Import Duty & Customs on Apple Orders: What You Actually Pay

Laptops, tablets and phones carry 0% import duty in most countries, including the EU, UK and US, under the WTO Information Technology Agreement. What buyers actually get billed is import VAT or GST plus a carrier handling fee. Almost everyone who says "I got charged customs on a MacBook" was charged VAT, not duty.

That distinction is worth understanding, because it changes the arithmetic completely — and because the thresholds moved in 2025 and 2026.

Do you pay import duty on a laptop or phone?

Almost never. Computers and tablets classify under HS heading 8471, phones under 8517, and both are covered by the Information Technology Agreement, which binds signatories to a zero tariff. The EU, UK and most WTO members apply 0% duty to them.

So when a courier hands you a bill, it is normally two things: the import VAT your country charges on any imported good, and the carrier's own fee for advancing that money and filing the paperwork.

The exception is the United States, where the long-standing $800 de minimis exemption was suspended for all countries on 29 August 2025 under Executive Order 14324. US import charges have been in flux since; rates have changed several times through 2026, so check the current position with CBP rather than trusting any article — including this one — on the exact number.

What are the import thresholds by country?

Market	Duty-free threshold	VAT / GST	Duty on laptops & phones
EU	€150 relief abolished 1 July 2026; flat €3 per item on consignments ≤€150 until 2028	17% (Luxembourg) – 27% (Hungary); avg ~21.9%	0%
UK	£135 (duty only)	20%	0%
US	None — suspended 29 Aug 2025	No federal VAT; state use tax varies	0% base rate, but see note above
Canada	C$20 by post; C$150 duty / C$40 tax by courier from US/MX	GST/HST 5–15% by province	0%
Australia	A$1,000 at the border; GST charged at checkout below that	10% GST	0%
Norway	VAT relief abolished Jan 2024; NOK 350 duty relief remains	25%	0%
Switzerland	CHF 300 duty; VAT due once the tax exceeds CHF 5	8.1%	0%

Two figures on that table catch people out. EU import VAT has applied from the first cent since 1 July 2021 — there is no small-parcel VAT exemption and hasn't been for five years. And the EU's €150 duty relief ended on 1 July 2026, replaced by a flat €3 charge per item on low-value consignments. Neither affects a $1,000+ Mac, which was always above the threshold.

How much will a MacBook actually cost to import?

Work it as: item price × VAT rate, plus the carrier's fee. Duty is zero.

On a $1,299 MacBook Pro shipped to the UK, that's 20% VAT — around £260 equivalent — plus a Royal Mail or courier handling fee of roughly £8 to £12. Into Germany at 19% it's proportionally similar. Into Australia, 10% GST is generally collected at checkout rather than at the border.

The carrier fee is the part people forget. Typical published figures: Royal Mail £8 or £12 depending on the declaration, An Post €6.95 since February 2026, Swiss Post CHF 13–16 plus 3% of goods value, and the express carriers charging an "advancement" fee of roughly 2–3.5% with a minimum around $15–20. Verify against your carrier's current rate card — these change.

What is DDP, and why does it matter?

Two shipping terms decide whether you get a surprise bill.

DDP (Delivered Duty Paid) means the seller has paid the duty and import VAT up front. The price you paid is the price. Nothing arrives at your door asking for money.

DAP (Delivered At Place) means the carrier collects the tax from you on arrival, adds its handling fee, and often holds the parcel until you pay. This is the source of essentially every "customs hell" story you'll read — not the tax itself, but an unexpected bill and a parcel stuck in a depot while the carrier tries to reach you.

If a retailer doesn't say which one it ships on, ask before ordering. It's the single most useful question you can put to an overseas seller.

Should you ask a seller to under-declare the value?

No. Declaring a lower value or marking a commercial sale as a "gift" is customs fraud in every market on the table above. The realistic outcomes are re-valuation with penalties, seizure, and an invalidated insurance claim if the parcel is lost — on an item worth thousands.

Gift relief is also narrower than people assume: £39 in the UK, €45 in the EU, and it only applies to a genuine person-to-person gift, not a purchase.

What documents might customs ask for?

Usually nothing — the paperwork travels with the parcel. When a shipment is queried, the requests are predictable: a commercial invoice, proof of what you paid, and an identifier such as an EORI number in the EU or a personal ID number in Norway and Canada.

One point specific to paying in crypto: your proof of payment should show the fiat value of the order. A blockchain transaction hash means nothing to a customs officer. Keep the order confirmation showing the USD or EUR price, which is what any competent retailer issues anyway.

Does paying in crypto change any of this?

No. Import VAT and duty are assessed on the goods and their declared value, not on how you paid. A crypto-paid MacBook clears customs identically to a card-paid one.

What crypto does change is the retail price before tax — see why paying with crypto costs less — and the separate question of whether spending appreciated crypto creates a taxable gain in your own country, which we cover in do you pay tax when you buy with crypto. Those are personal tax matters, entirely distinct from import duty.

Ordering from us

We ship worldwide, insured and tracked, with a signature on delivery. Import VAT and any local charges depend on your country's rules as set out above — if you're unsure how your destination handles it, ask us before you order rather than after the parcel is in the air.

Browse the Mac range, iPhones, iPads or the full store. Worth reading first: how Apple's warranty works on a reseller purchase, and every Apple discount route compared.

This is general information, not tax advice. Thresholds and rates change — verify with your own customs authority before ordering.