Legal Definitions - courier

A courier is a messenger, typically one who delivers parcels or packages. In international law, the term specifically refers to a messenger officially authorized by a sending state to deliver a diplomatic pouch.

A courier is an individual or a service specializing in the secure and timely transportation and delivery of items, which can include documents, packages, or other goods, from one location to another. These items are often time-sensitive, valuable, or require special handling.

In the specific context of international law, a courier refers to a person officially authorized by a government to transport diplomatic communications or materials, such as a diplomatic pouch. Such couriers and their diplomatic pouches typically enjoy special legal protections under international agreements.

Here are some examples illustrating the term:

• Imagine a large law firm that needs to send a set of original, signed contracts to a client across the city before the end of the business day to meet a critical deadline. They might hire a specialized courier service to pick up these confidential documents and deliver them directly and securely. This illustrates a courier's role in providing rapid and reliable delivery of important documents.

• Consider a pharmaceutical company that needs to transport a batch of newly developed, temperature-sensitive vaccines from its manufacturing plant to a distribution center in another state. They would likely employ a specialized courier equipped with refrigerated vehicles and strict handling protocols to ensure the vaccines maintain their efficacy during transit. This demonstrates a courier's function in transporting specific goods that require careful, specialized handling and timely delivery.

• During a period of heightened international negotiations, an official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is tasked with personally carrying a sealed, confidential package containing sensitive treaty drafts from their nation's capital to their embassy in a foreign country. This official is acting as a diplomatic courier, authorized by their government to transport official state communications, and the package they carry would be considered a diplomatic pouch, enjoying legal immunity from search or seizure.