When shopping online within the European Union, you generally do not need to pay any additional import charges for your parcel.
If you buy books, clothing or other items from an online store outside the European Union, you may have to pay import duties or VAT. This also applies to second-hand goods. Any applicable import duties and VAT are payable by the person importing the goods.
Customs duties and VAT are generally not included in the purchase price. Shipping costs are also charged separately for online purchases. Through the Duty Taxes Paid (DTP) billing service, the sender can choose to have these charges invoiced to another party.
If the sender has not agreed to pay the import duties and VAT, DHL will advance the applicable charges to Customs so that your parcel can be imported. DHL will then charge you for these advanced costs. Your parcel can only be delivered once you have paid the full amount, including DHL's administration fee.*
For this service, DHL charges an administration fee of 2%, with a minimum of €16.50 (excluding VAT).
Import of B2C shipments from 1 November 2026:
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Import duties will apply to all commercial imports (B2C and B2B) into the European Union.
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B2C shipments valued below €150 will be subject to a flat import duty of €3 per product type, based on the commodity code.
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From 1 November, an EU handling fee of €2 per product type will be charged. VAT will also be calculated on the handling fee in the customs declaration, unless the IOSS scheme is used.
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B2B shipments valued below €150 can no longer be declared using a simplified customs declaration.
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Import VAT will continue to apply as it does today.
Read more or visit import duties and VAT.