When exporting goods B2B to countries outside the European Union, customs are an unavoidable reality. Nothing damages a customer relationship like an unexpected bill for customs fees upon delivery. To provide a premium service, an increasing number of businesses choose to pay import duties for the receiver. In this article, I will explain exactly how to eliminate this friction, what DDP entails, and why ParcelParcel’s unique "Free Domicile" option gives your logistics a competitive edge over traditional postal services.
Chantal has been writing about logistics topics for almost two decades and has worked for major international carriers.
Taking import duties for your own account means that you, as the sender, pay all customs duties, VAT, and handling fees instead of the recipient. In logistics, this is known as shipping DDP (Delivered Duty Paid) or duties & taxes paid by shipper.
For B2B shipments, a seamless customer experience is vital. By using the Delivered Duty Paid (DDP) Incoterm, you guarantee that the shipment is delivered directly to the client without them having to pay the local customs office first. All costs for the sender are settled with you transparently, which prevents border delays and ensures a professional image.
To dive deeper into customs regulations, read our Import Duties Guide. For official, up-to-date international trade information, you can always consult organizations like the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC).
A significant hurdle for companies shipping internationally via standard postal networks is the lack of flexibility regarding customs clearance.
The Problem with PostNL: When sending a package outside the EU via PostNL, it is often not possible to indicate that you wish to pay the import duties. The standard procedure is DAP (Delivered At Place), meaning the local courier in the destination country collects VAT and duties at the door from your customer. If the customer cannot or will not pay, your package faces major delays or is returned.
The ParcelParcel Solution: At ParcelParcel, we understand B2B logistics. We offer the standard option to take customs costs upon yourself. In our shipping platform, you can select the "Free Domicile" option (also referred to as "Bill Duties to Sender") with a single click.
This is a massive USP and makes us the ideal alternative to PostNL for professional senders. You can be certain your customer receives their shipment smoothly without hidden costs. We advance the costs in the destination country and bill them to you transparently afterward.
The process is remarkably simple:
Book your shipment: Log in to the MyParcelParcel platform.
Select the option: Choose "Free Domicile" / "Bill Duties to Sender" during the booking process.
Customs Invoice: Ensure your Commercial Invoice clearly states the Incoterm "DDP".
Delivery: The courier (such as FedEx, DHL, or UPS via our network) delivers the package. No costs are requested from the recipient.
You can make this choice when booking your shipment in our shipping platform.
Do you also mention a (correct) goods code, or HS code, on the customs invoice? This way, customs can easily and correctly determine the amount of import duties and other import taxes. Standard import duties are always charged to the recipient of your shipment. We have also created a tool in MyParcelParcel that allows you to easily search for HS codes based on a description. On this page, you can see how the new HS code tool from ParcelParcel works.
The difference between DDP (Delivered Duty Paid) and DAP (Delivered At Place) is that with DAP, the import duties are charged to the recipient, and with DDP, the sender pays them themselves.
Import duties are standardly charged to the recipient of a shipment. This is indicated by the Incoterms term DAP. Incoterms is a standard in international transport of goods and determines the rights and obligations of buyer and seller.
If you receive a package sent from a country outside the EU, it is usually sent to you based on DAP. In this case, the import duties are charged to you, as you are the recipient.
There is also the Incoterm DDP, where the sender takes on any import duties, instead of the recipient paying them.
Would you like to ask a question to one of our employees? Of course, you can contact our logistics specialists by phone at 085 877 1656 (Netherlands) or 038 087 099 (Belgium).
DDP stands for 'Delivered Duty Paid'. This Incoterm means the sender is responsible for all costs and risks of transport, including paying import duties, local taxes, and clearance fees. Your customer receives the package with no extra payments required.
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No, in most cases, this is not possible with PostNL. They primarily use the DAP (Delivered At Place) Incoterm, where customs costs are collected from the recipient at the door. For B2B shipments, using a platform like ParcelParcel is recommended to access the "Free Domicile" option.
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"Free Domicile" is a service within our platform where you indicate that you (the shipper) will pay all duties and taxes. Simply check "Bill Duties to Sender" when booking. We handle the local payment through the carrier and bill you afterward.
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Yes, carriers typically charge a small administrative fee (disbursement fee) for advancing the customs costs in the destination country. This fee is billed to you along with the actual duties and VAT.
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You need a shipping label and a Commercial Invoice. It is critical to clearly state "DDP" on the Commercial Invoice so customs officials know the costs should be billed back to the sender.
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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 
button to play the video and the 
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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