Customs clearance is the process by which customs controls the import or export of goods. Read here how it works.
Chantal has been writing about logistics topics for almost two decades and has worked for major international carriers.
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Customs clearance is the process by which customs authorities check the import or export of goods and carry out the necessary formalities so that the goods meet all legal requirements. It is an essential part of the customs process and is intended to protect a country's economy, safety, and public health.
During customs clearance, importers or exporters must provide the correct documents, such as invoices, transport documents, and possibly permits and certificates. Customs then perform a check to see if the goods match the provided documents and comply with the applicable regulations. This involves taking and analyzing samples on a random basis and inspecting the goods.
If the goods meet all requirements, customs release them and they are imported or exported. If they do not meet the requirements, customs decide to refuse the goods. Customs may also hold them until the requirements are met or a fine is paid.
When you ship internationally, you can ensure a smooth and fast customs clearance. The customs clearance process and specific steps and requirements vary by country. But a customs clearance process usually consists of the following steps:
Collecting required documents: This includes, among other things, the commercial invoice, shipping documents, and any permits.
Submitting the customs documents: This is done by the carrier or the importer and includes information about the contents of your shipment and its value.
Inspection of goods: Customs inspects the goods to confirm whether they comply with the required rules and regulations.
Assessment of customs duties and taxes: Customs calculates the import duties and taxes to be paid based on the value of the goods and the specific rules and laws.
Payment of customs duties and taxes: After the calculation, the customs duties and taxes must be paid before the goods are released.
Release of goods: After paying the customs duties and taxes and after inspection, the goods are released.
Customs clearance can take a few working days, but also weeks. It depends on what you send, the destination, and the applicable customs rules and restrictions. You can contact the customs of the country for specific information. On our website, you also find customs information per country. You can make customs clearance smoother.
In our shipping platform MyParcelParcel, you can export and import to and from more than 220 countries. We have built our shipping platform so that you can easily create a customs invoice or commercial invoice with just a few clicks and automatically get the right forms.
We have written a lot of content about customs formalities and international shipping:
Read in the knowledge base about customs forms and accompanying hs-codes. And about VAT on shipping costs.
Here you can read everything about import duties and clearance fees and an EORI number
You can also work with a customs agent or forwarder. This is a party that takes care of all customs formalities for import and export.
Provide specific, not too general, answers and check the document for spelling errors.
Ensure that the information is consistent across all required customs documents.
Provide a detailed, accurate description of each item. For example, extensively describe how your product is manufactured or produced, what it is made of, and how it is used.
Provide contact details for both the sender and the addressee.
Indicate what the (correct) value is of the item you are sending, even if it is something that is provided free of charge (sample or product not intended for resale). The value is used to assess duties and taxes.
If you are sending multiple items, then give a description for each item, its purpose of use, and what material the item is made of. Note: listing shipping costs as an item leads to unnecessary delays. Make sure that shipping costs are not noted as an additional line on the customs invoice. Customs can then interpret the item as a non-recognizable product for them and refuse to clear the shipment.
Does your shipment consist of multiple parts? Keep these together and label each piece of the shipment separately.
Use our shipping platform MyParcelParcel to generate a customs invoice for free and automatically, which is fully compliant with customs requirements.
Would you like to know more about customs clearance? Then look in our knowledge base. Prefer to speak with our logistics specialists? Contact us via live chat. Or by calling 085 877 16 56 (Netherlands) or 038 087 099 (Belgium). We are happy to help!
You can instantly check the shipping costs through our rate calculator. Enter the weight, dimensions, and destination country of your shipment, and you will see all available shipping options along with their respective delivery times. The calculator can be used to compare shipping rates for both export and import shipments.
If you need help calculating a shipping rate, watch the video below. Click on the 
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icon to view the video in fullscreen.
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Shipping costs are calculated based on dimensions (LxWxH in cm), weight (in kg), and the destination country. Both the actual weight (as shown on the scale) and the volumetric weight are considered.
The volumetric weight is the weight calculated based on the space your shipment occupies in the plane. The higher of the two weights (volumetric or actual weight) is used to calculate the shipping rate. You don't need to calculate this yourself; our calculator does it for you.
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You can use the discount code PP10 for 10% discount on the transportation costs of your first shipment. You can apply the discount code during the checkout process (instructions).
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Whether additional costs apply depends on whether your shipment stays within the European Union or is sent to/from a country outside the European Union. Below, you can see the additional costs for each situation.
Within the European Union
If, for example, you send a shipment from the Netherlands to Italy (within the EU), there will be an additional 21% VAT on the shipping costs.
Furthermore, if your shipment stays within the European Union, you won't have to deal with any import duties or customs clearance fees because your shipment doesn't go through customs. Please note that the European Union is not the same as Europe.
View here all the countries that are part of the European Union. For example, Switzerland is part of Europe but not part of the European Union.
Outside the European Union
If, for example, you send a shipment from the Netherlands to the United States, there will be no VAT (0%) applied to the displayed shipping rates.
However, there might be import duties levied by customs in the destination country if you send a shipment to/from a country outside the European Union. Typically, customs costs are charged to the recipient. This is known as Delivered At Place (DAP) in logistics terminology.
Customs is a government agency that levies import duties in certain cases to protect the local market. As a company, you can also ship using Delivered Duty Paid (DDP), which means any customs costs will be charged to you as the sender.
If you have any questions about this topic, feel free to contact us. Additionally, you can read everything about import duties, VAT, and the customs clearance process in this blog.
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A customs invoice is a form where all the goods you want to ship are specified. This invoice includes an English description of the goods, along with their corresponding value and weight.
The contents of your shipment must be specified per type of product you're sending to avoid delays at customs. A customs invoice is always prepared in quadruplicate in accordance with customs guidelines.
When is a customs invoice required?
A customs invoice is only required for shipments to/from countries outside the European Union (e.g., Netherlands - United States). If your shipment stays within the European Union (e.g., Netherlands - Italy), your shipment will not go through customs, and therefore, a customs invoice is not required.
Additionally, document shipments are not subject to customs, so if you're sending a document to a country within/outside the European Union, no customs invoice is needed.
Please note that not all goods can be shipped to every country. You can find a list of goods that cannot be sent via ParcelParcel on this page.
Do I need to create a customs invoice myself?
If you're sending a shipment to/from a country outside the European Union, it's mandatory to include a customs invoice with the shipment. We provide free support in creating a customs invoice.
You can easily generate a customs invoice through our shipping platform. The customs invoice will be automatically generated based on the content you specified during your booking.
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You can import just as easily as export via ParcelParcel.
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You can find a list of goods that cannot be shipped via ParcelParcel on this page.
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