# Human or animal samples — Postal shipping restrictions by item category

For Human or animal samples, carrier is Royal Mail / Parcelforce; restriction type is restricted; scope is Royal Mail only; conditions is May only be sent at the specific request of a qualified medical practitioner, dental practitioner, veterinary surgeon, registered nurse or a recognised laboratory; total sample volume/mass must not exceed 1kg, solids only, in Packaging Instruction 650 compliant packaging, recorded from its source on 2026-08-10.

- **Item category:** Human or animal samples _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Carrier:** Royal Mail / Parcelforce _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_
- **Restriction type:** restricted _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_
- **Scope:** Royal Mail only _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_
- **Conditions:** May only be sent at the specific request of a qualified medical practitioner, dental practitioner, veterinary surgeon, registered nurse or a recognised laboratory; total sample volume/mass must not exceed 1kg, solids only, in Packaging Instruction 650 compliant packaging. _(verified: appears in the quote below)_

## What the source says

> Packaging Guidelines: the total sample volume/mass in any parcel must not exceed 1kg. Solids only can be sent. All human or animal samples must be posted in packaging that complies with packaging instruction 650, such as Royal Mail Safebox product.

## Source

- https://corporate.postoffice.co.uk/media/w5dlus1c/foia-response_foi2025_00179_appendix-d_rm-dangerous-goods-and-prohibited-and-restricted.pdf

Last verified: 2026-08-10. Review by: 2027-08-10.
Part of [Postal shipping restrictions by item category](https://referencesource.org/shipping-restrictions-by-class/).