An Post tracking status
An Post “A customs charge has been applied”: what it means
The short answer
Take actionAn Post cannot deliver your parcel until the customs charge is paid by the pay by date. If it is not paid, the parcel goes back to the sender. The parcel may not have reached An Post yet. An Post says its customs messages never contain a link.
When to act: If the charge looks wrong, or you already paid it at checkout, file a complaint before the pay by date and we send it to An Post.
Also shown as: “Your item is in Ireland. A customs charge has been applied and details have been sent to you. You can pay the fee on our website, or at your local Post Office.” · “Customs charge due to be paid” · “Customs charges due” · “Customs Charges of [amount] apply to [tracking number]. Please pay on the An Post website or Post Office by [date] with Ref. code”
What to do now
- 1
Check the message is real. An Post says its customs texts and emails never contain a link, and that an official postcard follows within a few days. Treat a message with a link as not from An Post.
- 2
Find your customs reference number, also called the MRN, on the postcard, text or email, along with your tracking number.
- 3
Compare the charge with your order. Check what you already paid at checkout and whether the item value looks right.
- 4
Pay before the pay by date on An Post's website, in its app, or by card or cash at any post office. Open the site yourself instead of following a link.
- 5
If you do not want the parcel, reject it online or at a post office and it goes back to the sender. Either way, keep screenshots of the charge and the tracking, and any receipt.
- 6
Still not sorted? File your complaint here. We write it with you and send it to An Post, so you do not have to chase it yourself.
What does “A customs charge has been applied” mean?
Parcels from outside the EU, including Great Britain, can owe customs duty, VAT or excise duty if the seller did not collect them at checkout. Irish customs sets the charge, and An Post says it must collect it and cannot deliver until it is paid. The total can include a minimum €3 customs duty per line item on goods worth €150 or less, a Union Handling Fee of at least €2 plus VAT per line item on goods bought online from outside the EU, and An Post's own administration fee, currently €6.95. If the sender's electronic data is incomplete, An Post says a €10 charge applies as well. Parcels from Northern Ireland are not charged, though they still clear Irish customs.
The charge can come before the parcel does. In a reply one person shared, An Post said a package had 'not yet been physically handed over', and that the electronic customs declaration had raised the charge and created the scan. An Post says it sends a postcard and also tries text or email if the sender passed on your details. The postcard usually follows within a few days and carries your customs reference number, also called the MRN. That does not always reach people: one person found a charge only after 10 days without a new scan. An Post's customs terms say it will not hold the item for longer than 10 working days from sending the postcard, so the pay by date matters more than the tracking. Older tracking histories read 'Your item is in Ireland. A customs charge has been applied and details have been sent to you.' We could not confirm the exact line shown today: people more recently describe the tracking page saying customs charges are due. None of this means the parcel has cleared customs or is on its way to you.
Why does An Post show it?
- VAT and duty were not collected at checkout
- It was sent from outside the EU, and Great Britain counts as outside
- The minimum €3 customs duty per line item on goods worth €150 or less
- The Union Handling Fee per line item on goods bought online from outside the EU
- Customs revalued the item after it arrived
- A gift worth more than €45, or one that does not meet the gift conditions
- Incomplete electronic data from the sender
How long does it last?
Once you pay, tracking should show 'Customs charges have been paid. Your item will be processed and delivered as soon as possible.', followed by the normal sorting scans once the parcel is with An Post. If the pay by date passes, or you reject the item, it goes back to the sender. The Union Handling Fee and An Post's administration fee are not refunded once paid, even if the goods later go back or are faulty.
Other An Post statuses
- Customs charges have been paidKeep an eye on it
- Your item is being sorted for deliveryKeep an eye on it
- Parcel delayedKeep an eye on it
- Tracking not updatingKeep an eye on it
- Delivered but not receivedTake action
- We tried to deliver your itemKeep an eye on it
- Your delivery is in D.S.U.Take action
- We could not deliver your itemTake action
- We have received information about your incoming item from the senderNormal
Who is responsible for a late or missing parcel from An Post?
A parcel bought online from a business is usually the seller's to sort out until it reaches you. The Consumer Rights Act (section 35) leaves goods at the seller's risk until you, or a person you nominated, physically have them. The exception is a carrier you booked yourself and the seller did not propose. Section 36 requires delivery without undue delay and no later than 30 days after the contract was made, unless you and the seller agreed otherwise. Customs charges are different: An Post's customs terms make the person receiving the parcel liable for them.
When you sent the parcel yourself, you are An Post's customer and the terms of the service you bought apply. For Standard Post, compensation generally covers no more than postage and directly associated costs, often in stamps. For Express it may equal the postage, and Express with Signature is limited to the lower of the item's proven cost and €350. Registered Post is limited to the value you declared (€25 if you declared none), up to €350 plus charges within Ireland and less for places abroad.
Questions about “A customs charge has been applied”
How long do I have to pay an An Post customs charge?
An Post's website and terms say 10 working days, counted from when it sends the postcard, so some of that time can pass before the card reaches you. Its app listing still says 22 calendar days. Go by the pay by date on your postcard, text or email and on the online payment page. If you miss it, the parcel goes back to the sender, so do not leave it until the last day.
Is a text from An Post about customs real?
It can be. An Post says a genuine customs message never contains a link, and an official postcard follows within a few days. One person quotes a text giving the amount, the tracking number, a pay by date and a reference code. Treat any message with a link as not from An Post.
Why do I have to pay customs when I paid VAT at checkout?
VAT paid at checkout does not cover everything. An Post says the minimum €3 import duty per line item is a separate charge that must be paid before delivery. The Union Handling Fee and An Post's administration fee can come on top.
Do I pay customs on a parcel from Northern Ireland or Britain?
Parcels from Northern Ireland are not subject to VAT and customs charges, though they must still clear Irish customs. Parcels from Great Britain count as coming from outside the EU, so charges can apply unless the seller already collected them.
What happens if I do not pay the customs charge?
The parcel goes back to the sender once the pay by date passes. You can also reject it online or at a post office using your customs reference number. Whether you get your money back for the order depends on the seller, as An Post does not deal with those refunds.
Based on
- An Post: Pay Customs Charge (10 working days, reject an item, no links in messages)
- An Post: Customs information (charges, fees, Northern Ireland, gifts, postcard)
- An Post: Customs Terms and Conditions
- boards.ie: tracking history with the customs charge line
- boards.ie: tracking history, customs charge line then payment
- boards.ie: wording of an An Post customs text
- boards.ie: 'Customs charge due to be paid' email
- boards.ie: An Post's reply, charge raised before the package was handed over
- boards.ie: tracking page saying customs charges were due
- boards.ie: An Post thread, charge found after 10 days with no message
- An Post: Track and Manage app listing (22 calendar days)
- Irish Statute Book: Consumer Rights Act, section 35 (passing of risk)
- Irish Statute Book: Consumer Rights Act, section 36 (delivery of goods, 30 days)
- An Post: Terms and Conditions for all services (Standard and Registered Post compensation)
- An Post: Express Terms and Conditions, single piece mail
- An Post: Customs Terms and Conditions (who is liable for customs charges)