With the rise of giant shipping companies like UPS, DPD, and DHL, sending a parcel to Austria has never been easier.
In fact, it could quite easily be argued that Austria now has one of the most reliable, cost-effective shipping systems in the world. For just a small fee, you can quite easily send a parcel, for it to be delivered just a day later.
However, there are still certain things to think about and specific rules we all have to follow. The most important of these refers to the items we can and can’t ship into the country. While most rules are pretty obvious, others can be quite surprising.
To help you avoid any unexpected problems, we’ve decided to put together this post that tells you exactly what you can and can’t ship to Austria.
If you want to know if your parcels are going to make it, keep reading!
The movement of goods between Austria and Europe, the United Kingdom, and the United States has never been easier.
As a result, the number of parcels shipped in and out of Austria has continued to increase year after year. With that in mind, there has never been a more important time to ensure the goods you plan on sending are sent correctly.
You should take adequate measures and precautions to keep your items safe during transit and to ensure they swiftly make it through customs when they reach the border.
Before you send a parcel, you should be aware that:
Before sending your goods to Austria, you also need to think about where you’re sending the parcels from.
Not only do you need to think about the rules Austria has in place, but you also need to think about the rules the country you’re sending from has in place.
For example, Austria will accept the shipping of certain ivory products. However, countries like China have put a total ban on it. Therefore, the ivory wouldn’t even leave China never mind reach Austria.
There are some rules in place from the shipping services that may impact your delivery too. While one shipping service might accept a specific item, another might not allow it at all.
With all of this in mind, you need to carefully consider what you’re sending and how, even if Austria permits the shipping of said goods.
Now you know a bit more about shipping your goods to Austria, we can start to look at what you can and can’t ship to Austria.
Let’s start with what you can ship to Austria!
Austria allows the shipping of artwork and collectibles worldwide. However, the process isn’t that easy. Anyone sending a piece of artwork or a collectible must comply with customs regulations.
This involves filling out the required documentation, producing an export invoice, and paying any customs charges, tax, import duty, and VAT.
If this isn’t done correctly, your artwork will be held up.
It is completely fine to ship various electrical goods to Austria. Some of the goods Austria permits for shipping include monitors, tablets, laptops, and computers.
All of these can be sent relatively hassle-free. However, for certain items, you may have to declare what it is and how it is going to be used.
You may also have to declare the type of battery the device has. For example, drones contain lithium batteries. While these are accepted, some companies prefer to know in advance of shipping.
You’ll have absolutely no problem sending clothing, apparel, or accessories to Austria. The shipping laws regarding these sorts of goods are very relaxed.
Shipping furniture to Austria is also absolutely fine. Whether it be a new table, a bed, or a wardrobe, you can expect it to make its way through the border easily.
However, you might be asked to fill out various forms when you send your furniture. This will depend on the type of furniture, its size, and the courier. You might also have to pay an import fee on the other side.
By far the easiest thing to send to Austria is mail. General letters, cards, and personal pictures are cheap and quick to send.
You will pay more for delivery based on the size of the mail, and delivery will also take longer depending on the method of delivery you choose.
For smaller letters, simply place a European or rest of the world stamp in the corner of each letter.
You can also ship musical instruments to Austria. Despite the size of most instruments, this can be done quite easily. There are plenty of European shipping companies that will happily transport your instruments for you.
Finally, printed goods like posters, leaflets, and packaging can be sent to Austria with no issues.
So, what can’t you ship to Austria? Let’s look at that next!
European laws prohibit the shipping of ammunition or firearms. Therefore, you cannot ship either into or out of Austria.
If you want to transport firearms into or out of Austria, you would have to do so in person and provide an Austrian or European Firearms Pass. Even then, you’re not allowed to carry the weapon.
For obvious reasons, you aren’t allowed to ship explosive or radioactive materials into Austria. Let’s be honest, this one’s pretty self-explanatory.
It may come as a surprise to some that you can’t ship currency into Austria. The main reason for this relates to money laundering. Criminals have used the shipping of currency to launder their money for many years.
To crack down, law enforcement teams all over the world have prevented currencies from being shipped at all.
Like most places around the world, Austria has banned the shipping of live animals. Depending on the animal in question, this could actually lead to serious consequences and prosecution.
Linked to this is the shipping of sensitive animal products like ivory and caviar. Ivory and caviar can only be shipped into Austria if specific guidelines are met.
Again, for very obvious reasons, human remains cannot be shipped to Austria.
You must also be careful when shipping tobacco-based products into Austria. You can take tobacco products into Austria, but there are strict regulations. Any product shipped into the country must be for personal use only.
Typically, the rules are set at 200 cigarettes, 50 cigars, and 250 grams of smoking tobacco.
Austria has strict guidelines on the shipping of pornographic material. Shipments of pornographic material will be stopped at the border and refused entry.
Finally, for relatively unknown reasons, Austria has cracked down on the shipping of metals, jewellery, and stones into the country. As a result, we wouldn’t recommend trying to send any of the three.
There you have it, all the things you can and can’t ship to Austria. While the list is pretty long, most of the shipping laws in Austria are fairly straightforward.
In fact, we’d actually say that it mostly comes down to common sense.
There may be the odd thing on the prohibited list that surprises you, but generally speaking, as long as you use your common sense and do the research first, your parcels should make it into Austria with no problems.
Hi, my name is Andy Demar and I have been working in the postal industry for almost 15 years. I have seen and heard about it all - big packages, small parcels, suspicious boxes, difficulties with getting them from A to B.
