The carrier's clearance fee
When your parcel goes through customs clearance, the carrier may charge an administration fee. It is not customs duty and not an official rate – it depends on the carrier and on how you pay.
Four different charges
| Charge | Who sets it? |
|---|---|
| Customs duty | The EU – per item (customs tariff line) or by commodity code |
| EU handling fee | The EU – EUR 2 per item from 1 November 2026 |
| Import VAT | Denmark – 25% |
| Carrier's clearance fee | The carrier itself |
How much does it cost?
The Danish Customs Agency (Toldstyrelsen) states that the carrier's fee is normally DKK 150–250, and that the agency has nothing to do with the fee.
| Carrier | Fee incl. VAT |
|---|---|
| PostNord (parcels by post), when neither customs duty nor VAT was paid at purchase | DKK 225 + DKK 40 per additional item |
| DHL Express (customers without a customer number) | min. DKK 100 or 2% of duty and VAT + any surcharges |
| FedEx | duty and VAT up to DKK 373: 30%, min. DKK 90; DKK 373–4,480: DKK 111.90; above that 2.5% |
| GLS | normally collects duty and VAT from the sender – normally nothing for you |
| UPS and others (e.g. Airmee, Bring, DAO) or unknown | normally DKK 150–250 |
Sources: DHL Express: customs services, FedEx: rates and tariffs, GLS: new customs rules – read 1 November 2026. DHL and FedEx do not state whether the amounts include VAT. If the goods are sent from an EU country, there is no customs clearance and therefore no fee.
PostNord: price list "Importgebyr – forsendelser fra udland" (in Danish), prices as of 1 July 2026, read 1 November 2026. We could not confirm other carriers' prices in their own price lists.
Choose the carrier in the calculator and we will use its own pricing model. Don't know? Then we show the range. If you know the exact fee, you can enter it yourself.
Is there VAT on the fee?
Our sources do not state whether there is VAT on the carrier's fee. In the calculator, you enter the amount the carrier charges, and we do not add 25% on top.
Sources
- Toldstyrelsen: toldberegneren – Re-checked 2026-10-31
- Toldstyrelsen: nyt EU-håndteringsgebyr – Re-checked 2026-10-31