What is a clearance fee?
Your carrier handles the customs declaration and pays the VAT and customs duty on your behalf. You repay these taxes along with a clearance fee. Postal services usually charge a fixed fee. Couriers such as DHL Express, FedEx and UPS charge a percentage of the taxes, with a minimum fee.
Did the shop charge VAT at checkout via IOSS? Then you normally pay no VAT and no clearance fee on delivery. Some postal services include their fee in the amount subject to VAT. The calculator accounts for this where confirmed.
Fees per country
Austria
| Österreichische Post | ‘Importtarif’: €6 up to €150, €12 up to €1,000, €36 above (parcels up to 10 kg, no VAT on the fee). Also €6 for a duty-free gift; nothing for IOSS parcels. | November 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| DHL Express | €15 or 3% of duty and VAT, whichever is higher. | November 2026 |
Belgium
| bpost | €21.50 per shipment up to and including €150, €40 above €150. bpost counts this amount in the VAT base and charges no separate VAT on it. | November 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| DHL Express | ‘Import duty processing’: 2.75% of duty and VAT, at least €15. | November 2026 |
| FedEx | About 2.5% of duty and VAT, at least about €15. (indicative) | November 2026 |
| UPS | About 3% of duty and VAT, at least about €18.65. For orders up to €22, UPS charges a lower fixed amount. (indicative) | November 2026 |
| DPD, GLS or other | DPD and GLS publish no fixed amount. Is the amount in your payment request? Enter it yourself. (indicative) | November 2026 |
Bulgaria
| Bulgarian Posts | Customs representation: €3.80 up to €150, €12 up to €1,000, €20 above. €2.70 for IOSS parcels and for gifts up to €45. | November 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| DHL Express | €12.27 or 2% of duty and VAT, whichever is higher. | November 2026 |
Croatia
| Hrvatska pošta | €2.46 for the customs declaration up to €150, €4.91 up to €1,000. Nothing for IOSS parcels. | November 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| DHL Express | €12 or 2% of duty and VAT, whichever is higher. | November 2026 |
Cyprus
| Cyprus Post | €3.50 per item for the presentation to customs, whatever the value. Only charged when you have taxes to pay. | November 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| DHL Express | €12 or 2% of duty and VAT, whichever is higher. | November 2026 |
Czechia
| Česká pošta | CZK 150 (about €6.16) up to €150, CZK 350 (about €14.37) above €150 and for gifts above €45, CZK 200 (about €8.21) for a gift up to €45. Nothing for IOSS parcels. | November 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| DHL Express | 2% of duty and VAT, at least CZK 400, plus 21% VAT: 2.42%, at least about €19.88. | November 2026 |
Denmark
| PostNord | Import fee DKK 225 (about €30.10) for the first item line, DKK 36 (about €4.82) for each further line, roughly one per product type. Including VAT. | November 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| DHL Express | DKK 100 (about €13.38) or 2% of duty and VAT, whichever is higher. | November 2026 |
Estonia
| Omniva | About €2.39 for an automatic declaration up to €150 and from €15.25 above; Omniva’s current amounts could not be checked. A gift above €45 costs €20. (indicative) | November 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| DHL Express | €12 or 2% of duty and VAT, whichever is higher. | November 2026 |
Finland
| Posti | €3.10 per parcel when you pay online (€3.30 in cash), whatever the value, only when you have taxes to pay. Customs count it in the amount you pay VAT on. | November 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| DHL Express | €20 or 2% of duty and VAT, whichever is higher. | November 2026 |
France
| La Poste (Colissimo) | €8 handling fee when you pay the postman or at the pickup point, €2 to €5 when you pay online. Only charged when you have duty or VAT to pay. | November 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| DHL Express | €16.67 or 1.8% of duty and VAT, whichever is higher. | November 2026 |
Germany
| Deutsche Post / DHL Paket | €7.50 per parcel, including VAT, whatever the value. Only charged when you have duty or VAT to pay. | November 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| DHL Express | 2% of duty and VAT, at least €15, plus 19% VAT: 2.38%, at least €17.85. | November 2026 |
Greece
| ELTA Hellenic Post | From €2.50 up to €15 to €50 above €1,000 (2021 tariff, including VAT), when ELTA clears the parcel for you. ELTA’s current tariff could not be checked. (indicative) | November 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| DHL Express | €45.16 or 10% of duty and VAT, whichever is higher, plus 24% VAT: €56.00 or 12.4%. | November 2026 |
Hungary
| Magyar Posta | Paid on delivery, by value: HUF 1,640 (about €4.51) up to €10, rising to HUF 4,770 (about €13.11) up to €150, and HUF 11,870 (about €32.62) above €150. HUF 1,440 (about €3.96) for IOSS parcels. Paying online is cheaper. | November 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| DHL Express | HUF 4,740 (about €13.03) or 2% of duty and VAT, whichever is higher. | November 2026 |
Ireland
| An Post | €6.95 admin fee per parcel under €150. For parcels of €150 or more, An Post’s rate guide lists €11. | November 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| DHL Express | €5 when duty and VAT are under €20; otherwise €14.50 or 2.5%, whichever is higher. | November 2026 |
Italy
| Poste Italiane | Postal fee at delivery: €3 up to €22, €7 up to €150, €21 above (€1, €1 and €18 if you pay online). Poste counts it in the amount you pay VAT on. | November 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| DHL Express | €16 or 2.5% of duty and VAT, whichever is higher, plus 22% VAT: 3.05%, at least €19.52. | November 2026 |
Latvia
| Latvijas Pasts | €5.99 up to €1,000 when the post clears the parcel for you, €30.25 above. €1.28 up to €150 if you clear it yourself in the ‘Atmuito pats’ app. | November 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| DHL Express | €12 or 2% of duty and VAT, whichever is higher. | November 2026 |
Lithuania
| Lietuvos paštas | €6.99 up to €150 when the post declares the parcel, €30 above €150. €2 for IOSS parcels and parcels you declared yourself; €6.99 to declare a gift. | November 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| DHL Express | €12 or 2% of duty and VAT, whichever is higher. | November 2026 |
Luxembourg
| POST Luxembourg | €6 up to €22 and €18 up to €150. POST doesn’t publish its fee above €150; the calculator uses €30 (it was €22 to €30 in 2022). (indicative) | November 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| DHL Express | €15 or 3% of duty and VAT, whichever is higher. | November 2026 |
Malta
| MaltaPost | Customs processing fee. MaltaPost’s current amounts could not be checked; in 2022 they were €2 to €12 up to €150 and €17 to €20 above. The calculator uses the highest amounts. (indicative) | November 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| DHL Express | €12.71 plus 2% of duty and VAT, plus 18% VAT: €15.00 plus 2.36%. | November 2026 |
Netherlands
| PostNL | €10 per parcel up to €150, €16 from €150 (and for alcohol, perfume and other goods that need a full declaration). | October 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| DHL Express | ‘Duty Tax Processing’: 2% of duty and VAT, at least €16.50. | October 2026 |
| FedEx | ‘Ancillary clearance fee’: 2.5% of duty and VAT, at least €15. | October 2026 |
| UPS | About 2.5% of duty and VAT, at least about €10.50. (indicative) | October 2026 |
| DPD, GLS or other | Differs per carrier, usually between €5 and €20 per shipment. (indicative) | October 2026 |
Poland
| Poczta Polska | PLN 20 (about €4.55) for the simplified declaration up to €150. Above €150 PLN 120 (about €27.32) for a full declaration, plus PLN 10 per further item. | November 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| DHL Express | 2.5% of duty and VAT, at least PLN 69, plus 23% VAT: at least PLN 84.87 (about €19.32). | November 2026 |
Portugal
| CTT | €7 plus VAT (€8.61) up to €150, €14 above €150 and for gifts above €45. Nothing when you paid everything at checkout. | November 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| DHL Express | €21 per shipment; DHL doesn’t publish a percentage on top. | November 2026 |
Romania
| Poșta Română | RON 18 (about €3.37) customs presentation fee up to €150, RON 35 (about €6.55) for a customs declaration above €150. | November 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| DHL Express | 2% of duty and VAT, at least RON 59, plus 21% VAT: 2.42%, at least about €13.37. | November 2026 |
Slovakia
| Slovenská pošta | €3.20 up to €150 and for a gift, €15 above €150 for up to three items (€5 per further item). €10 when the declaration needs manual work. | November 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| DHL Express | €13.50 or 2% of duty and VAT, whichever is higher. | November 2026 |
Slovenia
| Pošta Slovenije | Paid on delivery: €9 up to €150 (also for IOSS parcels), €30.50 above, €5.50 for a gift up to €45. Paying online is €2.50 cheaper. | November 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| DHL Express | €12 plus 2% of duty and VAT, plus 22% VAT: €14.64 plus 2.44%. | November 2026 |
Spain
| Correos | Paid at the office or on delivery: €6.05 up to €25, rising to €16.76 up to €150; only €2.99 if you pay online before delivery. Above €150 €26.39 plus €6.27 handling. Including VAT. | November 2026 |
|---|
Sweden
| PostNord | SEK 100 (about €9.07) for a simplified declaration up to €150, SEK 175 (about €15.87) above €150. Including VAT. | November 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| DHL Express | SEK 165 (about €14.96) or 2% of duty and VAT, whichever is higher. | November 2026 |
How to pay less
- Choose shops that charge VAT at checkout (IOSS). Then you usually pay no clearance fee. This only works up to €150.
- Combine your orders. Clearance fees are per parcel: one €80 parcel costs less than four €20 parcels. Keep the €150 limit and the number of product types in mind.
- Let the shop arrange everything. Some shops, such as Amazon.com, charge the import costs at checkout. Then there is nothing to pay on delivery.
Received a payment request?
The carrier asks you to pay by email, text message or in its app. Customs never send payment requests directly. Not sure a message is real? Don’t click the link. Check your parcel on the carrier’s official website or app.