- Introduction
- How to ship internationally from Netherlands: start with EU or non-EU
- Inside the EU: VAT is the work, not customs
- Outside the EU: documents travel with the parcel
- Which way of sending fits your weight and volume
- What a 5kg parcel costs: what to ask carriers to quote
- Export documents for a small online shop: a checklist
- Where peer-to-peer traveller shipping fits
- The 14-day return rule for a Dutch webshop
- Start small: one market, one test run
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Sources
- Earn money and travel for free
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Ship Internationally From Netherlands: Routes, VAT and Returns
You are holding a 5kg parcel for a customer in another country, and you need to know what it will cost and what you have to fill in before you ship internationally from the Netherlands.
Introduction
You are holding a 5kg parcel for a customer in another country, and you need to know what it will cost and what you have to fill in before you ship internationally from the Netherlands. Whether the parcel stays inside the EU sets your paperwork and your VAT, and your weight and monthly volume then decide which way of sending is realistic. From there you can price the parcel, work through the export checklist, and plan for the 14-day return right that many shops forget.
How to ship internationally from Netherlands: start with EU or non-EU
Before you compare carriers, answer one question: does the parcel stay inside the EU? The destination sets your paperwork and your VAT. The carrier comes after.
Inside the EU: VAT is the work, not customs
An EU parcel needs no customs clearance, so your effort goes into VAT and product compliance.[1] Since 1 July 2021, one EUR 10,000 EU-wide threshold covers your sales to consumers in other member states. It replaced the old per-country limits of EUR 35,000 to 100,000.[2]
Below that threshold, you charge Dutch VAT. Once you pass it, you charge the buyer’s country rate and report it through the One Stop Shop, a single VAT return you file in the Netherlands.[2] The Dutch 21% and 9% rates apply to Dutch sales only.[1] A German or French consumer then pays their own country’s rate.
Outside the EU: documents travel with the parcel
You need a commercial invoice, a customs product code (the HS code) and the country of origin.[1] The UK counts as a full customs destination since Brexit.[1] Treat the US the same way.
Which way of sending fits your weight and volume
Weight rules out some routes before price matters. DHL Parcel Connect Light hands your parcel to local postal services with one label and a CN22 (a customs label form). It comes in 100g, 500g and 2kg formats and is tracked to 50 countries. Transit takes 3 to 7 days in Europe and 6 to 12 days elsewhere.[3] It stops at 2kg, so a 5kg parcel needs a parcel carrier or an express service.
The other classes are conventional carriers (PostNL, DHL, UPS, FedEx), aggregators that resell carrier rates, outsourced warehouse-and-shipping companies (3PLs), and marketplaces such as bol.com for the Belgian route.[5]
Volume decides your leverage. A shop sending 500 parcels a month can negotiate a rate. A shop sending 30 cannot.[4] PostNL and DHL hold about 90% of Dutch domestic B2C parcels, so the home market is concentrated in two carriers.[4] Spreading parcels across carriers builds more leverage than loyalty to one.
Real shops mix carriers by country. Artitecshop uses PostNL in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany, offers GLS and DHL in Germany and Belgium, and sends the rest of the world by PostNL, with a local partner taking over abroad.[5] For deeper customs and carrier-failure detail, see our post on cross-border shipping problems for Dutch SMEs.
What a 5kg parcel costs: what to ask carriers to quote
Request quotes for your own routes: Germany, Belgium, France, the UK and the US. The table shows which option class can carry the parcel and what paperwork comes with it.
| Option class | Handles 5kg? | Customs forms | Tracking | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Postal-network (Parcel Connect Light) | No, 2kg cap | CN22 | Tracked to 50 countries | Light, low-value items |
| Standard parcel carrier | Yes, check each limit | Invoice outside the EU | Usually tracked | Regular EU parcels |
| Express | Yes | Invoice and export declaration | Door to door | Urgent or non-EU parcels |
| Aggregator | Depends on the carrier it resells | Follows the carrier | Follows the carrier | Low volume, comparing rates |
| 3PL or forwarder | Yes | Provider handles them | Provider’s system | Hundreds of parcels a month |
DHL Express’s Dutch rate guide shows the levers that move any quote:[6]
- Zone-based pricing: the same weight costs different amounts depending on the destination zone.
- Rounded billing weight: you pay for the weight rounded up to the next 0.5kg. A parcel of 5.1kg is billed as 5.5kg, so pack tightly.
- Export declaration: EUR 7.50 per shipment.
- Customs physical inspection: EUR 20 when customs opens the parcel.
Add your volume discount from the previous section and you know what to ask for.
Export documents for a small online shop: a checklist
Copy this list into your packing routine. A missing line is the usual reason a parcel stalls.
- Commercial invoice (non-EU destinations).
- Customs product code (HS code) for each item.
- Country of origin.
- CN22 or CN23 customs label form. CN22 covers goods up to EUR 358.50 on Parcel Connect Light.[3]
- CE marking for electronics and toys. It applies across the EU.
- Labels in the destination country’s language.
- A restricted-items check. Our guide on checking whether an item is legal to send across borders covers it.
- Packaging-waste reporting through Afvalfonds Verpakkingen. The EU Packaging Regulation adds duties from August 2026.[1]
Where peer-to-peer traveller shipping fits
Most shops ship with carriers or postal services and do fine. Hand-carried shipping suits a narrower set of cases: an urgent parcel, an awkward one, or a low-volume route where carrier minimums hurt.
SendByPass is one such option, in which a traveller on the route carries the parcel in spare luggage space. Payment is held until delivery is confirmed, and the traveller passes an identity check. It is how orders move on flights with verified student travellers instead of through the post.
Know the limits. The item must be legal to carry. There is no carrier-style guarantee. A flight schedule also sets your timing, not a delivery network.
The 14-day return rule for a Dutch webshop
This is the EU right of withdrawal (herroepingsrecht), the 14-day right to cancel. It covers consumers who buy at a distance.
Artitecshop’s published terms show the pattern: 14 days to cancel, 14 days to return, and a refund that includes shipping.[5] The trap is missing information. Under the German and Austrian laws that implement the same EU rule, the period stretches to 12 months and 14 days if the shop fails to give the mandatory withdrawal information.[7]
Tell buyers before purchase if they pay return postage. Cross-border returns cost real money, so favour carriers that offer a return label. Newer withdrawal-button rules are covered in our post on EU online return law for small shops.
Start small: one market, one test run
On Monday, pick Germany or Belgium, the usual first markets for shipping from Netherlands for webshops.[5] Send a small batch. Record cost, delay and returns for each parcel, then scale only when those numbers hold up.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a 5kg parcel go as Parcel Connect Light?
No. The largest format is 2kg, so a 5kg parcel needs a parcel carrier or express service.[3]
Which VAT rate applies to a German consumer?
Dutch VAT applies up to the EUR 10,000 EU-wide threshold. Past it, you charge the German rate and report it through the One Stop Shop.[2]
Do the 14 days apply to business customers?
No. The right of withdrawal covers consumers only.
What is the cheapest way to send a 5kg parcel abroad?
No single route wins everywhere. Price depends on zone, billing weight and volume, so get quotes from a standard carrier and an aggregator for each destination and compare.
Sources
- Landmark Global, Shipping Parcels to the Netherlands guide, 2026, EU customs, Dutch VAT, packaging duties, UK customs
- winkelfactuur.nl, EU Distance Selling VAT Thresholds Explained, 2026, EUR 10,000 threshold and One Stop Shop
- DHL eCommerce, Parcel Connect Light, formats, transit times, CN22, tracking
- Zineps, Verzendkosten NL Recordhoogte, 2026, Dutch B2C parcel market share, citing ACM
- Artitecshop, Shipping & Returns, a Dutch shop’s carrier mix and return terms
- DHL Express Netherlands, Service & Rate Guide 2026, zones, billing weight, customs fees
- ailawyer.at, Widerruf (Withdrawal Right) under EU law, 2026, German and Austrian implementation of the EU rule
- SendByPass blog, International shipping alternatives to DHL for small businesses, volume leverage
- SendByPass blog, Best Dutch SME products for cross-border shipping, marketplaces and starter markets
