Shipping from the UK to Ireland: is it really simpler post-Brexit?

Ireland feels like it should be the simplest EU country to ship to from the UK. It's close, English-speaking, culturally familiar, and shares a land border with Northern Ireland. Surely Brexit hasn't complicated things that much?

Unfortunately it has. Here's the reality of shipping from Great Britain to Ireland post-Brexit — and what your Irish customers will actually pay.

Great Britain to Ireland is now an international shipment

Before Brexit, shipping from England, Scotland or Wales to Ireland was treated as a domestic EU shipment. No customs, no declarations, no charges. Since January 2021, it's an international export from a third country into the EU.

That means full customs declarations, potential import duty, and Irish VAT — exactly the same as shipping to Germany or France. The proximity and cultural familiarity don't change the customs rules.

Ireland's VAT rate

Ireland's standard VAT rate is 23% — the highest of the big-five EU markets, above Germany (19%), France (20%), Spain (21%) and Italy (22%). It's applied to the CIF value of your shipment — the goods plus the shipping cost.

For a £200 product with £12 shipping and 0% duty, your Irish customer faces a VAT bill of around £49 on delivery. This surprises many UK sellers who assumed Ireland would be straightforward.

The Northern Ireland exception

Northern Ireland has a unique status under the Windsor Framework. Goods moving from Northern Ireland to Ireland are not subject to the same customs rules as goods from Great Britain — Northern Ireland effectively remains within the EU's single market for goods.

If you're based in Northern Ireland, shipping to Irish customers is considerably simpler. If you're based in England, Scotland or Wales, full EU customs rules apply.

Import duty

As with other EU countries, many UK-made goods attract 0% duty when exported to Ireland under the TCA. Standard consumer goods, handmade products, most clothing and homeware frequently qualify — but only if you claim the preference with a statement on origin.

IOSS and the July 2026 duty change

If you're IOSS-registered, or sell through a marketplace that is, Irish VAT is collected at checkout for consignments with an intrinsic value (the goods alone, excluding shipping) of up to €150 — so your customer pays nothing on delivery. Two things changed on 1 July 2026: the EU scrapped the €150 duty exemption, so duty is now due at any value unless you claim TCA preference on UK-origin goods; and IOSS and postal consignments carry a temporary flat customs duty of €3 per item until July 2028, charged to the seller or platform rather than to the buyer at the door. Without IOSS, your Irish customer pays the 23% import VAT on delivery at any order value, plus the carrier's handling fee.

The land bridge myth

You may have heard of the "landbridge" — but it isn't a route your GB parcels take. The landbridge is traffic between Ireland and the Continent transiting Great Britain under the Common Transit Convention; it runs the other way. Parcels from Great Britain to the Republic go direct, either by air or on the Irish Sea ferry routes: Holyhead to Dublin, Liverpool to Dublin, or Fishguard and Pembroke to Rosslare. Direct routing means a single customs entry point — Irish customs at the port or airport of arrival.

A real example

A UK gift business ships a hamper worth £95 and a set of candles worth £65 to a customer in Dublin. Total order: £160.

The bottom line on Ireland

Ireland is not a special case. It's subject to full EU customs rules, has the highest VAT rate of the major EU markets, and Irish customers are just as likely to be surprised by charges on delivery as German or French ones.

Calculate your UK-to-Ireland landed cost on ClearShip before you ship — it takes 30 seconds and could save you a refused delivery.