Customs Charges Ireland 2026 — Questions Answered | Probiotic.ie

Will I pay customs charges when ordering from Probiotic.ie?

No. Probiotic.ie is based in Dublin and ships every order from within the European Union, so the new EU import duty does not apply. Revenue confirms the €3 customs duty applies only to parcels arriving into Ireland from outside the EU. The price shown at checkout is the price you pay, with 13.5% Irish VAT already included and nothing to settle on delivery.

Are Probiotic.ie orders shipped from Ireland?

Yes. Every Probiotic.ie order is dispatched from Dublin, Ireland, inside the EU. Probiotic.ie has operated from Dublin since 2019 and is regulated under FSAI (Food Safety Authority of Ireland) food supplement guidelines.

Do Irish customers pay import fees on Probiotic.ie orders?

No. There is no customs duty, no €3 import charge and no An Post handling fee on a Probiotic.ie order, because the goods never cross an external EU border. The checkout price includes 13.5% Irish VAT on food supplements and nothing further is added on delivery.

What are the new EU customs rules from 1 July 2026?

From 1 July 2026 the EU removed the de minimis relief that let parcels valued at €150 or less enter the EU free of customs duty. In its place, a temporary flat €3 customs duty now applies to those low-value parcels when shipped into Ireland from outside the EU, including from the United States, Great Britain, China and South Korea. This was set under Council Regulation (EU) 2026/382 and runs until the EU's wider customs reform in 2028. VAT still applies as before, and goods bought from EU-based retailers such as Probiotic.ie are not affected.

How does the €3 customs duty work?

The €3 is charged on each distinct product type in a parcel valued at €150 or less arriving from outside the EU, not once per parcel and not simply once per product name. Identical units count as one item, so three bottles of the same product attract a single €3 charge. Different product types can each attract their own €3 charge, depending on how customs classifies them. The €3 is then added to the amount used to calculate Irish VAT at 13.5%, and Revenue confirms it is not refunded if you change your mind, only if the goods are faulty.

What counts as an item for the €3 customs duty?

An item is a distinct product type, defined by its customs classification (tariff heading), not the number of products in your basket. Revenue's published examples: a pen, a notebook and a keyring are three distinct items, so €9 duty, while two identical t-shirts are one item, so €3. For supplements this is harder to predict, because capsules, powders, oils and single vitamins can fall under different customs categories. Several supplements may attract one €3 charge, or a mixed basket may attract several, which is why an order from a non-EU site can be hard to price with certainty before it reaches customs.

Will supplements from the USA cost more from 1 July 2026?

Yes, if they ship from the USA. From 1 July 2026 US parcels valued at €150 or less attract the €3 customs duty per distinct product type, plus 13.5% Irish VAT calculated on the goods and the duty. Depending on how the items are classified, an order can carry one or several €3 charges. Supplements from Probiotic.ie ship from Dublin, so none of this applies.

Will supplements from Great Britain cost more from 1 July 2026?

Yes. Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) is outside the EU for customs since Brexit, so orders shipped from Great Britain to Ireland attract the €3 customs duty per distinct product type from 1 July 2026, plus VAT on the goods and duty. Many UK sites already add Irish VAT at checkout; the €3 duty now comes on top of that. Probiotic.ie ships from Dublin, so no duty arises.

Will iHerb orders to Ireland attract customs charges?

Yes. iHerb ships Irish orders from its United States warehouses, so they are imports from outside the EU. From 1 July 2026 these parcels attract the €3 customs duty, applied per distinct product type by customs classification, so an order may carry one or more €3 charges plus 13.5% VAT on the goods and duty. If the charge is not collected at checkout, An Post adds a €6.95 handling fee before it will deliver. Probiotic.ie ships from Dublin and carries none of these charges.

Is there an An Post handling fee on top of the €3 duty?

Often, yes. Where the customs charge is not paid in the online checkout before the parcel arrives, An Post applies a €6.95 administration fee to collect the VAT and duty on Revenue's behalf, charged once per parcel. A separate EU handling fee of around €2 per parcel is also expected from around November 2026, pushing the combined border cost higher again. An order from Probiotic.ie ships from Dublin and carries no duty, no handling fee and no delivery-side surprise.

What happens if I need to return a product bought from outside the EU?

Revenue confirms the €3 customs duty is not refunded if you simply change your mind and return goods bought from outside the EU; it is only refunded if the goods are faulty. Any VAT refund depends on the individual retailer's terms, and return shipping to a non-EU country is at your own expense. Buying from an EU-based retailer avoids the issue entirely.