Import charges in Czechia: what you’ll actually pay
Updated
Order from outside the EU and the price on the shop page is only part of it. Here is how customs duty, VAT and Czech Post’s fees work when the parcel lands, in plain English, with the figures each authority publishes.
The Summary
- Buying from the EU? No import duty and no import VAT: the price you pay is the price.
- Buying from outside the EU at €150 or less? 21% Czech VAT plus €3 of customs duty per item, where an item is one kind of goods.
- Over €150? VAT plus the tariff rate of duty for that product, on a full customs declaration; Czech Post charges 350 Kč to clear it.
- VAT already paid at checkout (IOSS)? Czech Post charges 0 Kč to clear the parcel; the €3 duty still applies unless the seller collected it too.
The €3 duty, precisely
It is charged per item, and an item is one or more pieces of the same kind of goods. Czech Post’s own examples make it concrete: three identical glasses are one item and pay €3; a glass and a plate are two items and pay €6; three identical glasses and a plate are still two items, €6; a glass, a plate and a pair of sunglasses are three, €9. Even a cotton T-shirt and a polyester one count as two. It applies to consignments up to €150, and the European Commission is explicit that it applies whatever the VAT scheme, IOSS included.
The Customs Administration assesses the duty in koruna, converted at the customs exchange rate fixed for the month (not the day’s market rate). When Czech Post delivers the parcel, it collects the duty first: a parcel with duty owing is not handed over until it is paid. Exempt are gifts up to €45 between private individuals, and goods of an origin covered by an EU agreement with a lower duty rate, which pay that agreement’s rate instead.
VAT: the bigger number
Czechia’s standard VAT rate is 21%, and it applies to goods from outside the EU whatever their value. Under the Czech VAT Act it is calculated on the customs value plusthe duty and the transport and insurance costs. Czechia also has a 12% reduced rate (groceries, medicines and some services) and, since 1 January 2024, no VAT on books, but the Customs Administration’s own guidance for parcels says the rate is usually 21% and lower only in exceptional cases.
What Czech Post charges to clear it
For a parcel from outside the EU, a customs declaration is still required, and in most cases Czech Post files it for you; in some cases you can clear a parcel yourself through the Customs Administration’s eCep and Celnička applications. Czech Post’s fee for acting as your customs agent depends on what the parcel holds. These are its published figures:
| What the parcel holds | Czech Post fee |
|---|---|
| Goods up to €150, VAT paid at checkout (IOSS) | 0 Kč |
| Gift up to €45 | 200 Kč |
| Gift over €45, goods over €150, or goods that cannot be released under the special arrangement or IOSS | 350 Kč |
| Goods up to €150 bought without IOSS | not published |
The last row is a real gap in Czech Post’s price list, not an omission here: its table has no line for goods up to €150 bought without IOSS. The practical consequence is simple. When the seller collects the VAT at checkout, as Etsy says it does on orders under €150 from outside the EU, Czech Post’s fee is 0 Kč and what is left at the door is the €3 duty, if the seller did not collect that too.
Gifts, disputes and returns
A gift up to €45 sent between private individuals is free of duty and VAT; its data still has to be declared, and Czech Post charges 200 Kč for that. Above €45 the gift pays VAT and duty at the tariff rate, and the fee is 350 Kč. Alcohol, tobacco and perfume pay duty whatever their value.
If you think the duty or VAT assessed is wrong, you can file a complaint at any Czech Post branch, at its customs declaration department or at the customs office; Czech Post notes such submissions may take three to six months to settle. On returns, an online purchase from an EU-based store can be withdrawn within 14 days of delivery without a reason; you normally pay the return postage, unless the seller offered to or did not tell you the cost before you bought.
Frequently asked
I ordered from Temu, Shein or AliExpress to Czechia: do I now pay customs duty on orders under €150?
Yes, since 1 July 2026. The EU abolished the €150 duty-free allowance and replaced it with a temporary €3 customs duty, charged per item rather than per parcel, where an item is one or more pieces of the same kind of goods. Czech Post’s own examples: three identical glasses are one item and pay €3; a glass and a plate are two items and pay €6; a cotton T-shirt and a polyester one are two items. The Customs Administration assesses it in koruna at the customs exchange rate fixed for the month, and when Czech Post delivers the parcel it collects the duty first: the parcel is not handed over unpaid. The flat duty runs until 1 July 2028.
What is the EU handling fee of €2 per item?
A fee the EU charges from 1 November 2026 on goods bought from a seller outside the EU: €2 per item, counted the same way as the €3 duty. Unlike the duty, it applies whatever the parcel’s value, above €150 too, and it has no end date. VAT is charged on it as well, and it is not refunded if you send the goods back. The seller, platform or carrier that declares the parcel pays it to customs, so it reaches you inside the checkout price or as a charge before delivery. A gift between private individuals is not a sale and does not carry it.
How much VAT is charged on foreign online orders in Czechia?
The standard Czech rate is 21%, and it applies to goods from outside the EU whatever their value. It is calculated on the customs value plus transport and insurance, and the duty is added to that taxable amount as well. Czechia also has a 12% reduced rate (groceries, medicines and more) and no VAT on books since 2024, but the Customs Administration says the rate on an imported parcel is usually 21% and lower only in exceptional cases.
What does Czech Post charge on top of the taxes?
It depends on what is in the parcel. Goods up to €150 on which the VAT was paid at checkout (the seller used IOSS): 0 Kč. A gift up to €45: 200 Kč. A gift over €45, goods over €150, and goods that cannot be released under the special arrangement or IOSS: 350 Kč. Czech Post publishes no fee for goods up to €150 bought without IOSS.
I already paid VAT at checkout: why is Czech Post asking for VAT again?
Checkout VAT only counts if the seller’s IOSS number reaches the customs declaration when it is filed. Czech Post says it is often not given the number, the VAT is then assessed again, and adding the number later cannot undo that. It will not ask customs to refund the second payment: the claim lies only with the shop where you bought. To avoid it, enter the IOSS number in Czech Post’s online customs form as soon as you have the parcel number.
Are gifts from family or friends outside the EU taxed in Czechia?
A gift up to €45 sent between private individuals is free of duty and VAT; the data still has to be declared, and Czech Post charges 200 Kč for handling it. Above €45 the gift pays VAT and duty at the tariff rate, and Czech Post’s fee is 350 Kč. Alcohol, tobacco and perfume pay duty whatever their value.
Can I return an online order, and can I dispute a charge?
From an EU-based store you have 14 days from delivery to withdraw from an online purchase without giving a reason, under EU rules and § 1829 of the Czech Civil Code; you normally pay the return postage, unless the seller offered to or did not tell you the cost before you bought. If you think the duty or VAT assessed on a non-EU parcel is wrong, you can complain at any Czech Post branch, at its customs declaration department or at the customs office; Czech Post notes that such submissions may take three to six months to settle.
Want the number for your actual basket? Use the Czechia import cost calculator (koruna in, landed cost out).