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POSTING RULE

Send Mobile Phones (Commercial) 🇩🇪 Germany

ANSWER

Can I post Mobile Phones (Commercial) to Germany?

ALLOWEDVERIFIED · 2026-07-26LOW CONFIDENCE

A phone can be posted to Germany; lithium-battery mail rules require the battery installed in the device, and import tax applies above the exemption.

QUANTITY / LIMITS

1-2 handsets; multiple new-in-box units are treated as commercial imports

DOCUMENTS

  • Commercial invoice or proof of purchase showing the transaction value

DECLARATION

Required at the destination customs authority

SOURCE

zoll.de
Verify against the official customs authority before acting on this answer.Report a correction

Full Details

Posting a phone to Germany is permitted; two frameworks apply. Postal dangerous-goods rules require lithium batteries to be installed in the device (UN 3481) — loose spare batteries are barred from international mail. On the customs side Zollkriminalamt / Zoll (German Customs — Federal Customs Administration) applies the ordinary parcel framework to the declared value: import VAT/GST at 19% applies above the exemption threshold. The EU removed the €22 VAT exemption for low-value goods on 1 July 2021. Now all imported goods regardless of value are subject to VAT when sold to EU consumers. Customs duty de minimis remains at €150 — goods above €150 may attract customs duty. VAT is collected at import or via the Import One-Stop Shop (IOSS) for distance sellers. Multiple new-in-box units read as commercial imports; single used personal phones (a repaired or forgotten device sent on) are routine.

PRACTICAL ADVICE

Ship the battery installed in the phone, declare the true value, and use tracked service — phones are among the most-pilfered and most-inspected parcel categories.

OFFICIAL SOURCES

POSTING DETAILS

QUANTITY / WEIGHT LIMITS

1-2 handsets; multiple new-in-box units are treated as commercial imports

DOCUMENTATION REQUIRED

  • Commercial invoice or proof of purchase showing the transaction value

COUNTRY POSTING NOTES

Deutsche Post DHL and customs coordinate for international parcel clearance. VAT applies to all imported goods. Items above €150 customs value require payment of customs duty. Prohibited items are seized by customs.

Sending Mobile Phones (Commercial) to other countries

RULES5,339COUNTRIES85ITEMS111CARRIERS28GUIDES46UNIQUE SOURCES645LATEST VERIFICATION2026-07-26MethodologyChangelog