Deutsche Post DHL charging €6 fee for delivery of import shipments subject to customs tariffs

Deutsche Post DHL Group has announced that it is now charging a fee of €6 including VAT for the delivery of import consignments that are subject to customs tariffs.

In a statement issued yesterday, the company said that mail and parcel shipments from non-EU countries whose value exceeds the set limits are subject to import VAT and, where applicable, customs duties. Deutsche Post DHL Group will collect the fee from the recipient upon delivery.

Deutsche Post DHL said that – “in contrast to many other postal companies and logistics service providers”- it had not previously levied any fees for the costs incurred for customs processing and the provision of customs duties. However, the company said it was introducing this flat rate fee now due to the intense competition in cross-border e-commerce, and it maintained that €6 was well below the European average price for these fees.