Austria Customs Duty

Key Takeaways

• Austria’s standard VAT rate is 20%, in line with the EU average.
• Austria taxes printed and e-books at just 10% and 5% respectively, far below its 20% standard rate, so book orders from abroad are cheaper to import than most other goods.
• As an EU member state, Austria follows the same EU-wide €150 threshold and IOSS-based duty rules as every other member.
• Orders under €150 from IOSS-registered sellers pay a flat €3 customs duty per item type, since 1 July 2026.
• Austrian Post (Österreichische Post) handles most postal customs clearance and does not charge its own import fee on shipments under €150 when the seller used IOSS.

How Austrian Import Rules Work

Austria is one of 27 EU member states, so it follows the EU’s shared customs and VAT framework rather than a country-specific system - the only thing that varies by country is the VAT rate itself, applied based on where the goods are delivered, not where the seller is based.

At 20%, Austria’s VAT rate sits almost exactly at the EU average. Everything else follows the standard EU rules:

• Under €150, IOSS seller: 20% VAT included at checkout, plus a flat €3 customs duty per item type.
• Under €150, non-IOSS seller: 20% VAT collected by the courier, no customs duty.
• Over €150: 20% VAT, customs duty (typically 0-16.5% by product category), and a carrier handling fee, regardless of IOSS status.

For the full EU-wide rules and every member state’s VAT rate, see the EU customs duty guide and full EU import rules explainer.

Austria-Specific Considerations

Austrian customs matters are split between two authorities. Zollamt Österreich (Customs Office Austria), part of the Ministry of Finance, handles import duty and customs clearance nationwide since a 2021 reorganization merged the country’s regional customs offices into one body. VAT registration and general tax administration sit with Finanzamt Österreich (Tax Authority Austria), also under the Ministry of Finance.

Austria’s VAT system is more tiered than many neighbors. Alongside the 20% standard rate, printed books, e-books, newspapers, and digital periodicals qualify for a 10% rate, and a super-reduced 5% rate has applied specifically to e-books and digital newspapers since 2020. That means a shopper importing a printed book or e-reader title from outside the EU pays noticeably less VAT than on a typical consumer good. From 1 July 2026, Austria also cut VAT on a selection of basic food staples from 10% to 5%, though that mostly affects grocery imports rather than typical cross-border e-commerce orders.

For postal shipments, Österreichische Post (Austrian Post) handles the bulk of customs clearance. Letters up to 2 kg and parcels up to 10 kg are cleared as part of universal postal service at no extra charge; heavier parcels can incur a separate handling and storage fee. Notably, Austrian Post does not add its own import-duty handling charge on shipments from non-EU online retailers valued under €150 when the seller used the IOSS scheme, since VAT was already collected at checkout.

Frequently Asked Questions About Customs Duty in Austria

Why is my book order from outside the EU cheaper to import than other goods?

Austria taxes printed books at a reduced 10% VAT rate and e-books at just 5%, compared to the 20% standard rate applied to most other goods. A book-only order under €150 from an IOSS seller would still owe the flat €3 customs duty, but the VAT portion is much lower than on electronics or clothing.

Which Austrian authority handles my parcel’s customs clearance?

Zollamt Österreich (Customs Office Austria) administers customs duty and clearance nationwide, while Finanzamt Österreich handles VAT registration and general tax matters. For postal parcels specifically, Österreichische Post carries out the practical clearance process on the customs office’s behalf.

Does Austrian Post charge extra fees on top of VAT and customs duty?

For most parcels under 10 kg, Austrian Post’s clearance handling is included in universal postal service at no extra charge, and it waives its own import-handling fee on IOSS shipments under €150. Heavier parcels or non-postal couriers may still add separate handling or storage fees.

Is Austria’s VAT rate higher or lower than its neighbors?

At 20%, Austria sits close to the EU average and is roughly in line with neighboring Germany (19%) and slightly below Croatia (25%) or Hungary (27%). It’s neither among the EU’s lowest nor highest standard rates.