The Independent Public Revenues Authority AADE has cancelled the 15-euro fee imposed by the Greek Post for small parcels sent from third countries. AADE made clear that the Hellenic Post cannot design and implement customs practices policy.
The Greek Post decided to raise a 15-euro fee for small parcels from non-EU countries even if their value was below 22 euros. The measure triggered an outrage not only in Greece but around the world.
Recipients of parcels from non-EU countries have to pay a 15-euro fee to the Greek Post in order to receive their package. The price increase has gone into effect since February 3, 2020, the Hellenic Post (ELTA) said in a statement.
The measure has triggered reactions among consumers who make online purchases from non-EU countries, preferably from China and the USA – and soon also from UK?
Any item with a customs declaration will be subject to a “Customs Clearance”, the minimum amount of which was set at 15 euros, according to an ELTA circular.
Until recently, parcels outside of European countries that were charged with customs duties were those with a value of more than 22 euros.
According to the new regulations:
For parcels ranging from 0 to 22 euros, customs duties are 15 euros.
For parcels ranging from € 22 up to € 150, customs duties are € 15 + 24% VAT.
For parcels worth more than € 150, customs duties are € 15-50 depending on the cost of the package, + 24% VAT + customs duties.
According to the ELTA announcement, for “all mailed items marked as free by the Customs Authorities, ie without customs declaration, the customs duty was and remains zero.”
ELTA underlined that the fees are imposed by the Greek Customs Authorities and not the Hellenic Post.
People are mixing up things. The 15 euro fee is a “processing fee”, not a customs fee. Customs and excise duties are set by EU law, and are quite low (less than 3% for most things I looked at). The real problem is VAT, which is for the item cost plus postage.
This whole thing is a Greek mess, anyway. Other EU countries manage to do things without charging massive amounts for low-value items.