In recent years, alongside the rapid development of global e-commerce, new rules and standards have been implemented in the international cargo transportation sector. Particularly, protecting customer rights, ensuring convenient and transparent delivery processes, and digitalization of identification procedures have become priorities in many countries.
Leading global logistics and cargo companies like UPS, FedEx, DHL, and others are widely implementing solutions such as smart delivery systems, digital identification, and alternative pickup points to increase customer convenience. For example, in Europe and the US, customers are offered flexible delivery options when ordering: packages can be directed to their address, nearby post offices, or special smart lockers. Traditional document verification for identification has been replaced by OTP (one-time password), mobile applications, and biometric solutions.
Azerbaijan is also taking steps in line with international practices in this field. The Information Communication Technologies Agency (ICTA) under Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Digital Development and Transport is strengthening control measures and taking serious actions against cargo companies violating transportation terms.
The ICTA has demanded an end to practices by some cargo companies delivering from Türkiye and China that force customers to collect packages from post offices instead of delivering them to their addresses, and requiring additional documents and even photos of ID cards for identification. Company executives have been summoned to ICTA and officially warned about these issues.
The agency believes it is unacceptable for postal operators to obstruct home delivery through various means when customers have paid for home delivery during online shopping. This can be considered a liability-creating situation that enables operators to generate additional profit.
A representative of one of the Azerbaijani local cargo companies, Parviz Azimov, told Report that such cases are unacceptable. Azimov also pointed out that the courier system in private postal delivery companies in Azerbaijan has not yet fully developed:
“Even though customers choose their residence as the delivery address when ordering, in some cases, the package may be directed to the carrier company’s pickup point. This can only happen when the courier cannot find the customer, calls don’t go through, the address is incorrect, or at the customer’s own request. If some companies automatically send packages to pickup points without these conditions and require customers to collect them from there, this is not the right approach and is considered unacceptable.”
Addressing the issue of companies requiring additional documents from customers, Azimov emphasized that this practice creates serious risks in terms of personal data security:
