Customs on Packages Mailed to Germany, Part 1

Receiving mail is one of life's little pleasures. Obviously I'm excluding all bills, notices, and official documents from this statement. When I talk about mail, I'm referring to notes, postcards, invitations, and of course the occasional package.

That's why, when the buzzer rang this morning and I hear "post" announced on the other end, I excitedly slipped on a pair of shoes, grabbed my keys, and ran down the stairs to see what treat was in store.

You can image then, my shock and disappointment, when the postman said, "Sie haben 134 Euro zoll."

"One-hundred and thirty four euros in customs," I thought. "That's unbelievable!" At today's exchange rate of 1.56, to get my package I'd have to hand over $208.55.

Instead of taking the package then and there, I asked the postman to deliver the package to the nearest DHL location. I need to find out what could possibly be in the package that it merited such an outrageous custom's fee. (Stay tuned, I've contacted the sender and will post part 2 of this saga.)

In the meantime I also did some research about what's what in terms of customs fees on mail from the U.S. to Germany. We’ve had plenty of other packaged delivered since arriving here, including golf clubs for half of Kevin’s office shipped directly from an online retailer, and have never had to pay one cent in taxes or tariffs.

On the German Consulate to the United States’ Web page, I found the following information:

Packages to Germany may be mailed free of duty if their value does not exceed 45 Euros.

On Toytown.com, and expat message board, this is also a hot topic of discussion. They suggest that anyone mailing a package should make sure not to claim a value in excess of 45 Euros, or $70. That way, customs will not be applied. Also, they claim that it is best not to identify the package as a gift, but rather that you are sending personal items that belonged to the recipient before they left the states.

On the German Consulate site I also found a section that talks about duty-free personal effects. It states:

Articles intended for your personal use during your trip may be imported free of duties and taxes...If you are a resident of Germany, this exemption applies only to articles in your possession when leaving German territory.

Maybe it’s a long shot, but if I pay to duties now, can get reimbursed when I return to the states?