Shipping items with batteries.

What counts as a lithium battery

The restriction is about lithium batteries, the flat rechargeable packs built into modern gadgets. If a device charges by cable, assume it has one. Ordinary household batteries, AA, AAA, C, D and 9V, are a different chemistry and are not restricted, and that includes the rechargeable kind.

Things that contain one include mobile phones, laptops, tablets, smartwatches, fitness bands, wireless earbuds, Bluetooth speakers, power banks, electric toothbrushes, shavers, hair tools, handheld games consoles, e-readers, drones, cameras, cordless vacuums and remote control toys.

Things people commonly send

Almost all of these carry one built in lithium battery, so on their own they are fine.

• Phones, tablets and laptops. One battery each, built in, so a phone and a laptop together already reach the limit of two.
• Smartwatches and fitness bands. Apple Watch, Fitbit, Garmin and similar.
• Electric toothbrushes and shavers. Popular and usually fine, one battery each.
• Hair straighteners and cordless dryers. Cordless ones have a battery, mains powered ones do not, so a plug in straightener is unrestricted.
• Bluetooth speakers and headphones. Over ear headphones have one. Earbuds are the exception, see below.
• Handheld consoles and e-readers. Nintendo Switch, Kindle, and the like.
• Cameras and drones. Fine if the battery is in the device, but spare battery packs cannot travel.
• Cordless vacuums and remote control toys. Usually one battery, though larger toys sometimes have more.

Anything mains powered with a plug and no battery, such as a kettle, toaster, lamp or corded appliance, is not restricted at all.

Power banks cannot travel

Worth saying on its own, because it catches people out constantly. A power bank is a loose lithium battery in a case, and loose cells cannot travel by air under any circumstances. It does not matter how small it is, whether it is brand new, or that the shop sold it to you quite legally.

The same applies to spare battery packs for cameras and drones, replacement phone batteries, and anything sold as a portable charger.

The two rules

• Two per box. No more than two lithium batteries can travel in one box.
• Built in, not loose. The battery must be inside the device. Loose cells, spare batteries and power banks cannot travel by air at all.

Two batteries, in practice

A few worked examples, since counting devices is easier than counting batteries.

• A phone and a camera. Two batteries, so that is your limit reached. Fine.
• A laptop and a smartwatch. Also two. Fine.
• A phone, a camera and an electric toothbrush. Three, so one has to wait for the next box.
• A tablet on its own. One, with room for one more.
• A phone plus a spare battery for it. Refused, because the spare is loose whatever else is in the box.
• A kettle, a corded hair straightener and a toaster. No batteries at all, so no limit applies.

If you are close to the limit, split the items across two boxes rather than risking a held box. A held box costs more time than a second delivery.

Watch out for wireless earbuds

AirPods and similar wireless earbuds are an awkward case: each bud carries its own small lithium cell and the charging case carries a third. DHL treats multi-battery devices strictly, so we take the conservative line and count a pair with its case as three battery items, more than we can accept in one box. If earbuds are on your list, contact us before you buy and we will tell you straight whether we can take them.

Household batteries are fine

Everyday AA, AAA, C, D and 9V batteries are not restricted, and there is no limit on how many. Anything that runs on them, such as toys, remote controls, torches, clocks and wall gadgets, is no problem.

Why the rules exist

They are DHL's air freight rules, not ours. Lithium cells can overheat, so airlines limit how many travel and insist they are protected inside a device. A shop can sell you a power bank quite legally and still be unable to fly it anywhere.