Why do I have to pay for the import of a shipment?

My shipment is coming from within the EU

Some regions of the EU are also subject to customs duties and VAT because they are not part of the EU customs territory, even if they belong to the geographical territory of the EU (e.g. the Canary Islands).

My shipment is coming from outside the EU

In accordance with European customs legislation and VAT regulations, you must pay taxes (customs duties, VAT, excise duty and administrative processing charges) on all commercial shipments from outside the EU. Your shipment will only be delivered if you pay these charges within 14 days of receiving the payment notification. Once the import fees are paid, your shipment will be presented to customs.

If your shipment is a gift, you may be exempt from import charges in certain cases.
If you order from a registered online shop (Import One-Stop Shop or IOSS), which pays the VAT in advance, you don’t have to pay any additional taxes, customs duties or administrative fees to the customs clearance service of bpost. You can easily recognise a recognised webshop: if your shopping basket states that VAT is included, you are safe!
- Fees for customs formalities are administrative charges that are charged by the bpost customs clearance service for:
  - determining the contents and value of the parcel
  - contacting the addressee in case the contents, value and details of the parcel do not correspond or are incomplete;
  - creating the required customs declaration;
  - storage and warehousing of the shipment during the collection of customs duties.

Please note: shipments with a value above €150 are always subject to customs duties and administrative processing costs.

More about the customs rules