Sending a parcel to Romania: Delivery time, VAT and shipping costs
From Germany to Bucharest, Cluj or Timișoara: ship quickly and without customs fees
Romania is a member of the European Union and is an important market for German companies in Central and Southeastern Europe.
- Shipping within the European Union
- no standard customs clearance
- Parcel, express and pallet shipping
- Delivery time is often only a few working days
- 21% regular Romanian VAT
- B2B delivery possible with a valid VAT ID.
- OSS for cross-border B2C trade
- RO e-Transport regulations apply to certain road transport operations.
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Romania is an EU shipping country – but for tax purposes it's not simply "like Germany".
Customs duties are not an issue in normal trade between Germany and Romania.
However, sales tax, recipient status and transport data can very well be relevant.
Especially in B2B and e-commerce shipping, it should therefore be clear before booking whether delivery is to a company or a private individual.
No customs duties on ordinary Union goods
Romania is fully part of the EU customs territory. Therefore, for goods with Union status, you generally do not need an export or import customs declaration when shipping from Germany.
21% Romanian VAT
Since August 1, 2025, the standard Romanian VAT rate has been 21 percent. There is also a reduced rate of 11 percent for certain goods and services.
RO e-Transport for larger road transports should be examined.
Romania electronically monitors certain national and international road transports. Especially for larger B2B shipments, the Romanian recipient should check whether a UIT number is required.
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Sending a package to Romania: What companies should consider in 2026
With around 19 million inhabitants, Romania is one of the largest markets in Southeast Europe.
The most important economic and logistics centers include:
- Bucharest
- (RO) Cluj-Napoca
- (RO) Timisoara
- Braşov
- (RO) Iaşi
- Constanta
Romania is particularly interesting for German companies due to its close industrial ties.
The automotive industry, mechanical engineering, IT, electronics and e-commerce ensure regular movements of goods between the two countries.
What documents do I need to send a package to Romania?
For normal shipments of Union goods from Germany, no standard customs documents are required.
However, the following are still useful or necessary for business shipments:
- on account
- delivery note
- Transport label
- full recipient address
- phone number and email address
- For B2B transactions, the VAT ID is required.
For larger road transports, information for RO e-transport may also be required.
In contrast, a commercial invoice for customs clearance in a third country is not required for normal intra-community goods movements.
How does a B2B delivery to Romania work?
If a German company delivers goods to a VAT-registered company in Romania, this can generally be considered a tax-free intra-Community supply.
Requirements include, among other things:
- valid VAT ID of the customer
- actual movement of goods from Germany to Romania
- corresponding evidence
- proper invoicing
The Romanian entrepreneur then pays tax on the intra-community acquisition in Romania.
The VAT ID of the business partner should therefore be checked before delivery.
What VAT rate applies to B2C sales?
Online sales to private customers are subject to EU rules for intra-community distance sales.
Generally, sales tax is levied where the customer is located.
For deliveries of goods to Romanian private customers, this means, when applying the general distance selling rule:
Romanian sales tax.
The standard rate is 21 percent.
For smaller retailers, there is an EU-wide threshold of:
10.000 euros net per year
for certain cross-border B2C sales.
If this threshold is exceeded, the destination principle generally applies.
The tax can then be paid via:
One Stop Shop, OSS
centrally reported and remitted.
Therefore, it makes sense for shops to automatically apply the correct tax rate at checkout.
You can find out more at Show costs and taxes at checkout.
How long does it take to send a package to Romania?
DHL Parcel currently states a delivery time estimate of:
3 to 4 working days.
Express services are available for urgent business shipments.
DHL Express generally offers next-business-day deliveries within the EU.
The actual duration depends in particular on:
- Pickup location
- Destination postal code
- Shipping service
- bale size
- Delivery region
Bucharest and other major economic regions generally have very good transport connections.
Romania has been fully in the Schengen Area since 2025.
Since 1 January 2025 Romania is fully part of the Schengen Area.
Controls at air and sea borders had already been abolished in 2024.
Since January 2025, systematic checks on persons at the Schengen internal borders by land have also been abolished in principle.
This is particularly relevant for road freight transport to Romania.
The most important route from Germany often leads via:
- Austria
- Hungary
- Romania
Goods traffic thus benefits from a more integrated European transport axis.
For regular services to Southeast Europe, you can also find our information on... Shipping to Hungary and for Shipping to Bulgaria.
Write the address for Romania correctly
Romanian postal codes consist of:
six digits.
A company address can be structured like this, for example:
Example Industrial SRL
Strada Fabricii 25
400620 CLUJ-NAPOCA
ROMANIA
DHL recommends using Latin letters and Arabic numerals.
Phone number and email address should also be provided.
This makes delivery notifications and inquiries easier.
Import shipping data from ERP or shop
Automation is particularly worthwhile for regular shipments to Romania.
Data such as:
- Recipients
- Item number
- Weight
- Dimensions
- cart value
- Shipping service
are often already available in the shop or ERP system.
Over a SAP shipping interface or other integrations allow such information to be directly incorporated into the shipping process.
This reduces manual input and speeds up label creation.
These errors are slowing down shipments to Romania
When shipping to Romania, most problems do not arise at customs.
That's simply not available with normal Union goods.
Typical mistakes include:
- incorrect or incomplete address
- Recipient's phone number is missing
- Incorrect Romanian VAT rate in the online shop
- VAT ID not verified in B2B transactions
- RO e-Transport not considered for larger transports
- Volumetric weight underestimated
- Wrong carrier selected for the destination region
For regular shipments, it is therefore worthwhile to automatically transfer transport and recipient data whenever possible.
What goods are delivered from Germany to Romania?
Germany and Romania are closely integrated into European supply chains.
Industrial and technical goods are particularly important.
For German companies, the following product groups are relevant, for example:
- Machinery and equipment
- automotive parts
- Electrical Engineering
- Produktionsausrüstung
- Tools
- IT and communication technology
- Measurement and testing technology
- Medical Technology
- Household and kitchen appliances
- E-commerce goods
Romania has a strong automotive, electronics and manufacturing industry.
This allows spare parts and components to be regularly moved between German and Romanian locations.
For larger, but comparatively light goods, the volumetric weight can determine the shipping price.
We explain how carriers calculate this value below. Understanding and correctly calculating volumetric weight.
Shipping information: Romania
Standard, express or pallet shipment to Romania.
Romania is well connected to Germany by road and air.
Standard shipping is recommended for normal packages.
DHL currently states:
3 to 4 working days.
For urgent spare parts or documents, express delivery can be significantly faster.
Pallet and freight shipping is also easily possible thanks to the well-developed European road network.
Which solution makes economic sense depends on:
- Weight
- Dimensions
- Number of packages
- urgency
- Target region
.
A Multi-carrier comparison This helps to avoid automatically using the same service provider for every shipment.
Germany and Romania are connected by a strong land route
The vast majority of B2B traffic between Germany and Romania can be handled by road.
One of the most important routes leads via:
Germany → Austria → Hungary → Romania.
With Romania's full Schengen membership since January 2025, this transport axis is even better integrated into the European internal area.
Key logistics regions are located particularly around:
- Bucharest
- Arad
- (RO) Timisoara
- (RO) Cluj-Napoca
- Braşov
For maritime transport, it also has:
Constanta
a special meaning.
The port on the Black Sea is one of the most important seaports in the region.
What import duties are levied in Romania?
For normal Union goods from Germany:
No traditional import duties.
No such thing is created:
- Import duties
- Import VAT at the border
- Customs import clearance costs
Instead, value added tax is dealt with via the intra-community EU rules.
Depending on the business transaction, the following may therefore be relevant:
- tax-free intra-Community supply in B2B transactions
- Intra-Community acquisition by the Romanian company
- 21% Romanian VAT on relevant B2C distance sales
- OSS procedures for online retailers
Additional special regulations apply to goods subject to excise duty.
How much does a package to Romania cost?
The shipping price depends in particular on:
- Weight
- Package dimensions
- Volumetric weight
- destination
- Carrier
- Shipping speed
Since there is no traditional customs clearance, the cost structure is significantly simpler than in many non-EU countries.
Nevertheless, differences between standard, express and pallet shipping can be significant.
Therefore, comparing carriers is worthwhile for regular shipping.
Shipments can also be sent via the Collection directly at the company location be integrated into the existing shipping process.
Online trade to Romania: How to correctly use 21% VAT and OSS
Romania is a normal EU target market for German online retailers.
For B2C distance sales, the country of destination principle generally applies as soon as the relevant conditions are met.
The standard Romanian VAT rate is:
21%.
Online retailers can reclaim VAT owed in other EU countries via:
One stop shop
Report centrally.
This means:
A German retailer does not automatically have to register separately in every single EU country just for normal distance selling.
For shop operators, it makes sense to correctly display Romania as an EU tax territory in the checkout.
The shipping process can also be automated.
Shipping labels, carrier selection and tracking should ideally be generated directly from the shop or ERP system.
RO e-Transport: Important for larger road transports
RO e-Transport is a special feature that companies should be aware of when dealing with larger goods movements to Romania.
The system monitors, among other things:
International road transport of goods on Romanian territory.
The current regulation generally covers vehicles with a technically permissible total mass of at least:
2,5 tons
if the transported goods are part of a relevant consignment:
- have a gross weight of more than 500 kg
- or have a total value of more than 10.000 RON
For an intra-Community acquisition, the obligation to declare generally lies with the Romanian recipient.
After successful reporting, a:
UIT code
generated.
This must be assigned to the transport.
For a single, normal package, this is usually irrelevant.
However, for pallets, general cargo and larger B2B transactions, the recipient should definitely check this issue.
Which carrier is suitable for Romania?
Romania is served by numerous European parcel and express networks.
The following should be taken into account when making a comparison:
- Price
- Runtime
- Weight limits
- Volumetric weight
- Tracking
- Insurance
- Pickup
- Target region
DHL Parcel currently states a delivery time of 3 to 4 working days.
Within Europe, express services sometimes offer delivery as early as the next working day.
For less urgent shipments, a cheaper standard or economy service may be more suitable.
About the Shipment Tracking Companies and recipients can view the current transport status.
Frequently Asked Questions about Shipping
Can I send a package from Germany to Romania?
Yes. Romania is part of the European Union. Therefore, parcels, express shipments, pallets, and business goods can be sent from Germany to Romania without traditional customs clearance.
How long does it take to send a package to Romania?
DHL Parcel currently states a delivery time of 3 to 4 business days. With Express service, next-business-day delivery is sometimes possible, depending on the origin and destination.
Do I need customs documents for Romania?
For standard goods with EU status, generally no. Romania is part of the EU customs territory. Therefore, a standard export declaration, commercial invoice for customs, or import customs declaration is not usually required.
Are there customs duties for shipments to Romania?
No import duties are levied on ordinary EU goods from Germany. Special rules may apply, for example, to non-EU goods, customs procedures, or goods subject to excise duty.
What is the VAT rate in Romania?
The standard Romanian VAT rate has been 21 percent since August 1, 2025. A reduced rate of 11 percent applies to certain goods and services.
How does a B2B delivery to Romania work?
A delivery to a VAT-registered Romanian company may, under the legal conditions, qualify as a tax-free intra-Community supply. The valid VAT ID number and the actual movement of goods must be duly documented.
What sales tax applies to an online shop?
For cross-border B2C distance sales, the VAT rate of the destination country generally applies, provided the relevant EU requirements are met. In Romania, the standard rate is 21 percent. The tax can be reported via OSS.
What is the €10.000 limit for EU distance selling?
For certain cross-border B2C distance sales within the EU, a common threshold of €10.000 net per year applies. Above this threshold, the destination principle generally applies. Further requirements apply to specific business situations.
What is RO e-Transport?
RO e-Transport is the Romanian electronic system for monitoring certain goods movements by road. It can be particularly relevant for larger international B2B transports.
What is a UIT code?
The UIT code is a unique identification number for a transport reported in the RO-e-Transport system. For intra-Community acquisitions, the Romanian recipient is generally responsible for the corresponding notification.
Is Romania in the Schengen Area?
Yes. Since January 1, 2025, Romania has been fully part of the Schengen Area. Controls at the internal land borders were lifted at that time.
What address do I need for a package to Romania?
The address should include the company or recipient name, street and house number, six-digit postal code, city, and destination country. A telephone number and email address are also useful for delivery information.
