Track your international parcel and pay customs clearance fees
Track your parcel
Track your parcel via track & trace. Using your track & trace code, you can see where your parcel is, when it will arrive and whether you still need to pay customs clearance costs.
Customs clearance fees?
Customs clearance fees consist of VAT, any import duties and our costs for declaring your parcel to Customs.
Pay customs clearance fees
You often pay these costs directly to the webshop when you check out. Sometimes you only pay once your parcel has arrived in the Netherlands. In that case, you pay via PostNL or another delivery service.
New costs from 1 November
From 1 November, you will pay a European handling fee of € 2 per declaration line for parcels from outside the EU. This is on top of the € 3 in import duties you have paid since 1 July.
The total amount depends on the number of declaration lines on the customs form. For example, if 3 pairs of trousers are listed on 3 separate lines, you pay € 3 in import duties and a € 2 European handling fee for each line. We pass the European handling fee on to Customs in full.
You do not pay this fee for letters, documents or parcels within the EU. This also applies to a gift worth less than € 45 from another consumer. You pay via the webshop or via us.
How to pay customs clearance fees?
Go to track & trace
We will direct you to track & trace via the email or letter. Enter your track & trace code and postcode there.
View the invoice and pay straight away
You can find the invoice under ‘Customs clearance fees’. You can pay immediately using iDEAL, Wero or credit card.
We deliver your parcel
Once payment has been made, we will deliver your parcel. You have 14 days to pay. After that, your parcel will be returned.
Not sure whether a payment request is safe?
- We never send a direct payment link – you will always be directed to track & trace first
- We send emails from: noreply@edm.postnl.nl
- Hover over the ‘View payment request’ button in the email. Our URL always starts with: https://click.edm.postnl.nl
- Log in to your PostNL account in the app so we can reach you securely at all times
Do you have a question?
Check the frequently asked questions or contact our chatbot Daan.
Frequently asked questions
More and more of us are ordering online from abroad—including countries outside the EU. Altogether, this involves millions of parcels that Customs must check one by one to determine their value, calculate import duties, and stop dangerous goods before they enter the country. The more parcels there are, the more work it creates for Customs. That is why this new fee has been introduced.
That depends on who sent the parcel. With many large online stores, you pay the fee directly when checking out your order. Otherwise, you will receive a payment request once your parcel has arrived in the Netherlands.
You do not pay a fee for gifts with a value up to € 45. Please note: this only applies to parcels sent by a private individual.
Did you order from an online store outside the EU, but are the ordered items shipped from a country inside the EU? In that case, you do not pay a handling fee either.
You can find more information and calculation examples on the Customs website.
No, we only collect it on behalf of Customs and hand over the full amount to them.
If we have charged it incorrectly, you can file an objection. For example, for a gift up to € 45, or if the parcel comes from an EU country. The fee itself is based on new European rules, which you cannot object to.
This is part of the reform of EU customs rules, which is taking place in two steps:
- Abolition of the exemption from import duties as of July 1st Previously, parcels with a value up to € 150 were exempt from import duties. Since July 1st, a flat import fee of € 3 applies to these parcels. The goal is to create fairer competition between European (online) stores and cheap foreign webshops.
- Introduction of the handling fee as of November 1st The introduction of the € 2 handling fee specifically covers Customs' own operational processing and inspection costs. The number of parcels from outside the EU has increased explosively in recent years. To inspect all parcels properly and quickly, Customs must invest in additional IT systems, capacity, and enforcement.