The Christmas holidays are nearly upon us, and many people are preparing to send off their cards and parcels to loved ones.
But those receiving parcels from abroad may get a bill from custom charges. According to An Post, gifts below the value of €45 from non-EU countries require valid electronic customs data, but don't require any customs or VAT to be paid.
However, gifts that over €45 are charged a customs fee, which must be paid by the person receiving the gift. A spokeswoman said: "If customs charges are due on your item, you will receive a postcard in the post with details of the charges. We will also attempt to send an email and/or an SMS if these details have been provided to us by the sender (this could be a retailer or someone you know)."
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This year An Post is expecting that "millions of people from all over the world" will be sending cards and parcels this tear, and there are also deadlines for sending items abroad to the UK, USA, and rest of the world.
But for those on the receiving end of Christmas gifts, they'll have to fork out some cash so that their items pass through customs. This is because in 2021 strict new laws were introduced for non-EU goods, meaning that VAT and customs charges now apply when you buy goods outside of the EU.
An Post collects these customs from you and they then pay them on to Irish Revenue. But if you do receive a gift over €45 from a non-EU country like Great Britain you'll likely have to pay at least €10 extra or more on the customs charge.
Customs charges may vary depending on the country, but your item will be returned to the sender if the charges are not paid by the “pay by date". An Post also has a service called Addresspal for parcels coming from the UK or US which simplifies the entire customs process.
For more information and advice on customs charges visit anpost.com
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