Frequently Asked Questions

Find answers to common problems in our FAQ pages.

If this is the first time you've received a Duty/Tax Invoice from DHL Express, you may need a few questions answered.

We hope this section provides all the information you require, but if you have any further questions please don’t hesitate to contact us at mydhl.express.dhl/it/en/help-and-support.html#/contact_us.

  • Duties and Tax/VAT are most typically not included in the price of the goods you purchase online.
  • When goods are not shipped domestically (within your country) or within a single customs union, such as the European Union, you are liable to pay any inbound duties and Tax/VAT that the local customs authority deems appropriate.
  • To ensure that customs clearance procedures and delivery are as quick as possible, DHL immediately pays any duties and tax/VAT that are due on the goods to the customs authority on your behalf.
DHL only releases the goods to you upon the full repayment of any duties and Tax/VAT that were paid on your behalf.

Whether a shipment is a gift or not, it must still go through an import procedure as determined by custom’s law in the destination country. The shipment is cleared through customs based on its origin country, value and quantity, but not its purpose.

Customs duties and Tax/VAT are applied when importing goods from a country outside the European Union and are calculated on the assessable value of a dutiable shipment, consisting of:
  • The value of the goods
  • The cost of transportation (depending on the Incoterm that was used)
  • Other costs (e.g. insurance)
    • The itemized values and transport cost indicated in the shipment invoice must be accurate. During import, Customs authorities might request a proof of value of the goods, from the importer/ receiver (i.e. any proof of payment, sales contract with the shipper, bank transfer, etc.). Should the transport cost not be specified and included in the invoice, DHL might calculate the freight as a flat rate, applying the effective EU legislation.

If the transportation cost is not already included in the total invoice value through the indication of a specific Incoterm (i.e.. CPT, DAP) or indicated on the invoice, it will be added to the value of the goods.

For more information, visit https://mydhl.express.dhl/it/it/ship/customs-services.html

For more information, visit https://mydhl.express.dhl/it/it/ship/customs-services.html

The system does not allow the payment to be made twice for the same shipment, to retry you can insert the shipment number and the PIN. If the payment is registered, a message will be displayed showing the date on which the payment was made.

The shipper's information can be found on the On Demand Delivery (ODD) page which you have reached by clicking on the link in the message you have received.
On this page, you can:
  • view the shipper's information and a preview of customs duties and tax/VAT
  • download a copy of the AWB and of the shipment invoice
  • download prospectus and the custom invoice (after clearance)
If you are not able to view the shipment paperwork, click on "Download the shipment paperwork" and a "zip" file will open. If you are not able to directly open the documents in this archive, we recommend you save the file to a local directory and then proceed to extract the files. When opening the file, if you are asked to choose a program, select one for image viewing or the Paint tool.

Documents will be available till 21 days after duties notification message.

VAT is applied to all goods imported from outside the EU regardless of value. Goods over 150 euro, imported from outside the EU, attract also duty.

You can pay online by clicking on the link you received by email or sms. Alternatively, you can pay with the usual methods, namely:
  • Cash for amounts up to € 4.999,99;
  • POS (Visa, MasterCard, Diners, Amex - Credit or Debit cards);
  • Non-transferable bank cheques payable to DHL Express (Italy) S.r.l. for amounts up to € 5,000.00;
  • Cashier's check payable to DHL Express (Italy) S.r.l. for any amount (no limit);
  • Brank Transfer, for any amount (no limit), to IBAN IT09J010050160000000007100, indicating the AWB number in the reason for transfer field. The transfer must be made prior to delivery and the proof of payment must be provided to the courier upon delivery (option available only to VAT registered business owners).

You can pay using PayPal, MyBank, Visa, MasterCard, or American Express

The most common reasons are:
  • data entry error, please ensure that the credit card number, security code, expiration date, owner's name and 3D password are correct
  • the credit card is expired

The shipper can select the option to pay the Duties and Tax/VAT applied at destination when preparing the AWB. If you received an invoice for Duties and Tax/VAT, it means that this option has not been selected. However, these costs can be charged back to the shipper, once DHL Express has written confirmation of their intention to accept the charge. This service is only available if the shipper has a DHL account.

Need Assistance?

We're always here to help! Feel free to reach out to us with the details below, and we'll be more than happy to assist you through any of our available contact channels.

General Support

Manage your delivery icon mydhl.express.dhl/it/en/help-and-support.html#/contact_us
Manage your delivery icon 199.199.345* 08:00-19:00, Monday to Friday

Duties and Tax/VAT

Manage your delivery icon mydhl.express.dhl/it/en/help-and-support.html#/contact_us
Manage your delivery icon 199.199.345Option 1, then 4 – 08:00-19:00 Monday to Friday

Further information about DHL Customs services and surcharges is available at mydhl.express.dhl/it/en/ship/customs-services.html .
*for calls from Italy only, maximum cost for calls from landline is 14.49 Euro cents / minute including VAT;
for calls from mobile networks, maximum cost is 48.8 Euro cents per minute, with a fee of 15.75 Euro cents / minute.