Two very different situations look alike: a genuine charge you disagree with, and a fake demand in the name of customs. The first has a formal procedure and a deadline; the second requires no payment at all.
If the charge is too high, or fraudsters get in touch
An objection with a one-month deadline lies against the assessment. Alongside it runs a wave of fake messages in the name of customs — the real authority does not write that way.
✓ Verified: 02/08/2026
WHAT TO DO
AUTHORITY
Zollverwaltung / Hauptzollamt
federalCustoms clearance for imports from non-EU countries: the Hauptzollamt at your point of entry or your place of residence. Online services run through the ATLAS portal.
DOCUMENTS 3
› Details and tips
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Lea recommends:
The one-month period runs from notification of the decision, not from the day you read it. If the letter sat in the letterbox for a fortnight, only half the time is left.
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Max recommends:
I got an SMS about a held parcel with a link to pay ninety cents. The real customs bill looked nothing like it and arrived by ordinary post.
Useful Tools
- Verbraucherzentrale Legal
Consumer protection centres.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What if the charges were calculated from an inflated value? ▾
An objection is the available remedy against administrative acts in fiscal matters. It must be lodged within one month of notification, and it makes sense to attach evidence of the real price: invoice, shop confirmation, bank statement.
Can charges be recovered if the goods go back to the seller? ▾
Such cases run through repayment and remission, but not automatically: you have to show that the goods actually reached the seller again. Gather that evidence straight away rather than six months later, including postage receipts and correspondence.
How do I tell a genuine demand from a fake one? ▾
By the channel. The authority warns expressly that assessments and payment demands are never delivered by telephone, email, SMS, social media or a message in a messenger service such as WhatsApp.
What if payment is demanded at the door or through a payment service? ▾
That is a hallmark of fraud. Payments are to be made exclusively by transfer to a domestic account of the federal treasury, and nothing is demanded on delivery by cash on delivery. Demands for advance payment through a prepaid payment provider are a widespread scam.