How do I start shipping internationally from the EU: DDP or DAP, and which carriers support true DDP?

Start with demand, not with the whole world

If you only ship inside the EU today, there are no customs at all between member states. The first non-EU parcel changes that: it's an export from the EU and an import into the destination country, with data, duties, taxes and paperwork on both sides. Each country has its own rules, so "worldwide shipping" is really a set of lanes, each with its own setup.

Pick the two or three countries where you already see demand (for many EU stores that's the UK, the US and Canada, or Switzerland and Norway), get them right, and use them as the template for the rest. Opening 50 countries at once with a generic setup is how parcels end up stuck in customs and customers end up with surprise bills.

DDP or DAP: decide per market

An Incoterm is a contract term between you and your customer. It doesn't decide who has to register for tax in the destination country; local rules do. That's why DDP to some countries needs a tax registration (the UK for low-value parcels, for example) and to others it doesn't.

What you need on the EU side

• EU EORI number for your business, from your national customs authority. Every export needs it.
• Export declaration. Your carrier or broker usually files it for you, based on your data. It produces a reference (MRN) that proves the goods left the EU. That proof is what lets you sell VAT-free (zero-rated) to non-EU customers.
• Commercial invoice per parcel, usually generated electronically by the carrier from your order data.
• Product data per SKU: a clear description, HS code (the first 6 digits are international; the EU uses 8-digit CN and 10-digit TARIC codes, and destinations add their own digits), country of origin, value, weight.

Get the HS codes right once, in your product master data, and reuse them everywhere. Wrong codes mean wrong duties, delays and, in some countries, penalties.

The main markets in short

• United Kingdom: for consignments of £135 or less, you charge UK VAT at checkout and register for UK VAT; above £135 the importer pays import VAT and duty. See DDP from the EU to the UK.
• United States: the $800 de minimis exemption has been suspended for imports from all countries, including postal shipments, so duties now apply to low-value parcels too. Use a carrier with a US DDP product and check duty rates and any additional tariffs for your goods and origin.
• Canada: duties and GST/HST apply above low thresholds for goods from the EU, and non-resident sellers may have to register for GST/HST. Check the Canada Border Services Agency rules for your volumes.
• Switzerland and Norway: both have specific schemes for foreign online sellers. See Switzerland and ZAZ and Norway and VOEC.
• Everywhere else: check restricted goods, duty thresholds and whether your carrier offers DDP to that country at all. Some countries (for example Egypt or Indonesia) have strict import rules for consumer goods, so start with DAP or a specialist partner there.

Which carriers support "true" DDP?

There's no single best carrier. There are three types, and many stores use more than one:

1. Express integrators (the global express networks). DDP is widely available, fast and reliable, but expensive per parcel. Good for high-value orders and urgent markets.
2. Postal and economy cross-border products. Cheaper and slower. DDP is available on some lanes and not others, and service varies by country.
3. Cross-border platforms and merchant-of-record services. They calculate landed cost at checkout, act as seller or importer in some markets and pick the carrier for you. You pay a percentage or fee per order for that.

"True" DDP means the carrier (or platform) clears the import, pays the duties and taxes and invoices them back to you, so the customer is never asked to pay. Ask every candidate: on which lanes and for which product categories is DDP available? Who is the importer? How are duties invoiced to me? What happens to held or refused parcels? How do returns work?

A 90-day roadmap

1. Weeks 1–2: pick the first markets, decide DDP or DAP per market, get the EORI, check tax registrations.
2. Weeks 2–4: fix product data (descriptions, HS codes, origin) for the SKUs you'll sell abroad; check restricted goods.
3. Weeks 3–6: shortlist and test carriers; set up landed-cost pricing at checkout.
4. Weeks 5–8: connect the shop or OMS to the carrier; design returns per market.
5. Weeks 8–12: soft launch, test parcels and returns, check duty invoices, train customer service, then open the next market.

Who this is for, and who it isn't

How I help

I usually start with a free discovery call, then a Cross-Border Customs & DDP Setup for your first lane: DDP/DAP decision, data specification, carrier shortlist, returns and the launch plan. It starts from €2,950 per lane, or from €6,500 if I also lead the launch. If you're deciding where to sell first, the European Delivery Network Blueprint (from €1,250) covers the delivery side.

At BorderGuru I ran cross-border e-commerce operations shipping from the US into Europe, Canada, Australia and other markets, including landed cost and duties at checkout. Later, as an external consultant leading international product development at Hermes, I took a DDP customs product from concept to live production. Brands I've worked with include Revolve and Obey.

Questions

Sources

• European Commission, EORI number: taxation-customs.ec.europa.eu
• HMRC, VAT and overseas goods sold directly to customers in the UK: gov.uk
• US Federal Register, indefinite suspension of the de minimis exemption (24 June 2026): federalregister.gov
• Canada Border Services Agency, importing goods: cbsa-asfc.gc.ca
• EU TARIC database: ec.europa.eu

This is operational guidance, not legal or tax advice. Customs filings and tax registrations are done by licensed brokers and advisers; I design and coordinate the process with them.