Delivery time
2–4 business days
To the consumer's door
Incoterms
DDP & DAP
Choose per shipment
Rate
Clear upfront
On request
Destinations
England · Scotland · Wales · Northern Ireland
Delivery time
2–4 business days to the consumer
Services
DDP (duties and VAT paid) · DAP · Express · Track & trace · Signature on delivery
Who it's for
Webshops with UK customers
No more surprises at the door: your customer pays what they saw at checkout, and parcels refused over import costs disappear.
Brands testing the UK market
Start with a few shipments a week, without a UK entity or a separate customs contract.
B2B shippers and wholesalers
Choose per shipment whether your recipient pays the duties (DAP) or you do (DDP), in the same workflow as your other shipments.
What you get
- Choose DDP or DAP per shipment or per shipping rule
- Customs documents (commercial invoice / CN23) generated with the label
- HS code, value and country of origin stored per product
- Compare several UK carriers side by side
- Tracking for you and your customer, also after the border
- Duties and VAT for DDP shipments clearly on your invoice
Who pays the import costs?
Every shipment to the UK has an incoterm. It decides who pays UK import duties and VAT, and therefore what your customer experiences at the door.
DDP · Delivered Duty Paid
DAP · Delivered At Place
Who pays duties and VAT?
DDP · Delivered Duty Paid
You, the shipper. You build the cost into your price or shipping fee.
DAP · Delivered At Place
Your customer, on delivery or upfront through the carrier.
What does your customer notice?
DDP · Delivered Duty Paid
Nothing: the parcel is simply delivered.
DAP · Delivered At Place
A payment request from the carrier, often with an extra handling fee.
Risk of refusal
DDP · Delivered Duty Paid
Low, there is nothing to pay.
DAP · Delivered At Place
Higher: customers sometimes refuse unexpected costs, and the parcel comes back.
Best fit for
DDP · Delivered Duty Paid
Webshops selling to consumers.
DAP · Delivered At Place
Business recipients who import themselves and reclaim the VAT.
How UK imports work, in plain language
VAT up to £135
For consumer shipments up to £135 you charge UK VAT (20%) at checkout. This usually requires a UK VAT registration. Nothing is then due at the border.
Above £135
Above £135, VAT and any import duties are charged on import. With DDP you pay them through the carrier, with DAP your customer does.
Duties and origin
Goods of EU origin are usually duty-free under the EU–UK trade agreement, provided you state the origin on the invoice. Products from outside the EU can still attract duties.
Documents
You need an EORI number, plus a commercial invoice or CN23 per shipment with HS code, value and country of origin. Zineps generates these documents with the label.
Northern Ireland
For goods, Northern Ireland follows EU rules. Shipments from the EU to Northern Ireland therefore need no import declaration.
General information, not tax advice. Check your own situation with your accountant or customs expert.
Which carriers ship to the UK?
In Zineps you compare UK carriers side by side and pick, per shipment, what fits speed, weight and budget.
DHL Express
Fast delivery with DDP, strong for valuable or time-critical shipments.
UPS
Network covering the whole United Kingdom, with DDP and DAP options.
FedEx
International express and economy, with a choice of who pays the duties.
DPD
Cost-effective road service for consumer parcels, with DDP delivery.
How it works
- 1
Request a quote
Tell us what you ship, how often and where to.
- 2
Custom rate and activation in Zineps
You receive a proposal. Agreed? Then the service is live in your account.
- 3
Ship from your familiar environment
Book, track and invoice as you're used to, alongside your other carriers.
Frequently asked questions
Choose DDP (Delivered Duty Paid). You then pay the UK VAT and any import duties, and your customer receives the parcel without a payment request. For orders up to £135 you charge the VAT at checkout; above that you pay duties and VAT through the carrier. In Zineps you set DDP per shipment or per shipping rule.
With DDP you, the shipper, pay import duties and VAT, and your customer pays nothing on delivery. With DAP the recipient pays those costs, often with an extra carrier handling fee. That makes DDP the default for webshops; DAP suits business recipients.
If you sell to UK consumers with orders up to £135, you charge UK VAT at checkout yourself and usually need a UK VAT registration for that. Above £135, VAT is charged on import. Check your situation with your accountant.
Through Zineps a parcel to the United Kingdom usually reaches the consumer within 2–4 business days. The exact delivery time depends on the carrier and service you choose.
In Zineps you compare DHL Express, UPS, FedEx and DPD, among others. Per shipment you choose the carrier, the service and whether you ship DDP or DAP.
See also
View all logistics solutions