Parcelforce tracking status

Parcelforce “Held as Customs fee to pay”: what it means

The short answer

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A customs charge is due on your parcel from abroad, and Parcelforce is holding it until you pay. It keeps the parcel for 21 days, then sends it back. The letter can come late, so check the tracking page for a link to pay.

When to act: If nothing has moved 2 working days after the delivery day you chose, or you have no letter, message or link to pay 7 days after the charge line, file a complaint and we send it to Parcelforce.

Also shown as: “Sorry, there's a Customs charge due for this item so we're holding it at [depot]. Find out more, pay online and choose a delivery day or see the card we'll leave at your address for other options.” · “Customs Charge Paid (in GBP)” · “Your item is currently with Customs in the destination country.” · “Fee to pay” · “In customs”

What to do now

Read the top of the tracking page. If it says there's a Customs charge due, it names the depot and offers a link to pay and choose a delivery day. If the last line only says your item is with Customs, there is nothing to pay yet.
Check a demand is real before paying. Type your tracking number into Royal Mail's tracking page yourself instead of following a link in a message, and compare the charge with your card, letter or message.
Pay through the tracking page or Royal Mail's Pay a Fee page, which also handles Parcelforce charges. You need the details on the card, letter, text or email, and a UK debit or credit card or PayPal.
If the page does not recognise your barcode, choose Customs Charge, then Enter Card Details in red under Don't have a barcode number. Royal Mail lists this as a known issue with some Parcelforce cards.
Keep the letter, your payment confirmation and a screenshot of the tracking, with the day you chose, until the parcel has arrived.
Still not sorted? File your complaint here. We write it with you and send it to Parcelforce, so you do not have to chase it yourself.

Start my complaint

What does “Held as Customs fee to pay” mean?

Everything arriving from outside the UK has to be shown to Border Force. One history shared in August runs in this order: Item Leaving overseas, Item Received at COVENTRY PARCELFORCE INT Hub, then Your item is currently with Customs in the destination country. The destination country here is the UK. Next come Item has left our International Processing Centre, Item Received at Coventry PFW National Hub and, when a charge is due, Held as Customs fee to pay at a depot.

That line means import VAT, duty or both are due. Border Force sets them for HM Revenue and Customs, not Parcelforce. Parcelforce pays them up front, adds a handling fee of £12 (£25 when the goods are worth more than £900) and will not deliver until you have paid it back. Customs Charge Paid (in GBP) confirms your payment, though in histories people share Held as Customs fee to pay can come back after it. The old Parcelforce tracking page used other words, such as Awaiting Customs clearance and Customs charges raised. That page now redirects, and these lines are what you see instead.

Why does Parcelforce show it?

The parcel came from outside the UK, so Border Force checks it
Goods worth more than £135, which attract VAT and duty at the border
A gift from a private person worth more than £39
Alcohol, tobacco or other excise goods, whatever their value
A missing or unclear customs declaration, which can lead to a form asking what is inside
Goods worth more than £900, which need a full declaration and go into secure storage first

How long does it last?

With no charge, the parcel moves on towards your delivery depot. With a charge, you should get a Fee to Pay card or letter, and a text or email if the sender gave your details. When you pay online you choose a delivery day. If you do not pay within 21 days, the parcel goes back to the sender. In accounts people share, the letter took about 10 days to two weeks and sometimes never came, and one parcel went back before the payment counted, so do not wait for the post. If you think the charge is wrong, refunds of import VAT and duty go through form BOR 286.

Other Parcelforce statuses

Item ReceivedNormal
Due to be delivered todayNormal
Delivery AttemptedTake action
Available for Redelivery or CollectionTake action
Item RetentionKeep an eye on it
Tracking not updating or parcel lateKeep an eye on it
Returned to senderTake action
We're expecting itKeep an eye on it
Delivered but not receivedTake action

All Parcelforce statuses →

Who is responsible for a late or missing parcel from Parcelforce?

Buy online from a business and the seller usually has to sort it out until the parcel reaches you. Under UK consumer law (the Consumer Rights Act, section 29) the goods stay at the seller's risk until they are in your hands, or with someone you named to take them, unless you booked the courier yourself and the seller did not offer it as an option. Parcelforce's own help also says the retailer has a legal responsibility to make sure you get what you paid for.

If you sent the parcel yourself, your contract is under the joint Royal Mail and Parcelforce Worldwide terms for the service you bought. UK express services include cover of up to £150 per item for loss or damage, and you can add more, up to £2,500 per item. A refund for late delivery depends on the service: 100% of the delivery cost for express10 and expressAM, 50% for express24 and nothing for express48 or express48large.

Questions about “Held as Customs fee to pay”

What does Held as Customs fee to pay mean?

Import VAT, duty or both are due on your parcel. Parcelforce pays them up front and asks you to repay them, plus a handling fee of £12, or £25 for goods worth more than £900, before it delivers. Your card or letter shows the exact amount.

I paid, so why does it say Held as Customs fee to pay again?

In histories people share, the line can return after Customs Charge Paid (in GBP). Two people who posted about it got their parcels within about a week of paying, after chasing, and one waited over a week with no new line. Keep your confirmation. If the day you chose passes, file a complaint on Complain.biz and we send it to Parcelforce.

How long does customs take with Parcelforce?

Parcelforce publishes no time. In histories people share it ranged from overnight to several weeks, and one parcel declared at £1,200 sat in high value storage for up to about two weeks. Parcels worth more than £900 go into secure storage until customs formalities are done, and Parcelforce can charge for storage after the first 10 days.

How long does the Parcelforce customs letter take to arrive?

Parcelforce publishes no time. In accounts people share it took about 10 days to two weeks, and some never got one. The 21 day hold does not wait for the letter: one parcel went back although its charge had been paid, so check the tracking page for a link to pay.

Can I pay Parcelforce customs charges without the letter?

Often yes. The tracking page can offer a link to pay, and the Pay a Fee page accepts the details from a text or email instead of the card or letter. People report that page not recognising a tracking number on its own, so try again once the charge line shows. The letter itself only gives the tracking reference and the country of origin.

Based on

Parcelforce: Pay a customs charge (customs charges explained, 21 day hold)
Parcelforce: Importing to the UK (thresholds, clearance fee, storage)
Royal Mail: Pay a fee (handling fees, notice for Parcelforce customers)
GOV.UK: Tax and customs for goods sent from abroad (VAT, duty and form BOR 286)
Royal Mail: Help with online security (how to recognise a genuine message)
Royal Mail: What does my tracking message mean? (glossary for the tracker Parcelforce parcels now use)
Reddit r/royalmail (shared tracking history): Coventry import history from Item Leaving overseas to Held as Customs fee to pay, line returns after payment (screenshot)
Reddit r/royalmail (shared tracking history): import history with the line about Customs in the destination country
Reddit r/royalmail (shared account): customs charge paid, no update for over a week
Reddit r/royalmail (shared account): invoice took two weeks, parcel returned after payment
Reddit r/royalmail (shared tracking history): no message about a charge, then awaiting re-export
Reddit r/royalmail (shared account): form letter took nearly two weeks, parcel returned
Reddit r/royalmail (shared account): customs clearance timescale and how long letters take
Reddit r/royalmail (shared account): parcel declared at £1,200 in high value storage
Reddit r/royalmail (shared account): waiting for a customs letter, tracking number not accepted
Reddit r/royalmail (shared account): the old www7 Parcelforce tracking page now goes to the new site
legislation.gov.uk: Consumer Rights Act, section 29 (goods stay at the seller's risk until they reach you)
Parcelforce: Buying items online, who you should contact
Parcelforce: Enhanced and inclusive compensation
Parcelforce: Refunds for late delivery
Royal Mail: Terms and conditions (Royal Mail and Parcelforce Worldwide)