Due to a European Union tax amendment, all shipments arriving from third countries must be declared and value-added tax (VAT) must be paid on them from July 1.
The tax amendment is also valid for goods that were purchased before July 1 but arrive after said date, Estonian state-owned postal service and logistics company Omniva said on Wednesday.
Taxation is based on whether the goods are registered as having arrived in the EU before or after July 1. The date is fixed in the shipment information once the item arrives at the Omniva sorting center.
Omniva warns that the tracking pages of international e-stores may not always display accurate information, meaning that the payment duty may come unexpectedly for some people.