Introduction

You receive a DHL message: "Your parcel is held at customs, payment of €28.40 required for delivery." You did not buy anything that justifies that sum — it is just your mother sending you a few bags of spices and two sweaters from Tangier. Others get a La Poste notification for a €12 Aliexpress parcel with €6 demanded on delivery. Why? And how do you pay the right price, no more no less?

Since 1 July 2021, the European Union has abolished the €22 VAT exemption for parcels coming from third countries. In 2026, any goods imported from outside the EU are taxed from the first euro. The rules are not arbitrary, but the shipping mode, carrier and content type (family gift vs e-commerce purchase) drastically change the final bill. This universal guide is for every diaspora — Chinese, Moroccan, Algerian, Brazilian, Vietnamese, Senegalese, Ivorian, American — and unpacks what you really pay in 2026.

The 2026 thresholds to memorise

Three thresholds determine what you pay. They do not change with the carrier.

• Gift between individuals, value ≤ €45 → full exemption. No VAT, no customs duty. Conditions: occasional shipment from one private person to another (no business), free of charge, non-commercial nature. The CN22 (small parcels) or CN23 (larger parcels) form must be visibly ticked "cadeau / gift".
• Goods (e-commerce or business) → VAT from €0.01. Standard French VAT 20% on parcel value + shipping. No more €22 threshold, no €45 gift threshold for this case.
• Customs duty → exempt under €150, then variable by tariff code (on average 0 to 12% for clothing, 0% for books, 0–6% for consumer electronics, 4–17% for shoes, etc.).

Special case — alcohol, perfume, coffee (over 500g), tobacco: always taxed, even as a gift, even under €45. A perfume from Casablanca or a baijiu bottle from Shanghai never benefit from the gift exemption.

How the total you pay is calculated

Here are three 2026 examples, common across diasporas:

Yuxin, Chinese student in Lyon, orders €80 of clothing on 1688

• Goods value: €80
• Declared shipping: €12
• VAT base: 80 + 12 = €92
• VAT 20%: €18.40
• Customs duty (clothing ~12%): €11.04
• Carrier customs handling (DHL, FedEx): €18 to €25
• Total at delivery: ~ €50

Aïssa, Senegalese in Bordeaux, receives a parcel from her aunt in Dakar: 6 boubous + tea + 1 mortar (declared value €200, marked "gift")

• Gift > €45 → the full exemption is lost, the whole value is taxable.
• VAT 20% on €200: €40
• Textile customs duty (~12%): ~€24
• La Poste fee: €8
• Total: ~ €72

Lucas, Brazilian in Marseille, his mother sends a €35 parcel (chocolates, 2 books) marked "gift"

• Gift ≤ €45 → full exemption, €0 to pay, except small presentation fees if La Poste applies them (rare under €45).

The most expensive mistake: under-declaring the value. You try €30 on a €250 parcel → random check, fraud penalty up to twice the duty evaded + possible seizure. Customs opens, photographs and compares with market prices. Do not lie.

La Poste vs DHL vs FedEx vs UPS: which to choose?

Carriers charge their own clearance fee (presenting to customs, paying on your behalf, admin file). That is where the bill explodes.

• La Poste / Colissimo international: cheapest for family gifts. Flat €8 presentation fee if clearance is required. Slow (3 to 4 weeks from China, 1 to 2 weeks from Morocco/Algeria/Tunisia). Best choice if mum sends a €30 parcel — no carrier fee at all if it goes through without clearance.
• DHL Express: fast (3 to 5 days from Asia), but €18 to €25 clearance fee systematically, even on small e-commerce parcels. Ideal for urgent needs; avoid for family gifts.
• FedEx International: similar to DHL on price and timing. €20 minimum clearance fee, plus 2.5% of value if they pay on your behalf.
• UPS: pricier, less common outside business. ~€22 fees. Strong US network.
• Chronopost International: La Poste's express subsidiary. €14 clearance fee.

Golden rule for family parcels: ask your relative to ship via the regular national post (China Post, Poste Maroc, Correios in Brazil, Vietnam Post, Poste Sénégal) — it arrives via La Poste France and costs much less than DHL or FedEx. Slower, but €20 saved.

Aliexpress, Shein, Temu, Wish: VAT is in the price (sometimes)

Since 2021, large non-EU platforms must collect French VAT at checkout through the IOSS system (Import One-Stop Shop) for orders ≤ €150. Concretely:

• Shein, Temu, Aliexpress (IOSS sellers), Amazon (non-EU sellers): VAT already paid at checkout. You see "tax included" at payment. Nothing to pay on delivery in 95% of cases.
• Aliexpress sellers without IOSS, 1688 wholesale, Taobao direct, eBay private sellers: VAT not collected. Customs invoices on arrival + carrier fee.
• Orders > €150: IOSS no longer applies, customs duty kicks in on top of VAT, always invoiced on delivery.

Tip: bundling several small Aliexpress orders into a single shipment above €150 loses the duty exemption. Better to place several separate orders ≤ €150 (but watch out for customs refusal if shipments are obviously "split" related).

Receiving the parcel: documents to prepare

When DHL, FedEx or Chronopost asks for payment, they send a secure link (DHL On Demand Delivery, FedEx My Delivery). For La Poste, you receive a delivery slip with a code to use on laposte.fr/dedouanement-international.

What the recipient prepares:

• ID document (residence permit, passport or French ID) — often required for parcels over €1,000.
• Exact address matching the shipping label.
• Payment method: card or transfer. Refuse suspicious SMS payment links: French customs never sends a direct payment SMS. Always go through the official carrier site or laposte.fr.

Traps to avoid:

• Fraudulent SMS "Your parcel is held, pay €1.99" → 99% phishing. Never click the link.
• Refusing the parcel: possible. You waive delivery, the parcel is returned to the sender (who often pays return fees). No VAT refund for you.
• 21-day deadline beyond which an unclaimed customs parcel is destroyed or returned.

2026 cheat sheet

In short

• Private gift ≤ €45 = €0 to pay (except alcohol/perfume/tobacco).
• Any non-EU e-commerce purchase = 20% VAT from €0.01 since 2021.
• Customs duty only kicks in at €150 of goods value.
• Under-declaring = fines up to 2× the duty evaded.
• Standard La Poste > DHL/FedEx for family (€8 vs €20–25 in fees).
• Shein/Temu/Aliexpress IOSS: VAT already included, nothing extra at delivery.

On Pionra

On Pionra, the Chinese, Moroccan and Algerian communities share their parcel tips: which shipping mode is most reliable from Casablanca, how to bundle with a relative's trip, where to find trusted forwarders. The Vietnamese, Brazilian, Senegalese and Portuguese communities regularly post recent experiences (actual fees paid, delays observed, services to avoid).

FAQ

My mother sends me 3 parcels in a month, values €30, €35, €40. All exempt?

Not automatically. Customs may treat it as split shipping if frequency is high and the content commercial. Officially the €45 threshold is assessed per shipment. In practice, 2 to 3 parcels a year from the same sender go through fine. Ten a month → likely inspection. Stay reasonable.

My friend in Brazil sends a "gift" parcel but inside there is a €600 phone. What happens?

The phone is treated as goods regardless of the "gift" label. VAT 20% on €600 = €120, customs duty on consumer electronics ~0% (phones), DHL/FedEx fee €20–25. Total ~ €145. Customs may also ask for proof of origin (invoice, screenshot) to verify the declared value.

I ordered on Aliexpress, the seller marked the value at €5 even though I paid €80. Smart?

Risky. If customs checks (and they do more and more with AI, 3D scanners), you will be taxed on the real value (sometimes reconstructed from the product link), plus a fine. Better ask the seller to include the actual invoice. Many Aliexpress sellers now offer IOSS shipping where VAT is already paid at checkout.

Why does my parcel from Morocco via La Poste cost €8 extra even though it is below €45?

Either it was declared "merchandise" instead of "gift" by the sender, or the value exceeds €45, or the content includes always-taxed items (perfume, alcohol, coffee over 500g, tobacco). Check the CN22/CN23 declaration stuck on the parcel.

I arrived in France 2 months ago and want to ship my belongings from Vietnam. Taxes?

Personal effects from a move benefit from a full exemption (VAT + duty) under conditions: you must have lived outside the EU for over 12 months, import within 12 months of arrival, and provide a detailed inventory + sworn statement + change-of-residence certificate. Form 753 to fill in. Three common customs offices: Roissy, Marseille, Le Havre. Savings: potentially several hundred euros.