Shipping goods to Germany

If you are moving to Germany, it’s possible that you are asking yourself about how to ship your belongings to that country. First of all, you have to know that lots of people are choosing this destination to live, because the rising of it’s jobs offers, the life quality and other reasons. We recommend you to read this checklist for moving to Germany to make sure you have everything under control before you start your new life in this interesting country.

Important Destinations

When you are thinking in shipping overseas to germany, one of the most important things to know is where to ship. There are some highlighted and active seaports on the German North Sea coast, they are Bremen with Bremerhaven, Wilhelmshaven but the most important one is Hamburg. Hamburg’s port is important because of its extension, history and daily activity. It receives most of the imports and spread lots of exports everyday.

You can see what is the nearest port for your final destination in Germany here.

In case that your shipping is going by air, the most important airports are Munich, Düsseldorf, Berlin Tegel, Hamburg and Stuttgart. You’ll need to know this if your shipment is not big enough for a LCL or a FCL.

Customs Declaration

The customs declaration must contain information about the origin of the goods, the tariff and customs value.

If you are moving to Germany permanently and have lived outside the European Union for the previous 12 months, you may import both personal effects (clothing, jewelry, toiletries) and household effects (furniture, rugs, linens, bedding, dishes, other furnishings) free of duty and tax. For that make sure you are present when your goods clear customs, have owned the goods over six months or the goods are imported within one year of taking up residence.

For inheritance items there are some requirements like a death certificate, an official document which certifies you have inherited the items from the deceased and states your relationship.

For wedding trousseaux you will need the marriage certificate, but if household goods are imported before the marriage, you must proof that the marriage will take place within two months

Prohibited items

In Germany, as in main countries, there are some prohibited articles as explosives, ammunition, drugs and narcotics, pornographic material, certain types of meat, absinthe, methyl alcohol and pure alcohol are also prohibited

It’s also banned to import protected animals or species, dried plant or historical significance items between other things. Look up here for more information.

Some other articles require special authorization and/or the payments of duties and taxes to clear German customs. Some of them are new items from less than six months old, they require an invoice. Take care with tobacco, tea, coffee, perfumes, and foodstuffs in large quantities. Also keep in mind live plants, they need special import permit. Electronic items such as computers, videos, stereos, etc. must show serial number and have purchase invoice, and duplicate appliances or electrical equipment may be assessed high duties.

Import duty & taxes when importing into Germany

Import duty and taxes are due when importing goods into Germany from outside of the EU whether by a private individual or a commercial entity. In you need more information about free circulation of goods in the European market click here.

Duty rates are applied to imports into Germany typically range between 0% (for example books) and 17% (for example Wellington Boots). Some products, such as Laptops, Mobile Phones, Digital cameras and Video Game consoles, are duty free.

The standard VAT rate for importing items into Germany is 19%, with certain products, for example books, newspapers and magazines, attracting VAT at the reduced rate of 7%. VAT is calculated on the value of the goods, plus the international shipping costs and insurance, plus any import duty due.

For imports into Germany, there are minimum thresholds below which duty and VAT are waived.

Duty is not charged if the FOB value does not exceed €150 and VAT is not charged if the FOB value does if it doesn’t exceed €22. Finally, both duty and VAT are waived if the sum of duty and VAT payable does not exceed €5

You can find more information on import declaration procedures and import restrictions at German Customs website.

Check our web now to know the best prices for shipping to Germany. If you are thinking in shipping container or loose cargo to Germany don’t hesitate in contact with us, we will provide you information and the best service for your shipment.