The value of a parcel decides how much you pay. The contents decide whether it arrives at all. The two questions are unrelated, and the second usually turns out to be the expensive one.
What may not be sent: medicines, food and counterfeits
Some contents will not cross the border no matter what is paid. Prohibitions and restrictions outweigh value and decide the fate of the whole consignment.
✓ Verified: 02/08/2026
WHAT TO DO
DOCUMENTS 1
› Details and tips
👩🏼💼
Lea recommends:
Run through the list out loud before family packs: medicines, supplements, meat, dairy, seeds, branded goods. Five minutes of conversation saves a box nobody will send back.
👨🏻💻
Max recommends:
My mother added homemade bacon and a pack of tablets sold in any pharmacy back home. What reached me in the end was the socks.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Can relatives send medicines from home? ▾
This is the most frequent question and the most frequent loss. Medicines fall under their own licensing rules, and the general reasoning about value does not help. Before family packs a box of tablets, the status of that specific product needs checking rather than assuming it is as freely available as at home.
What about homemade food and food parcels? ▾
Products of animal origin from non-EU countries face veterinary restrictions, regardless of the food being homemade and sent free of charge. That is precisely why sausage and cheese in a gift parcel are a classic reason for seizure.
What happens if the parcel contains a brand copy? ▾
Goods infringing trade mark rights are held during checks. The matter then leaves the realm of money: the rights-protection procedure applies, and the consequences fall on the recipient even where they did not know the contents.
Who is liable if the sender packed something prohibited? ▾
Responsibility attaches to the importation rather than to whoever packed the box. The recipient is the one who has to explain and deal with the outcome, which is why contents are worth agreeing in advance.