Shipping from the UK to Romania: Costs, VAT and Import Charges

Romania is one of the fastest-growing e-commerce markets in the EU. Internet penetration is rising rapidly, the country has a young, digitally engaged population, and Romanian consumers are increasingly comfortable buying from international sellers. For UK businesses looking at new EU markets, Romania offers scale — 19 million people and an online retail sector that has been growing at double-digit rates — but as with all EU destinations post-Brexit, understanding the import charge picture before you start selling is essential.

Romania's VAT rate: 21%

Romania applies a standard VAT rate of 21% to most goods, after raising it from 19% on 1 August 2025 (the reduced rates were consolidated to 11% at the same time). That puts Romania in the middle of the EU pack — level with the Czech Republic, Latvia, the Netherlands, and Spain. Germany and Cyprus (19%), Malta (18%), and Luxembourg (17%) sit below it; Greece (24%), Sweden (25%), Finland (25.5%), and Hungary (27%) sit above. Romanian customers no longer get the noticeably lighter on-delivery charge they did at 19%, but the charge is still smaller than in the Nordic countries or Hungary.

VAT is charged on the total customs value — product price plus shipping — when the parcel clears Romanian customs. For a £95 fashion accessories order with £16 shipping, Romanian VAT at 21% on £111 comes to £23. Add a handling fee of around £6, and the on-delivery charge is approximately £29 on a £95 purchase.

Import duty on UK goods

Under the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement, goods that genuinely originate in the UK can enter Romania at 0% duty — provided you claim the preference with a statement on origin on your commercial invoice. Romania is an EU member state, so the same TCA rules that apply in France, Germany, or the Netherlands apply equally in Bucharest or Cluj. Without a valid origin claim, or for goods that don't meet UK origin requirements, standard EU tariff rates apply.

The €150 threshold — abolished for duty, kept for IOSS

On 1 July 2026 the EU abolished the €150 customs-duty exemption, so the old rule of thumb — under €150, no duty to worry about — no longer holds in Romania or anywhere else in the EU. What survives is the IOSS ceiling: you can still collect Romanian VAT at checkout through IOSS for consignments whose goods value (excluding shipping) is €150 or less. Low-value consignments moving through IOSS or postal arrangements now carry a temporary flat customs duty of €3 per item until 1 July 2028 — charged to the seller or platform, not to your customer at the door.

Romania prices in lei, but the IOSS ceiling is defined in euros on the intrinsic value of the goods, so the comparison that matters is your goods value against €150 — roughly £130. Outside IOSS there is no low-value relief at all: standard tariff duty applies at any value unless the goods are UK-originating and you claim TCA preference with a statement on origin, and import VAT at 21% is collected from your customer on delivery, along with a carrier handling fee.

A practical example

A UK fashion accessories brand ships a set of products worth £95 to a customer in Bucharest.

A £29 charge on a £95 order is a 31% surcharge. That is a heavier hit than under Romania's old 19% rate, but it still undercuts the equivalent charge in Finland (25.5% VAT), Sweden (25%), or Hungary (27%). Understanding the full landed cost across different destination countries helps you prioritise where to focus your export marketing.

Romanian address formatting

One practical detail that trips up UK sellers shipping to Romania: Romanian addresses include a county (județ) as well as a city. Including the county is important for reliable delivery — particularly for addresses outside Bucharest. The format is typically: street address, city, county, postcode. A parcel addressed only to "Iași" without the "Iași County" designation (for addresses outside the city) may experience routing delays.

When collecting addresses from Romanian customers at checkout, include a county field and make it required, or ensure your shipping labels include the full address as provided. DPD, GLS, and DHL all operate reliable services in Romania, but the domestic market is dominated by Fan Courier and Sameday — whose easybox locker network is a popular delivery option — so check whether your courier hands off to a local partner for final delivery, and confirm coverage for Romanian addresses before taking orders.

Shipping times and customs processing

Standard courier services reach Bucharest and major Romanian cities in 4–6 working days from the UK. More rural addresses in Moldavia, Transylvania, or Dobrogea may take 6–8 working days. Romanian customs processing can be slower than in western EU countries — during peak periods, allow additional time for parcels that need full clearance, particularly non-IOSS shipments.

Use a fully tracked service for all Romanian shipments. Tracking gives both you and your customer visibility during customs clearance, and it provides the proof of export you need for VAT zero-rating records. Untracked shipping to Romania has a higher rate of delivery disputes than tracked alternatives.

Romania as a growth market

Romania's e-commerce market has grown by over 20% year-on-year in recent years and is now worth around €7 billion annually — the largest online retail sector in south-eastern Europe. English proficiency is high among Romanian consumers under 40, and many are familiar with buying from UK sellers — particularly for fashion, tech accessories, and niche hobby products. The hidden cost picture is heavier than it was before the August 2025 VAT rise, but still lighter than in the 25–27% VAT markets, so Romania remains a reasonable starting point for UK sellers new to EU export.