Can I send documents and photos to Italy?
Allowed
Yes.
Personal papers and photos are fine and carry no duty. Old private archives of cultural interest need export authorization to leave Italy.
More rules for Italy
Allowed with conditions
- Plants, seeds, bulbs, and cuttings from outside the EU
- Not allowed without a phytosanitary certificate from the country of origin, even in small amounts. Leave them out.
- Items from protected species
- Ivory, furs, coral, and other products of CITES-listed species need a CITES certificate when they are imported. Check before sending.
Before you ship to Italy
- Tax-free limit
- If you're sending from inside the EU, there is no customs clearance and nothing to pay. From outside the EU (including the UK), IVA is due from the first euro: Italy's old €22 IVA exemption for small parcels ended in 2021. The EU's €150 duty relief ended on July 1, 2026, so duty can now apply at any value. An occasional gift from one private person to another worth up to €45 (about $53) in total is still free of both duty and IVA. Online purchases up to €150 pay a flat €3 (about $3.50) duty for each type of item until July 1, 2028. From December 1, 2026, Italy is also set to charge a €2 (about $2.30) administrative fee on every box from outside the EU worth up to €150, gifts included.
- Receiver ID
- No official page says a private receiver must have one for an ordinary box. The courier may still ask for the receiver's codice fiscale (Italy's 16-character tax code) to file the customs declaration, and ADM's moving-relief form F-01 asks for it, so have it ready. Foreign nationals can get one from the Agenzia delle Entrate, or through an Italian consulate abroad.
- Transit
- 2-4 business days within the EU; 3-6 from the UK or North America; 4-8 from Asia
Questions
Can I send documents and photos to Italy?
Yes. Personal papers and photos are fine and carry no duty. Old private archives of cultural interest need export authorization to leave Italy.
Ask about a specific item
Official sources
- 1.
Agenzia delle Dogane e dei Monopoli (ADM)
FAQ - Le risposte alle domande più frequenti sulla materia doganale (opens in a new tab) - 2.
Normattiva (Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato)
Decreto del Presidente della Repubblica 26 ottobre 1972, n. 633: Istituzione e disciplina dell'imposta sul valore aggiunto (opens in a new tab) - 3.
Ministero della Sanità (text published by the Ministero dell'Interno, Direzione Centrale per i Servizi Antidroga)
D.M. 11 febbraio 1997: Modalità di importazione di specialità medicinali registrate all'estero (opens in a new tab) - 4.
Agenzia delle Dogane e dei Monopoli (ADM)
Carta doganale del viaggiatore (luglio 2025) (opens in a new tab) - 5.
Normattiva (Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato)
Decreto legislativo 22 gennaio 2004, n. 42: Codice dei beni culturali e del paesaggio (art. 65, Uscita definitiva, and Allegato A) (opens in a new tab) - 6.
General guidance, not legal advice. Customs in Italy makes the final decision on every box.