Customs duty must be paid in Estonia for parcels arriving via Taiwan Post
For the time being, goods in parcels sent from Taiwan or routed to Estonia via Taiwan Post must be declared and customs duty paid in Estonia before the parcel can be delivered. This also applies if the customer has already paid an amount corresponding to the customs duty through the online store. Taiwan Post does not provide a customs duty transfer service.
Since 1 July 2026, small consignments ordered from outside the European Union are subject to a customs duty of €3 for each different product category in the consignment. Normally, the customs duty is collected by the online store at the time of purchase, with the declaration of the goods and payment of the customs duty arranged through the delivery operator.
In recent weeks, there have been cases where some Asian online stores have collected an amount corresponding to the customs duty from customers but arranged for the parcels to be delivered to Estonia via Taiwan Post (Chunghwa Post). Taiwan Post does not provide a customs duty transfer service, which means that the amount collected by the online store to cover the customs duty does not reach Estonia via Taiwan Post.
As a result, the customs duty remains unpaid to the Estonian state and the parcel cannot be released from customs. Until the parcel has been cleared by customs, Omniva cannot deliver it to the customer. To receive the parcel, the customer must declare the goods in Estonia and pay the customs duty.
The issue affects parcels with tracking codes ending in TW (Taiwan Post).
Omniva has informed potentially affected online stores of the situation and has proposed an agreement with Taiwan Post for the transfer of customs duties. Taiwan Post has confirmed to Omniva that it is addressing the issue and will take steps to prevent similar cases in the future.
What should I do if the online store sent my parcel via Taiwan Post?
Parcels sent via Taiwan Post arrive in Estonia, but Taiwan Post does not provide a customs duty transfer service. The parcel therefore remains at the customs terminal awaiting customs clearance until the customs duty has been paid in Estonia. This also applies if the customer has already paid an amount corresponding to the customs duty through the online store.
Omniva will notify the customer when the parcel arrives and provides instructions for declaring the goods and paying the customs duty. A service fee for customs declaration will also apply.
Once the customs duty has been paid, the goods will be released from customs and Omniva will deliver the parcel to the customer.
Why doesn’t Omniva collect the customs duty from Taiwan Post?
Omniva has no legal basis for making a claim against Taiwan Post. Under the international agreement between postal operators, providing a service for transferring taxes and duties is voluntary. If the postal operator arranging the delivery does not provide such a service, the postal operator in the destination country is required to collect the applicable taxes and duties itself. As Taiwan Post does not provide a tax and duty transfer service, Omniva is required to collect the customs duty for parcels arriving via Taiwan Post.
I already paid the customs duty to the online store. How can I get the duplicate payment refunded?
Omniva is not the recipient of the payment made to the online store and therefore cannot transfer it to the Estonian Tax and Customs Board or refund it to the customer.
Customers should contact the online store where the purchase was made to find out whether and how the amount paid at the time of purchase can be refunded.
Customers can also inform the online store that its chosen delivery operator does not provide a customs duty transfer service.