From the 1st of January 2021, the United Kingdom is no longer a member of the European Union Single Market or the Customs Union. Consequently, trade between the UK and EU is now subject to new agreements.
So what are the main consequences of Brexit for EU countries ?
- Although the new agreement allows for zero tariff trade between the UK and EU, delivery couriers have increased shipping costs to cope with the additional bureaucracy. Additionally, cross-border mobility has reduced and this may result in slightly longer shipping times.
- VAT is no longer applied to orders destined for EU countries however, you are still required to pay VAT. (See below)
- Sales to the UK including Northern Ireland still incur 20% VAT and this will be applied during the order process
For EU zone shipping we have two methods available:
- Option A DPU (Delivered to your door) we offer this service via our couriers DHL, UPS and FedEx. This option is available on all order values and if chosen you will be contacted by the courier before delivery to pay your country’s VAT (no longer added to invoice) and any disbursement fees. Payment can be made via an emailed payment link.
- Option B DDP (Delivered to your door, Duty Paid) we offer this service via FedEx only on orders with a total order value below £300.00 GBP (including shipping). If you choose this FedEx option you will see the shipping rate is higher than the UPS or DHL alternative but this is because the VAT is included in the shipping cost. If chosen, there is nothing more to pay and we strongly recommend this option when possible. Unfortunately, FedEx do not offer this service to Greece or Portugal.
Business customers EORI number
EU countries, Norway and Switzerland are required to provide a EORI number to comply with (Import Control System 2) rules, if not provided your delivery will be rejected by customs and be returned to us and any costs incurred will be passed on.
Import duties
We recommend you make yourself aware of import VAT before placing an order. Import VAT and Disbursement fees to Greece and Portugal can be expensive, so we suggest you check costs with the relevant authorities before ordering. All prices shown on our website exclude VAT.
- Note - Refusal to pay import duties may result in the parcel being destroyed by the courier or a return shipping costs which may be higher than the 'outbound' shipping cost. Any return costs will not be refunded.
The table below indicates typical courier EU service and Disbursement fees, (Disbursement fees are courier admin fees) note that VAT will vary according to the destination country.
