Can I send alcohol or tobacco to the Netherlands?
No.
Don't pack them. Tobacco needs a Dutch excise stamp, excise is due on alcohol even from the EU, neither qualifies for moving relief, and couriers generally refuse them.
For every Onvoyo box: Onvoyo and most express couriers don't carry alcohol, tobacco or vaping products in personal boxes, whatever the destination allows.
More rules for the Netherlands
Not allowed
- Cigarettes and other tobacco without a valid Dutch excise stamp, even when a friend sends them as a gift
Allowed with conditions
- Alcohol
- Dutch excise is always due on alcohol that arrives by parcel, wherever it comes from, unless the sender already paid it. You declare and pay it yourself with a day return in Mijn Douane after the box arrives. From outside the EU, btw and duty are added, and alcohol never qualifies for moving relief.
Quantity limits
- Flat-rate duty
- Non-commercial boxes from one private person to another, with dutiable goods worth up to €700 (about $820): 2.5% duty instead of the tariff rate, plus btw. Not for tobacco or trade goods, and the receiver can ask for normal tariff rates instead.
- Alcohol
- No excise-free amount for parcels. Excise is due on any alcohol the sender hasn't paid Dutch excise on, even from another EU country, and you pay it with a day return in Mijn Douane.
- Tobacco
- None for parcels: cigarettes and tobacco must carry a valid Dutch excise stamp, even as a gift.
Before you ship to the Netherlands
- Tax-free limit
- From another EU country, boxes clear no customs and nothing is due on arrival. From outside the EU (including the UK), there is no tax-free limit anymore. Btw has applied from the first euro since the old €22 exemption ended in 2021, and the €150 (about $175) customs duty exemption ended on July 1, 2026. Gifts sent by one private person to another, worth up to €45 (about $53) per box, remain free of duty and btw. Online purchases worth up to €150 now pay a flat €3 duty per product category until July 1, 2028.
- Receiver ID
- Private receivers don't need a tax or customs number for a personal box. For moving relief, the key document is proof of your municipal registration, which goes to the moving or transport company that files the declaration. Give the courier a phone number and email so it can arrange any payment.
- Transit
- 1-3 business days within the EU; 2-5 from the UK or North America; 3-7 from Asia
Questions
Can I send alcohol or tobacco to the Netherlands?
No. Don't pack them. Tobacco needs a Dutch excise stamp, excise is due on alcohol even from the EU, neither qualifies for moving relief, and couriers generally refuse them.
Ask about a specific item
Official sources
- 1.
Douane Nederland
Extra kosten bij online bestellingen (opens in a new tab) - 2.
Douane Nederland
Cadeau uit het buitenland (opens in a new tab) - 3.
- 4.
Nederlandse Voedsel- en Warenautoriteit (NVWA)
Ik wil vlees, zuivel of andere dierlijke producten meenemen naar Nederland (opens in a new tab) - 5.
Nederlandse Voedsel- en Warenautoriteit (NVWA)
Ik wil planten of plantaardige producten meenemen naar Nederland (opens in a new tab) - 6.
Douane Nederland
Verhuisgoederen en vrijstellingen (opens in a new tab) - 7.
Douane Nederland (Kennisbank)
2 Forfaitaire tarieven en wettelijke tarieven | Handboek Douane (HDU) (opens in a new tab)
General guidance, not legal advice. Customs in the Netherlands makes the final decision on every box.