Post items from the UK to Spain (at the mid-point of Camino del Norte)

[paakaminska]

Hi All, I'm so grateful for this forum!

So, long story short, I'm very reliant on a particular protein powder which you can't buy in Spain. I'm planning to arrive with some at Irun, and then collect the second portion near the halfway, so a bit before Oviedo. Which auberge, or other building/institution would accept and store a package for me without extra cost please? I know people do that on the long trails in the USA. Has anyone tried that in Spain? I'd love some advice. Btw. I don't speak Spanish, maybe that's why I can find much online...

Many thanks,
Paula

 

[Vacajoe]

Are you mailing it from the UK or from Spain once you arrive? From the UK may be problematic due to customs issues, but if you send it forward once you are in Spain, the mail bureau (Correos) will hold your package for pickup at any number of their offices on the Norte.

 

[dbier]

Whoof. You're shipping something through customs. Buena Suerte.

You might see if Correos will hold that package for you in Oviedo. Just don't plan to pick it up when they're closed. It won't be much ( if any) extra costs, after you pay the customs fees.

 

[henrythedog]

Take it into Spain yourself and post it to yourself to be held at a post office. Oviedo probably best.

Address the parcel:

Your name - surname first capitalised
Lista de correos
Address of post office including postcode

You’ll have to show ID to collect

OR

Get rid of something less essential and carry the full supply

 

[Molly Cassidy]

Oviedo post office is a good option. The main post office is one of the few that opens in the afternoon.

 

[BarbaraW]

Definitely don't try to ship from the UK. I've had to stop sending birthday and Christmas parents to a friend who lives there because of issues with customs.

 

[TravellingMan22]

Definitely don't try to ship from the UK. I've had to stop sending birthday and Christmas parents to a friend who lives there because of issues with customs.

What happened at customs?

 

[markie6]

What happened at customs?

Lots of presents and other parcels from my family have been caught up in over zealous bureaucracy, even second hand books. I presume others have had similar issues since Brexit ( from uk to eu )

 

[TravellingMan22]

Lots of presents and other parcels from my family have been caught up in over zealous bureaucracy, even second hand books. I presume others have had similar issues since Brexit ( from uk to eu )

Ah ok. Thx. I have had some stuff sent from UK to Spain for collection at Correos, thankfully with no issues.

 

[Molly Cassidy]

Ah ok. Thx. I have had some stuff sent from UK to Spain for collection at Correos, thankfully with no issues.

I have had a parcel sent from the UK to Correos, too. It took about 2 weeks, partly due to UK postal strikes but also customs delays in Spain.

I did have to pay customs charges when I collected my parcel at Correos.

 

[MickMac]

Since leaving EU it's not advisable to post items with time related challenges from UK, the customs alone make it extremely difficult.
Maybe and independant courier with custom clearing knowledge might be better.

 

[Kathar1na]

I am curious: Are people really having a lot of trouble with UK and/or Spanish customs when sending non-commercial items of low value (less than £270) from the UK to Spain? When it is a private person and not a company/commerce who is sending the item?

I have no experience, just experience with sending small parcels with a gift from the EU to the UK. The only additional bother now is that I have to fill in the CN custom declaration form again. It is a standard form and used by all countries.

It was a real pain in the neck shortly after Brexit because the post office staff had to then enter the data from the form manually into their computer (and they cursed because they said it is not really their job but the job of the customs officers who, however, can't do it because of too much work now so their work was delegated to the post office staff) but since then the process has been automatised. I can fill in the CN custom declaration online now, print it, take it to the post office where they glue it on the parcel, scan the bar code and that's it. My parcels arrive without problem at the UK address. Is it much different for similar parcels from the UK to Spain?

I always tick "gift". And I never send anything with a value above the limit. Here's the relevant part of the UK Royal Mail form for sending items to Spain. Don't tick "Sale of Goods" or "Returned Goods" when it is a gift or an item of low value that you own already!

 

[markie6]

I am curious: Are people really having a lot of trouble with UK and/or Spanish customs when sending non-commercial items of low value (less than £270) from the UK to Spain? When it is a private person and not a company/commerce who is sending the item?

I have no experience, just experience with sending small parcels with a gift from the EU to the UK. The only additional bother now is that I have to fill in the CN custom declaration form again. It is a standard form and used by all countries.

It was a real pain in the neck shortly after Brexit because the post office staff had to then enter the data from the form manually into their computer (and they cursed because they said it is not really their job but the job of the customs officers who, however, can't do it because of too much work now so their work was delegated to the post office staff) but since then the process has been automatised. I can fill in the CN custom declaration online now, print it, take it to the post office where they glue it on the parcel, scan the bar code and that's it. My parcels arrive without problem at the UK address. Is it much different for similar parcels from the UK to Spain?

I always tick "gift". And I never send anything with a value above the limit. Here's the relevant part of the UK Royal Mail form for sending items to Spain. Don't tick "Sale of Goods" or "Returned Goods" when it is a gift or an item of low value that you own already!
View attachment 171854

For me, specificaly Ireland from the UK and France from the UK .. clearly marked value , ticked and it makes no difference. Customs charges for nieces altered clothes ( not new ) and books sent to Ireland ... the same... customs ....

 

[Molly Cassidy]

Depends what you mean by trouble.

My dad posted my car and house keys that I left in the UK to Oviedo correos and it took 2 weeks and I paid about €5 customs charge.

I have sent a large parcel of personal effects from Ireland to the UK (some of my deceased husband's things to his sons in Scotland). That was with a courier and I was asked, amongst other things, where the items were manufactured. I chose UK and I don't think any customs charges were made.

 

[Kathar1na]

Customs charges for nieces altered clothes ( not new ) and books sent to Ireland;

my car and house keys that I left in the UK to Oviedo correos and it took 2 weeks and I paid about €5 customs charge.

Wow, thank you to @markie6 and @Molly Cassidy. I had no idea. I've now looked into this a little bit. It seems to me that these charges are not customs duty on goods but some kind of other charges for imports from third countries (from outside the EU). The rules appear to depend on the individual EU countries - no uniform application and rules. Who knew ... and, ok, if the recipient has to pay, who cares what it is called.

One national postal service in one of the EU countries explains it like this:

​

The costs to import goods from outside the EU consist of 3 parts:​

1. VAT
   For all goods coming from outside the EU, a percentage of VAT on the value of the goods must be paid. This percentage varies between 6% (books) and 21% (electronic products).
2. Custom duties
   For certain categories of goods you have to pay customs duties. These are also represented by a percentage. For some goods (e.g. jeans), you pay up to 12% duty. For other goods you do not pay duty (e.g. books).
3. Customs formalities or administrative fees

If I understand point 3 correctly, the postal service can charge you for the mere fact that your parcel went through customs and that this included some "formalities" (like being scanned by a machine???). And I guess if you send your item not by mail but by courier such fees would be included in their total fee anyway. Sheesh ...

 

[Kathar1na]

Customs formalities or administrative fees

Correos has a similar system: They call it Customs management fee (shipments ≤ 150 EUR that do not come by IOSS) and there may also be additional Expenses derived from border security controls, depending on the nature of the shipment (health, pharmacy, veterinarian, etc.) which may apply to the OP's protein powder.

As I said before: Who knew ... I feel so old all of a sudden ... . And the other thing to consider: Sending even a tiny parcel by mail to a neighbouring country has become prohibitively expensive these days, no matter whether the country belongs to the EU or not.

Tramitación Aduanera en la Importación - Toda la información

Si tienes dudas sobre la Tramitación aduanera en la importación entra y encontraras toda la información.

www.correos.es

 

[Vacajoe]

Also, be sure that none of your ingredients in your protein powder is a banned substance in the EU. Even if considered safe in one place, everywhere has different standards.

 

[Kathar1na]

My dad posted my car and house keys that I left in the UK to Oviedo correos and it took 2 weeks and I paid about €5 customs charge.

@Molly Cassidy, this made no sense to me when I read it for the first time. How could this be, I asked myself.

I see now, provided that I understood it correctly, that Correos charges a processing fee for goods that require neither import duty nor VAT at the point of importation into the EU. They charge for the fact that they made the parcel go through customs and deliver it to you. And I guess that you had to pay it when the postman/woman delivered the parcel to you? (It would be a hotel or albergue in the OP's case).



Still mindboggling to me ...

 

[Molly Cassidy]

@Molly Cassidy, this made no sense to me when I read it for the first time. How could this be, I asked myself.

I see now, provided that I understood it correctly, that Correos charges a processing fee for goods that require neither import duty nor VAT at the point of importation into the EU. They charge for the fact that they made the parcel go through customs and deliver it to you. And I guess that you had to pay it when the postman/woman delivered the parcel to you? (It would be a hotel or albergue in the OP's case).

View attachment 171871

Still mindboggling to me ...

Because I couldn't enter my apartment without the keys, I collected the parcel from the correos in Oviedo. And yes, I think you're right. They didn't tell me what the charge was for, just you need to pay €5.

It was a small price compared to the extra 2 weeks airport parking because I couldn't move my car without the keys!

 

[BarbaraW]

Yes, there are ways of getting parcels through, in theory. In practice it seems erratic. More than once my friend has found herself queuing for almost an hour in an inconveniently located office to retrieve and pay tax on a gift of relatively low value.
Mind you, some of the problems may be localised. A few years ago, before Brexit, she had no post for a fortnight, when she was expecting several letters. Upon enquiring she was told that there'd been no deliveries because the postman's mother was ill.

 

[makingtrax]

Whoof. You're shipping something through customs. Buena Suerte.

You might see if Correos will hold that package for you in Oviedo. Just don't plan to pick it up when they're closed. It won't be much ( if any) extra costs, after you pay the customs fees.

I was quoted €38 for the storage fee for 2kilo bag posted from Pampalona to Leon via Correos in April this year. I declined and gave the contents away. Note this did not include the €12 post fee. Therefore storage with Correos is expensive! IMO.

 

[Molly Cassidy]

The system in Latvia was quite surreal. You would get a card delivered telling you that you had to make a customs declaration. Then you have to go online and declare what is in the parcel and its value without any information. So, one time I said it was a book I'd ordered and it turned out to be a gift from a family member, but there was no way for me to know until I completed the customs declaration, paid a fee if necessary and actually received the parcel.

 

[Kathar1na]

So this development had completely escaped me because I very rarely receive parcels from outside of the EU (I only send them occasionally to the UK) and since Brexit I also avoid ordering items in the UK to be sent to me (but this would be commercial goods and a different topic anyway). So there is a before and an after: 1 July 2021. Since then, all parcels/shipments sent into the EU have to be registered electronically at the relevant EU customs office. This is usually done by the mail service or by the courier that delivers the item to the recipient. Which means that they perform a service for the recipient. And they can and do ask a fee for their service.

Wow.

Parcels marked as a gift are usually not subject to control by customs officials of the EU countries but they do perform random checks. Because online sellers and other commercial outfits misuse the "gift" label to circumvent customs duties ...

This reminds me: In the distant past (before 2021) I ordered hiker's wool a few times from a non-EU country and from an outfit that shall remain unnamed. I was amused to see on the customs declaration label that it was market as "commercial sample". Which it very obviously wasn't. It was a commercial product.

Source (in German): Zoll.de - Why do I have to pay charges even though it said "gift" on the parcel and the value was less than 45 euros?

 

[MickMac]

I am curious: Are people really having a lot of trouble with UK and/or Spanish customs when sending non-commercial items of low value (less than £270) from the UK to Spain? When it is a private person and not a company/commerce who is sending the item?

I have no experience, just experience with sending small parcels with a gift from the EU to the UK. The only additional bother now is that I have to fill in the CN custom declaration form again. It is a standard form and used by all countries.

It was a real pain in the neck shortly after Brexit because the post office staff had to then enter the data from the form manually into their computer (and they cursed because they said it is not really their job but the job of the customs officers who, however, can't do it because of too much work now so their work was delegated to the post office staff) but since then the process has been automatised. I can fill in the CN custom declaration online now, print it, take it to the post office where they glue it on the parcel, scan the bar code and that's it. My parcels arrive without problem at the UK address. Is it much different for similar parcels from the UK to Spain?

I always tick "gift". And I never send anything with a value above the limit. Here's the relevant part of the UK Royal Mail form for sending items to Spain. Don't tick "Sale of Goods" or "Returned Goods" when it is a gift or an item of low value that you own already!
View attachment 171854

I stopped sending parcels to England and asked they don't send back anything had to pay duty several times so just give up my experience and "I ticked all the boxes".

 

[Peterexpatkiwi]

Lots of presents and other parcels from my family have been caught up in over zealous bureaucracy, even second hand books. I presume others have had similar issues since Brexit ( from uk to eu )

I recently bought a couple of second hand books online in the UK, and had the seller post them to me here in Germany. 3 weeks after they'd been posted I received a customs invoice for more than the total cost of the books & shipping...... . It had to be paid before they would deliver the books. I could have bought the same books here in Germany, new, for just a few Euros more than the total I ended up paying.
I bought some books the same way back in both 2019 /2020, zero issues, three - four days for the books to arrive.

I consider 'Brexit' to be a swear word!

 

[Friend from Barquinha]

I've been following this situation for a while since I was, many moons ago, a customs broker and dealt with this stuff all the time. Brexit has made it very, very difficult for the small EU exporter shipping to the UK, and reciprocally, for the UK firm shipping into Europe. In fact, these situations have precipitated some of the strongest arguments that some Brits are making about why they think Brexit was a bad move. (I know; skirting close to politics here; will say no more.)

That being said, quite a few UK firms that typically shipped into the EU have now set up subsidiaries in EU countries like Ireland or the Netherlands, and handle their EU customers from those subsidiaries. Because a lot of the required paperwork is compulsory regardless of the size or value of the shipment, they stay competitive by warehousing in an EU country (with large shipments just needing 1 set of paperwork), and then breaking down the shipment and sending small, private orders from within the EU, with no customs paperwork or service charge required.

Regarding the protein powder, have you tried Amazon.de and/or Amazon.es to see if they might supply it? As mentioned above, delivery from inside the EU would be considerably less complicated and likely less pricey for you!

For example, https://www.amazon.es/s?k=proteína+en+polvo

Bon camino!

 

[MickMac]

I've been following this situation for a while since I was, many moons ago, a customs broker and dealt with this stuff all the time. Brexit has made it very, very difficult for the small EU exporter shipping to the UK, and reciprocally, for the UK firm shipping into Europe. In fact, these situations have precipitated some of the strongest arguments that some Brits are making about why they think Brexit was a bad move. (I know; skirting close to politics here; will say no more.)

That being said, quite a few UK firms that typically shipped into the EU have now set up subsidiaries in EU countries like Ireland or the Netherlands, and handle their EU customers from those subsidiaries. Because a lot of the required paperwork is compulsory regardless of the size or value of the shipment, they stay competitive by warehousing in an EU country (with large shipments just needing 1 set of paperwork), and then breaking down the shipment and sending small, private orders from within the EU, with no customs paperwork or service charge required.)

Regarding the protein powder, have you tried Amazon.de and/or Amazon.es to see if they might supply it? As mentioned above, delivery from inside the EU would be considerably less complicated and likely less pricey for you!

For example, https://www.amazon.es/s?k=proteína+en+polvo

Bon camino!

I recently bought a couple of second hand books online in the UK, and had the seller post them to me here in Germany. 3 weeks after they'd been posted I received a customs invoice for more than the total cost of the books & shipping...... . It had to be paid before they would deliver the books. I could have bought the same books here in Germany, new, for just a few Euros more than the total I ended up paying.
I bought some books the same way back in both 2019 /2020, zero issues, three - four days for the books to arrive.

I consider 'Brexit' to be a swear word!

New set up in Ireland for Amazon 2025.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1788453779475427688

 

[Kathar1na]

Erm ... I had a look at the first post again: The OP plans to bring a particular protein powder to Spain and then would like to post part of it to somewhere near Oviedo.

There are no customs issues at all for the OP.

It was simply that the first two replies needlessly raised the question of customs.

Well, I've learnt something new and the thread confirms that it is not a good idea to mail anything from the UK to Spain, even when you are not a business but a private person who is sending something that you own already and that is of little value. Because even when there is no custom tax involved there may be hassle and payment for the recipient, i.e. for a hotel or an albergue and they may not be willing to pay anything to receive a parcel for a future guest, even when it is only a small sum like € 5 or so.

OTOH, the thread title is about "post items from the UK to Spain" ...

 

[Peterexpatkiwi]

Erm ... I had a look at the first post again: The OP plans to bring a particular protein powder to Spain and then would like to post part of it to somewhere near Oviedo.

Ok, I have read it again, however that's not how I read it.
The header says quite clearly "Post items from the UK to Spain", the OP then goes on to say :

I'm planning to arrive with some at Irun,

As I read it she plans to bring some with her and anticipates collecting the rest part way.

 

[Kathar1na]

Ok, I have read it again, however that's not how I read it.
The header days quite clearly "Post items from the UK to Spain", the OP then goes on to say :

As I read it she plans to bring some with her and anticipates collecting the rest part way.

I should not read or post so late at night .

 

[krystianw]

Are you mailing it from the UK or from Spain once you arrive? From the UK may be problematic due to customs issues, but if you send it forward once you are in Spain, the mail bureau (Correos) will hold your package for pickup at any number of their offices on the Norte.

I just did this last week. Correos can hold the package for up to two weeks at the destination post office - or at least, that's how much time was allowed when I sent a package to Irun for someone starting their Camino there. I imagine the rules are the same for sending a package to the midpoint. There weren't any extra charges applied in my case.

To be clear, I was mailing the package from within Spain.

 

[Kathar1na]

I just did this last week. Correos can hold the package for up to two weeks at the destination post office - or at least, that's how much time was allowed when I sent a package to Irun for someone starting their Camino there. I imagine the rules are the same for sending a package to the midpoint. There weren't any extra charges applied in my case.
To be clear, I was mailing the package from within Spain.

Thank you for confirming that Correos will hold a package for up to two weeks at the destination post office and that there were no additional fees for the recipient to pay and no costs occurred during the whole process other than the postage you paid when you mailed it from within Spain.

I think that there is broad agreement that @papuletka's best approach would be to take the wheat protein powder to Irun and mail it from there.

This would have several advantages such as cheaper postage; clearer idea of how long it will take until it is received by the destination post office; no potential additional charges involved at the point of reception.

The UK Royal Mail has country-specific pages for private customers (= not a business customer) who wish to send goods abroad. Here is the link for Spain: https://www.royalmail.com/sending/international/country-guides/spain

I'd be curious to know whether @Molly Cassidy's experience is common: Are or were you in Spain and did you get a parcel from the UK in recent times and did you have to pay a fee such as €5 or €10 "for submission to customs" (and also perhaps even VAT but not customs duties) even when the item was a personal item or a gift and of very low value?

This would be interesting to know for the sole reason that volunteer hospitaleros and hotel receptionists may be reluctant to pay anything for receiving a parcel on behalf of a future guest / pilgrim.

 

[MickMac]

Pilgrims used to be able to send items from Britain as members of the European Union without any difficulty (Stating the obvious) now treated as a third country

The challenge is obvious, filling in a customs declaration is no guarantee of unimpeded delivery and time scale from outside the Union.

Best bet would be to source a simular product (protein) from Europe ask the manufacturer if they have same product with different name on the European market place.
Good luck I think you will need it.

 

[Kathar1na]

Pilgrims used to be able to send items from Britain as members of the European Union without any difficulty (Stating the obvious) now treated as a third country

I understand that. The fact that the UK is no longer part of the Customs Union (technical non-political point: they could have stayed in it despite leaving the EU) is an issue for businesses on both sides who wish to export or import goods.

However, for private individuals who want to send a small parcel such as gifts or personal items of little value the only inconvenience is the fact that we now have to fill in the CN22 or CN23 customs declaration form. At least that has been my experience. Once I was asked by the post office to also provide a "pro forma invoice". I can't even remember what I had to do for it - just type a made up invoice on a piece of paper if I remember correctly.

These specific fees that are mentioned on EU postal services and EU customs services websites and that @Molly Cassidy had to pay in Spain for ""importing"" her car keys and her house keys (!!!) from the UK are apparently something new. They appear to be an invention of the postal services and courier services (who compete with each other since the liberalisation of the postal services markets in the EU since the end of the 1990s) and it appears to be connected to the July 2021 reform of the EU's customs taxation system, so not directly related to Brexit.

 

[CWBuff]

Also, be sure that none of your ingredients in your protein powder is a banned substance in the EU. Even if considered safe in one place, everywhere has different standards.

Yup. No tramethazidine even iif it belongs to your Grandfather....

 

[paakaminska]

Pilgrims used to be able to send items from Britain as members of the European Union without any difficulty (Stating the obvious) now treated as a third country

The challenge is obvious, filling in a customs declaration is no guarantee of unimpeded delivery and time scale from outside the Union.

Best bet would be to source a simular product (protein) from Europe ask the manufacturer if they have same product with different name on the European market place.
Good luck I think you will need it.

I tried all protein powders but I only like one, Huel. They don't sell it in shops in Spain, I asked the company directly. Besides, I find default Huel protein powder too sweet for me. So I normally buy three bags of it. Two flavoured ones and one unflavoured, and mix them together. I brought 2kg of my mix today to Spain.

I'll do as most of you advised - post it today in Irun and collect it within two weeks near the midpoint. I'll ask Correos what the best destination would be.

Thank you so much. Your dedication and help on this forum are priceless!

 

[TravellingMan22]

I tried all protein powders but I only like one, Huel. They don't sell it in shops in Spain, I asked the company directly. Besides, I find default Huel protein powder too sweet for me. So I normally buy three bags of it. Two flavoured ones and one unflavoured, and mix them together. I brought 2kg of my mix today to Spain.

I'll do as most of you advised - post it today in Irun and collect it within two weeks near the midpoint. I'll ask Correos what the best destination would be.

Thank you so much. Your dedication and help on this forum are priceless!

I had some medication posted to me about 3 years ago from UK to Spain and didn’t have to pay anything on collection but maybe that was the exception rather than the rule !’

 

[paakaminska]

I'll do as most of you advised - post it today in Irun

I suppose I meant Monday in San Sebastian because today is Sunday

No problem for me to carry 2kg of protein powder over the hilly first section as my base backpack contents is only 4.5kg (plus water, plus powder), while, as a training, I hiked in the UK for a week with 12kg on my back