Sending Packages to Germany: A Complete Guide
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As one of the leading members of the European Union, Germany benefits from a lucrative free-market economy, which it is committed to promoting with minimal government interference. In global economics, Germany is known for its focus on the export manufacturing sector, including industries such as automotive, machinery, and chemicals.
What is the Cheapest Way to Send a Parcel to Germany?
When you use ParcelBroker to send a package to Germany, you can take advantage of affiliated courier services such as Parcelforce Euro Economy and DHL Express, offering fully tracked services at rates as low as £7.53 with arrival in as little as 1-2 business days.
Your package can arrive in just 1 business day, however, shipping costs may vary depending on the weight and dimensions of your package. You can obtain real-time delivery quotes by using our shipping calculator or refer to the information below for more details on factors that affect pricing and variations.
Package Weight
When shipping to Germany, the weight of your package will impact the shipping costs, and larger items may take longer to deliver. If you have a delivery deadline for your items, it's recommended to obtain a quote beforehand to ensure an accurate delivery date to the recipient.
ParcelBroker offers some of the best rates available online for shipping items up to 50kg in weight via couriers such as Parcelforce, DHL, FedEx, and UPS. To find the live prices for all available couriers, simply use our shipping calculator, which takes into account your package's weight, dimensions, and quantity of items.
Package Dimensions
To send your package to Germany, the courier service you can use depends on the dimensions of your package. If you are sending larger or bulkier items, or multiple packages, it may be more convenient to combine them into a single pallet for easier delivery.
Long and oversize items can be shipped to Germany using our services, just be sure to provide accurate measurements, this will ensure the correct price is given to deliver your package.
Can I Send a Pallet to Germany?
ParcelBroker offers two convenient options for sending a pallet to Germany: PB: Express Pallet service or DHL: Express Pallet service. You can obtain an instant quote for your pallet delivery to Germany using our pallet delivery calculator.
Sending packages via pallet is the most economical method for delivering heavy, large, or multiple items to a single location. To get started, you may need to order a pallet online or from a local supplier. Once you have your pallet, you should properly package it using the guidelines below, and secure it with shrink wrap to prevent items from becoming loose or falling off the pallet during transit.
How to Package Your Pallet
Correctly packaging your pallet is crucial to achieving the most cost-effective delivery when shipping packages to Germany. Properly stacking your items can help reduce delivery costs, as "non-stackable" pallets that cannot be combined with others may incur additional charges. An example of how to properly stack your pallets is provided below.
CORRECT
INCORRECT
You can also explore our Pallet Delivery Guide for more information.
Courier Pickups for Pallets
If you have arranged for your courier to collect your pallet, you must ensure that the pallet is loaded onto the courier’s truck at a loading bay via a forklift, or you can request the courier loads the pallet with a pallet pump truck.
Same-Day Pickup and Local Drop-Off
If you need to send a package, most carriers offer the option to collect your shipment on the same day if it is booked before noon. Alternatively, you can also drop off your packages at one of their designated local points. For palletised freight, it is necessary to plan the collection in advance to ensure the appropriate vehicle is assigned, and space is reserved for your pallets. If you need to drop off a pallet, please note that this can only be done at a local depot due to space limitations at drop off points.
Please consider that the timeframe for delivery will impact the shipping cost to Germany. Therefore, it is important to keep this in mind when guaranteeing shipping costs and delivery timeframes to the recipient. Below, you can easily compare our real-time prices to the express delivery options to Germany:
| UPS | FedEx | DHL | DPD | TNT | DSV | Parcelforce | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.5kg | £26.61 | £30.77 | £28.64 | £7.53 | £21.84 | £18.40 | £17.83 |
| 1kg | £27.34 | £26.70 | £30.01 | £8.44 | £21.84 | £18.40 | £17.83 |
| 5kg | £32.39 | £42.81 | £30.92 | £27.89 | £21.84 | £18.46 | £17.83 |
| 10kg | £33.89 | £53.04 | £35.53 | £27.89 | £27.75 | £19.53 | £19.40 |
| 15kg | £35.38 | £64.02 | £39.72 | £27.89 | £30.82 | £27.12 | £20.97 |
| 20kg | £38.75 | £69.92 | £43.90 | £27.89 | £31.46 | £30.66 | £22.54 |
| 25kg | £42.13 | £96.18 | £50.41 | £27.89 | £34.75 | £35.10 | £24.11 |
Prices as of December 10, 2024
How Long Does it Take to Deliver to Germany?
Your package can be delivered to Germany in as little as 1 business day on an air service and 2-3 days on a cheaper road service. Reduce your delivery time by taking advantage of our local drop-off points or schedule a collection from your doorstep for added convenience.
How to Address my Parcel Before Shipping to Germany??
Before dropping off or collecting your package at the local postal depot, it's crucial to ensure that the package is addressed correctly. Make sure that the label is free of spelling errors and is properly formatted.
To properly format an address label for Germany, follow the guidelines provided below. When addressing a package to Germany, include the following information:
- House number comes after the street name
- The five-digit postcode must appear before the town or city name
- Write GERMANY in capital letters
In this example, Mr K Hermann lives at house number 51, Langestr, in the city of Leipzig.
MR K HERMANN
Langestr. 51
04105 LEIPZIG
GERMANY
Germany Postcode Examples
| CITY | Postcodes | |
|---|---|---|
| Berlin |
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| Munich |
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| Hamburg |
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| Frankfurt |
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| Cologne |
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| Stuttgart |
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| Düsseldorf |
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| Dortmund |
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| Essen |
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| Leipzig |
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German Customs Procedures and Required Documents
Post-Brexit, sending packages to Germany requires a commercial invoice and export documentation in order to clear customs, as your shipment is coming from outside the EU.
VAT on Exports to Germany
In Germany, the standard Value Added Tax (VAT) rate is 19%. However, certain daily services and convenience goods are charged at a reduced rate of 7%.
Required Documentation
Shipments sent to Germany from the UK are considered international movements since Brexit. Therefore these shipments are treated as any worldwide export. If you are sending the parcel as a business (as in to make profit) then you'll need to register for an EORI number. Everybody needs to complete a customs declaration regardless of whether it's a personal or business shipment. When booking shipments with ParcelBroker, our online system will walk you through the steps required to produce a compliant customs declaration.
What Can and Can't I send to Germany?
Before sending any items to Germany, it is important to be aware of the list of restricted or prohibited items. It is the responsibility of the sender to verify if their items are permissible. In case of restricted items, German customs may destroy the package upon inspection at the border.
Items you Can’t Ship to Germany that May Surprise You
Interestingly, German has a complete restriction on the import of ‘horror comics’, although guidance on which materials constitute a horror comic are not readily available.
We have included a list of generally restricted items below, however, if you are unsure of any of the items you are sending, you can check the German government website for a list of prohibited import items. When shipping with us, you'll need to ensure you don't send anything on our prohibited items lists.
SOME EXAMPLES OF RESTRICTED ITEMS
- Animal carcasses or products
- Animal Feed
- Animal pathogens and rabies virus
- Animals, Birds, and other Livestock
- Antiques
- Asbestos
- Bees and honey
- Birds
- Certain Products subject to Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)
- Citizen band radios
- Coffee samples
- Computer software
- Cordless telephones (operating on frequencies greater than 853 MHz)
- Cream and related products
- Diskettes
- Drugs, Prescription and Non-Prescription
What are Germany's Top Imports?
In 2022, according to World Stop Exports, Germany purchased goods from all over the world valued at $1.572 trillion, showing a growth of 22.2% in comparison to $1.286 trillion in 2018. The total cost of Germany's imported products increased by 10.5% from $1.423 billion in 2021. As of 2022, the euro is the currency used in Germany, which depreciated by -12.1% against the US dollar since 2018 and further diluted by -12.3% from 2021 to 2022.
- Mineral fuels including oil: US$209 billion (13.3% of total imports)
- Electrical machinery, equipment: $199.8 billion (12.7%)
- Machinery including computers: $173.8 billion (11.1%)
- Vehicles: $137 billion (8.7%)
- Pharmaceuticals: $79.5 billion (5.1%)
- Organic chemicals: $66.4 billion (4.2%)
- Plastics, plastic articles: $56.9 billion (3.6%)
- Optical, technical, medical apparatus: $47.1 billion (3%)
- Iron, steel: $39.6 billion (2.5%)
- Gems, precious metals: $37.8 billion (2.4%)
The weakened value of the European Union currency in 2022 made Germany's imports more expensive in stronger US dollars, when compared to 2021's exchange rate. Germany's imported goods account for 7% of the world's total global imports, which was estimated at $22.432 trillion in the previous year of 2021.
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