IGA Lost and Found Pickup and Collection Assistance

1. Read the reference and confirm the deadline

Keep the complete GMK or KYP reference, including every digit, together with the description in the email. If the description does not match your belongings, resolve that with the office before preparing collection papers. Separate references may require separate release checks.

IGA customer notification emails describe a 90-day holding period for GMK records and 12 months for KYP records. Treat these as email-based information requiring current official confirmation, not as a promise that your item will remain available until a date you calculate yourself. Ask when the period began, the last permitted collection date and whether the item's custody or status has changed.

A reference prefix alone is not sufficient to establish customs status, the pickup desk or the accepted type of authorization. The office's current instructions for your record take priority.

2. Identify the owner and the person who will collect

Check the attachments to the notification. You may be asked for a signed authorization form, a passport or accepted ID copy, the collector's details and any consent or release forms specified by the office. Request missing or unreadable attachments directly from the sender through the verified official channel.

Before signing, check that the owner's name, item reference and nominated collector agree across the documents. Ask whether scanned copies are sufficient or originals must be presented at collection.

A formal power of attorney may be required in some cases. Do not assume an ordinary signed letter is equivalent, or that every passenger needs a notarized document. Confirm the required wording, language and any notarial or consular formalities before arranging them. Our authorization and power-of-attorney guide explains the preparation questions in more detail.

Send identity documents only through the agreed private process. Do not publish a passport copy, full reference or home address in a public comment. You do not need to disclose a device password to make an initial courier enquiry.

3. Allow for the three-day advance submission instruction

Where the IGA email requires authorization papers at least three days before collection, submit the completed documents within that notice period. Ask whether these are working or calendar days, and whether the proposed attendance date has been accepted.

“Documents sent” and “collection approved” are different stages. Wait for the office's confirmation before sending a representative to the airport. If the deadline is close, ask the office about an earlier appointment; a courier cannot waive the notice requirement. Current instructions must be reconfirmed for each case.

4. Separate airport charges from the courier quote

A holding period is not a free-storage allowance. Ask IGA whether storage charges apply to your item, the charging start date, the current amount and the accepted payment method. We do not publish an unverified tariff or promise that all categories are charged in the same way.

Your courier quotation should identify collection, any additional attendance, packing and onward transport. Confirm whether airport charges are included or paid separately. Destination customs charges and carrier clearance fees, where applicable, should not be confused with the local collection fee.

5. Confirm release first, then finalize the shipment

Before attendance, agree the holding office, appointment or collection window, named collector and documents to bring. IGA retains the decision on release. Independent courier collection is possible only where the office accepts the arrangement; it does not create an official partnership with IGA.

After handover, the contents and packing requirements can be assessed for the chosen destination. An iPad, MacBook, laptop or phone needs an electronics and battery acceptance check. A suitcase or handbag needs a contents review; approval to release the bag does not automatically authorize every item inside it for international carriage.

Use our phone collection service or luggage collection service for item-specific planning. Airport release, export arrangements and destination customs clearance are separate stages. Being your own used belongings does not automatically remove documentation or possible charges.

What the actual cases show

Derek's iPhone case shows consular authorization followed by IGA collection and a confirmed return after a customs delay. The two-laptop case illustrates why transport acceptance can require separate shipments.

In Vivian's suitcase and iPad case, collection and dispatch were followed by customs processing in the United States. The published account distinguishes customs release from separately confirmed receipt. These experiences explain the steps, not a guaranteed turnaround time.

Prepare your first message

Tell us that IGA has confirmed the item, what it is, your destination country and any stated deadline. We can then review the collection instructions and explain the next step. Keep sensitive attachments out of the initial enquiry.

IGA found my item — discuss collection

For a broader explanation of documents, cost components and international return arrangements, read Ana Kurye's detailed IGA collection guide. It complements this airport email checklist.

Procedure check: this guidance is not an official IGA instruction. Email-based holding periods, advance notice and fees require current confirmation. Refer to IGA's official Lost & Found channel and the office handling your record. If your checked baggage never arrived, use your airline's baggage-tracing process first.