Sending gifts and parcels to Germany from the UK

Germany is in the EU, so a parcel from the UK clears EU customs, usually in Germany. German customs is explicit that deliveries from or to companies cannot be recognised as gift shipments, even if they are free of charge. The €45 gift allowance is for parcels between private individuals, not company gifts.^{⁠[2]Source 2}

That leaves two charges to plan for:

• Import VAT. 19% for most goods and 7% for some, such as food and books, worked out on the customs value plus any duty.^{⁠[1]Source 1}
• Customs duty. The €150 duty relief ended on 1 July 2026. Until 1 July 2028, goods worth €150 or less that are sold online to a consumer in the EU pay a flat €3 per item category, however they travel. A company gift isn’t a sale to the person receiving it, so confirm with your carrier or customs broker which duty applies to a gift shipment. UK-made goods can qualify for a reduced rate if the importer claims it.^{⁠[3]Source 3⁠[6]Source 6⁠[7]Source 7}

Sending corporate gifts from the UK to the EU

Every company gift from the UK carries import charges. The question is who settles them, and when.

DDP vs DAP: who pays customs on your gifts?Explore the full service

Apparel, notebooks, bottles and bags travel well. Take care with:

• Food and drink. German customs limits food and feed imports, and alcohol is an excise good that needs a full customs declaration.^{⁠[5]Source 5⁠[11]Source 11}
• Products that don’t meet EU safety rules. Products that don’t meet EU safety and compliance rules are among the goods German customs restricts. Check gadgets and anything electrical before you send.^{⁠[11]Source 11}
• Lookalike branding. Counterfeit goods are restricted. Use your own brand, not a famous one.^{⁠[11]Source 11}

3 October, the Day of German Unity, is a national public holiday, so allow for it in an autumn send. For Christmas gifts, plan well ahead of December, when parcel networks are at their busiest.^{⁠[12]Source 12}

• Think long term. The UK government’s Germany guide says German firms often take a longer-term view and value personal relationships highly. A useful, well-made gift fits that better than a novelty.^{⁠[10]Source 10}
• Write the card in German if you can. The same guide calls German the language of business, with fluency a major advantage.^{⁠[10]Source 10}

We deliver to 180+ countries, Germany included. Our stock in the Netherlands serves the whole EU, so wherever we can, swag for German recipients is made, held and sent inside the EU and doesn’t cross a customs border. We ship international orders DDP: we handle customs and duties, so recipients have nothing to pay on arrival. Where a destination’s import rules call for a different arrangement, we handle that too. The cost is worked out up front, in your quote.

Recipients can share their preferences and delivery details on a branded Claim Page, so you don’t need to collect home addresses yourself.

See how Claim Pages™ work

From our work

From our work for Knight Frank: a printed kraft box, taped shut and ready to go. A box crossing a border travels with an invoice listing each item and its value, which customs uses to work out duty and import VAT.