Shipping from the UK to the EU after Brexit: 2026 costs

Before 2021 a parcel from Manchester to Munich was a domestic-style shipment inside one single market. Since Brexit it is an export from the UK and an import into the EU, with a declaration on both sides. In 2026 a third layer came on top: the EU’s flat duty on low-value parcels. Below: each layer priced for the Netherlands, Germany and France.

What does it cost to ship a parcel from the UK to the EU in 2026? #

These are the carrier prices on our shipping options for a small parcel (up to 5 kg) from the UK, measured on 29 September 2026, including our €0.85 platform fee and delivered to the door. The last column is the cheapest small parcel inside that country on the same day, for comparison.

The gap per parcel is £4.16 for France, £6.35 for Germany and £6.64 for the Netherlands — before any duty, VAT or carrier handling charge. DPD is the one carrier that is cheap and fast into all three; Evri is cheapest into the Netherlands but takes up to 7 working days. For the carrier rates without our fee, in every country, see the European shipping rates index.

What paperwork do you need to ship from the UK to the EU? #

• ✓A GB EORI number. Anyone moving goods between Great Britain and the EU needs one that starts with GB.
• ✓An export declaration. You can hire a transporter or customs agent to make it; for parcels that is usually the carrier.
• ✓A commodity code per product on the declaration, and a description precise enough for EU customs.
• ✓Proof of export within 3 months — the declaration with departure confirmation plus the carrier’s transport document — so you can zero-rate the sale for UK VAT.
• ✓A statement on origin on the invoice if your goods are of UK preferential origin and you want the zero tariff under the Trade and Cooperation Agreement.
• ✕An EU EORI number is not needed as long as someone else makes the EU import declaration. You need one only if you make a declaration in the EU yourself.

Who pays VAT when a UK shop sells to an EU customer? #

EU VAT is due on every import, whatever the value. What differs is who collects it and when.

Up to €150 with IOSS: you, at checkout

The Import One-Stop Shop lets you charge the customer’s VAT at checkout on consignments of €150 or less and declare it through the scheme. The parcel is then released without VAT at the door. A seller with no establishment in the EU must appoint an EU intermediary to use IOSS, unless its country has a VAT mutual assistance agreement with the EU; the Commission names Norway as its example.

Up to €150 without IOSS: your customer, at the door

Without IOSS, the carrier or postal operator declares the parcel and collects the import VAT from your customer before handing it over. That is where refused parcels come from: the customer did not expect a bill.

Above €150: a standard import

IOSS does not cover consignments above €150. The parcel goes through a standard customs declaration, with import VAT and any duty for its commodity code. On a delivered-duty-unpaid parcel your customer pays those too.

Does the EU’s €3 customs duty apply to UK goods? #

Since 1 July 2026 the EU charges €3 per product type — tariff classification, not quantity — on every consignment up to €150 sold at distance to a consumer, whatever the VAT scheme. The seller or importer declares and pays it, not your customer. It is a temporary measure that runs until 1 July 2028. Five identical T-shirts are one €3; three T-shirts and a watch are €6.

There is one exclusion that matters for UK shops: goods that benefit from a preferential trade agreement — such as UK-origin goods under the Trade and Cooperation Agreement — are excluded, but only if the VAT was not collected through IOSS and the parcel is declared on a full (H1) import declaration.

In other words: IOSS gives your customer a clean delivery and costs you €3 per product type; skipping IOSS can save the €3 on UK-made goods but puts a bill on your customer’s doorstep. The full mechanics are in the EU €3 customs duty explained.

Can you sell to the EU from the UK without customs on every order? #

Yes, by moving the border crossing from every parcel to one batch. You send a box of stock into the EU, clear it once, and a verified sender in your customer’s country holds it and ships each order as a domestic parcel. No customs per order, no €3 per product type, nothing to pay at the door.

The stock route has a price of its own. You are the importer of the batch, and to make an import declaration in the EU you need an EU EORI number or someone who makes it for you. You also need a VAT registration in the country where the stock sits; see VAT when you store stock in another EU country. Per parcel you add the sender’s fee — we suggest €2.25 for a small parcel — on top of the label.

• ✓Stock in the EU pays off for a steady weekly volume into one country, and for multi-product orders where the €3 adds up per product type.
• ✓It also fixes transit: a domestic parcel in Germany is listed at 2 working days, against 4 from the UK.
• ✕For a few EU orders a month, the VAT registration costs more than it saves. Stay on IOSS or ship from the UK.
• ✕For a catalogue of hundreds of slow sellers, no batch can hold them all. Put only best sellers in the EU.

The four routes — DAP, DDP, IOSS and EU stock — are compared side by side in sell to the EU without customs charges, and the break-even is worked out in IOSS vs holding stock in the EU. Per country: Germany, France and the Netherlands and Belgium.

How this works with AirPost #

1. 1

   Pick one country

   The one where most of your EU orders go. On /en/senders, filter by price and parcel size; every sender’s identity and payout account are checked.

2. 2

   Import one box

   Your carrier or a customs broker clears the batch; you are the importer. Senders never sign customs papers or pay import charges. The stock stays yours; ask for it back and it is returned within 14 days.

3. 3

   Route EU orders to your sender

   In the chat, or automatically with the Airpost Order Link app for Shopify. The sender sees your customer’s full address only after accepting the order.

4. 4

   Pay per parcel

   The domestic label, the sender’s fee and our €0.85 platform fee. No subscription, no storage costs. The full model is on local fulfilment in Europe.