Shipping from the UK to Greece: What UK Sellers Need to Know

Post-Brexit, UK parcels enter Greece as third-country imports subject to Greek customs rules and EU VAT. There are two things that often catch UK sellers off guard when shipping to Greece: the 24% VAT rate — which applies to imports at any value, not just larger orders — and the logistics complexity of shipping to the Greek islands.

Greece's VAT rate: 24%

Greece applies a standard VAT rate of 24% to most goods. This places Greece in the upper tier of EU VAT rates — level with Estonia (24%), higher than Germany (19%) and the Netherlands (21%), but below Sweden and Denmark (25%), Finland (25.5%) and Hungary (27%). VAT is charged on the total customs value — product price plus shipping — when the parcel clears Greek customs.

For a £160 order with £20 shipping, Greek VAT at 24% on the total £180 customs value comes to £43. Add a customs handling fee of around £10, and the on-delivery charge reaches approximately £53 — an extra 33% on a £160 purchase that Greek customers may not be expecting unless you've told them upfront.

Import duty on UK goods

Goods that genuinely originate in the UK qualify for 0% import duty under the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement. Most small business products — handmade goods, UK-manufactured homeware, ceramics, clothing made from UK materials — attract zero duty. Standard EU import duty rates apply to goods that don't meet the UK origin rules, so confirm your origin status before claiming TCA preference.

The €150 threshold — what changed in July 2026

On 1 July 2026 the EU abolished the €150 customs duty exemption, so €150 no longer marks a duty-free zone. The figure still matters, but only for VAT collection. If you're IOSS-registered or selling through a platform that handles IOSS (such as Etsy or Amazon), VAT is collected at checkout for consignments with an intrinsic value — the goods alone, excluding shipping — of up to €150, and your Greek customer pays nothing on delivery. IOSS and postal consignments now carry a flat customs duty of €3 per item, a temporary measure running until 1 July 2028, but this falls on the seller or platform rather than arriving as a bill at the door.

Outside IOSS, standard tariff duty is now owed at any value — unless your goods are UK-originating and you claim TCA preference with a statement on origin, which brings duty to 0%. Import VAT at 24% is then collected from your customer on delivery, plus a carrier handling fee. Take a £100 order with £15 shipping: sold through IOSS, the VAT is settled at checkout and delivery is charge-free. The same order without IOSS arrives with 24% VAT on the £115 customs value — £28 — plus around £10 in handling before the courier releases the parcel.

A practical example

A UK homeware brand ships a set of ceramic bowls worth £160 to a customer in Athens. The goods are UK-made and qualify for 0% duty under the TCA.

Work out the full landed cost for Greek customers with and without IOSS — it tells you whether checkout VAT collection is worth setting up for your Greek order volume.

A note on the Greek islands

Greece has some of the most geographically complex logistics in the EU. The country comprises mainland Greece and over 200 inhabited islands, including major tourist destinations like Crete, Rhodes, Corfu, and Mykonos, as well as dozens of smaller island communities. There are two important things to know for UK exporters:

Reduced VAT rates on certain Aegean islands. A number of Aegean islands — including Lesvos, Chios and Samos — benefit from VAT rates cut by 30% as a regional economic measure: 17% instead of the standard 24%, with reduced rates of 9% and 4%. From 1 January 2026 the regime was extended and expanded to cover more of the North Aegean and Dodecanese islands. The reduced rates can apply to imports, but only where the parcel clears customs on an eligible island and the recipient is established there. In practice, most UK parcels clear customs at Athens and are charged the standard 24% whatever the delivery address — so unless your carrier clears shipments on the island itself, do not adjust your calculations for island addresses.

Shipping times and costs to islands. Deliveries to island addresses in Greece take longer and can cost more than mainland deliveries. Standard courier services reach Athens and major mainland cities in 4–6 working days from the UK. Island deliveries may take 7–10 working days or longer depending on the island and the carrier's routing. Set delivery expectations in your listings and confirm island coverage with your courier before taking orders from specific island addresses.

Customs processing in Greece

Greek customs processing can be slower than in northern EU countries, particularly during high-volume periods. Higher-value parcels and anything outside IOSS may take additional time to clear. Use a fully tracked shipping service for all Greek shipments — this gives both you and your customer visibility of where the parcel is during the customs clearance stage, and it provides the proof of export you need for VAT zero-rating records.

Before you ship to Greece

Calculate the complete on-delivery charge at 24% VAT for your typical order values, with and without IOSS coverage. Include a note in your listings for any orders that won't be IOSS-covered. Confirm island delivery coverage and costs with your courier before accepting orders. Use ClearShip to get the full duty and VAT breakdown for any UK-to-Greece shipment in seconds. The hidden costs of shipping to EU customers are particularly worth understanding for Greece given the combination of a high VAT rate and complex island logistics.