Customs control

The Danish Customs Agency carries out checks of postal consignments arriving into Denmark or leaving Denmark. The purpose of these checks is to prevent illegal trade and protect citizens against dangerous and health-hazardous goods.

Has your parcel been stopped in customs? All postal consignments may be selected for a check by the Customs Agency. The purpose of these checks is to examine whether the consignments contain dangerous or health-hazardous goods such as narcotic drugs, doping agents and certain firearms. We also check whether these are goods that you are obliged to declare.

The Customs Agency will only withhold your parcel if it has been selected for a customs check. If your goods are undergoing customs clearance,the carrier, for example PostNord, DHL or FedEx, will be in possession of your parcel. Thecarrier will often keep your parcel until you have paid customs duties, VAT, excise duties and a carrier’s fee. If you have any questions regarding the carrier’s fee, you must contact the carrier.

Postal consignments include letters, parcels and courier consignments. All mail to and from abroad may be selected for checks. This applies regardless of whether these are postal consignments from countries inside or outside the EU.

We select the postal consignments for random checks based on risk assessment, detection dog indication or technical examinations. Letters and parcels that have been opened in connection with a check are subsequently resealed with blue adhesive tape with the text ‘Kontrolleret i tolden’ (Examined by Customs).

The Customs Agency carries out customs checks in cooperation with a large number of authorities. If your postal consignment is retained in customs, it will be handed over to the authority that is to decide whether your item may be imported into Denmark.

Overview of authorities

Postal consignments are checked in cooperation with the following authorities:

In connection with a customs check of your parcel, there will be a waiting period.

Customs control

What are postal consignments?

What happens when your postal consignment is stopped in customs?