Can I send food to the Netherlands?
Yes, with conditions.
No meat, milk, or dairy from outside the EU, though chocolate, cookies, and candy are fine. Fish is limited to 20 kg and honey to 2 kg. Fresh fruit and vegetables need a phytosanitary certificate, and couriers refuse perishables.
For every Onvoyo box: Only sealed, shop-bought, shelf-stable food. Express couriers don't carry perishable food: nothing fresh, frozen, meat, dairy or produce.
More rules for the Netherlands
Not allowed
- Meat, milk, and dairy products from outside the EU, except from Andorra, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, San Marino, Northern Ireland, and Switzerland
Allowed with conditions
- Fresh fruit, vegetables, flowers, plants, seeds, nuts, and bulbs
- From outside the EU, including Great Britain and the Canary Islands, they need a phytosanitary certificate from the sending country's plant health authority. Bananas, coconuts, dates, pineapples, durians, processed fruit (cooked, frozen, or pureed, for example), and seeds and nuts packed for eating are exempt, as is everything from Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and Northern Ireland. Some plants are banned outright.
- Fish, honey, and other animal products
- From most countries outside the EU, the personal limits are 20 kg of fish products and 2 kg of other animal products such as honey. Baby formula, baby food, and special medical food are allowed up to 2 kg if they're branded, sealed, and don't need refrigeration. Products in which milk is no longer recognizable, such as chocolate, cookies, and candy, are fine.
Quantity limits
- Animal products
- From most countries outside the EU: no meat or dairy, fish products up to 20 kg, and other animal products such as honey up to 2 kg. Baby formula and special medical food up to 2 kg.
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 food to the Netherlands?
Yes, with conditions. No meat, milk, or dairy from outside the EU, though chocolate, cookies, and candy are fine. Fish is limited to 20 kg and honey to 2 kg. Fresh fruit and vegetables need a phytosanitary certificate, and couriers refuse perishables.
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.