]

This additional service allows you to decide what DHL should do with your shipments outside from Germany if the packages cannot be delivered to the recipient in the destination country. There are two handling options available:

  • Return to sender immediately

    When using this option, the shipment will be returned to you and you will be charged for returning it.

  • Abandonment of parcel (package destruction)

    The parcel will not be returned to you, but rather auctioned off or destroyed by the recipient countrys' postal company. You will not be charged with a return fee for this option.

Please note the following requirements:

  • Can be booked only via your own DHL contract,

  • for international shipping outside from Germany,

  • in connection with DHL Standard (DHL Paket International),

  • via API request or in the Shipcloud webUI using a setting in your DHL configuration in the menu item "Carriers".

You can also find more information about the booking parameters in our Developer Portal.


DHL Visual Age Check

With this additional service, you can have sensitive goods delivered securely within Germany, taking into account the protection of minors. You instruct DHL to carry out a simple age check without identification documents during delivery, thus preventing your parcels from falling into the hands of children and young people under the age of 16 or 18. DHL only carries out the age check on the basis of an identification document in case of doubt. The goods will only be delivered to the recipient personally or to a person in the recipient's household, provided that this person has reached the specified minimum age. An alternative delivery to a neighbor, to a Packstation or to a parcel box is therefore not possible.

Please note the following requirements:

  • Can be booked only via your own DHL contract,

  • for national shipping within Germany,

  • in connection with the services DHL Standard (DHL Paket) and DHL Prio,

  • via API request or in the Shipcloud webUI using a setting in your DHL configuration in the menu item "Carriers".

You can also find more information about the booking parameters in our Developer Portal.


📌 Please note that you may incur additional costs when booking these additional services. For more information, please feel free to contact our Support team or your DHL account manager directly.

You can find out which plug-ins or platforms have also already implemented these additional DHL services by asking your plug-in developer or your platform.


Any further questions? We're happy to help.


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