Shopping in foreign online stores. How much do you have to pay for customs clearance?
UPD (08.03.21): update regarding changes from 01.07.2021
Living in Germany, we often shop on AliExpress and other foreign online stores outside of Europe.
❓How much and when do you have to pay? What awaits us in 2021?
Highlights:
🔹Customs is interested in the total cost of the goods together with delivery.
🔹Prices up to 22 € are not subject to import duties.
🔹The amount in the range from 22 € to 150 € is NOT subject to import duties, but VAT is charged. For most goods, VAT is 19%, there are a number of exceptions, for example, for books – 7%.
🔹❗If the VAT amount is less than 5 €, then you do not need to pay it. As the cost of charging this amount is higher than the amount itself.
➡Thus, we get that when buying goods with a standard VAT of 19%, we can place an order in the amount of 26,31 € and not pay additional fees.
✔Books can be ordered without additional fees up to 71 €, because VAT - 7%.
❗Important: pay attention to rate fluctuations and currency conversions and do not order exactly € 26,31.
✔ From July 1, 2021, the duty-free threshold of 22 € will be canceled. Thus, VAT will have to be paid on any purchase up to 150 €. The no-charge threshold is reduced from 5 € to 1 €.
Purchases over 150 € are subject to import duties.
Information on Zoll website.
Orders up to € 1 will not be taxed from 2021st July 5,25
19% tax on the amount of 5,25 € will be 99 cents and will not be charged
