Receiving post

At An Post, we're here to help with all your delivery needs. Check out the information below for all your questions on receiving post.

Manage your delivery

If you are not sure how to trace your item or have missed a delivery, this is the right place to find answers to those and many other common questions around managing your post.

If you have found a ‘Sorry we missed you’ notice in your letterbox (also called a ‘Docket In Box’ or ‘DIB’ notice). This gives you information on what we tried to deliver and how to collect it.
Once we have left this in your letterbox, we’ll return your post to your local Delivery Service Unit and won’t attempt another delivery unless you arrange a redelivery online.

If you miss the final delivery, there are a still a number of ways you can collect your post:

Bring your ‘Sorry we missed you’ notice (also called a Docket In Box or DIB notice) and personal ID, such as a driving licence, to your local Delivery Service Unit
Nominate someone to collect the post on your behalf. This person should bring a ‘Sorry we missed you’ notice signed by you, as well their own ID
Arrange redelivery of the item online to the same or an alternative address. Redeliveries can take up to 5 working days
If you believe your post should have been delivered, but you haven’t received a ‘Sorry we missed you’ notice, it is probably still on its way to you.
we will arrange for your item to be delivered.

We keep missed deliveries for the following periods:

5 working days for standard post
3 working days for registered post
16 working days for post received from abroad
After that, we return the item to the person who sent it, if there’s a legible address on the outside. It’s important for the sender to include a return address in case this happens.
If anything has to be returned to the sender, we’ll attach a sticker explaining why we couldn’t deliver it.
n addition to any duty or VAT payable.

We make every effort to ensure your post arrives safely, unopened and in good condition, but you should keep any damaged or opened post for inspection. There are a number of reasons why post may sometimes be damaged:

Incorrectly-sized or poor quality packaging
We may place damaged items in a plastic bag to prevent further damage
Envelopes may occasionally be damaged during the machine sorting process
We use waterproof delivery equipment but we can’t guarantee that post will never be wet in bad weather conditions

If your post is missing, damaged or opened, get in touch using our contact form. If you prefer, you can pick up the form at your local post office or delivery office.

Brexit and deliveries

New customs rules came into effect this year with changes to how you receive your goods and online shopping items from Great Britain (excluding Northern Ireland).

If you buy goods from outside the European Union (EU) you may have to pay Customs Charges (Customs Duty, Excise Duty, VAT).
These charges arise on the importation of your goods in accordance with relevant legislation, such as the European Union Customs Code. The EU VAT Directive requires VAT to be paid on the importation of most third country (Non-EU) goods.
- From 1 January 2021: VAT will be calculated/charged on Non-EU goods valued over €22 and for items valued over €150 VAT and customs duties (where applicable) will be calculated/charged
- From 1 July 2021: VAT & customs duties (where applicable) will be calculated/charged on all Non-EU items (previously only items containing goods above €22.
An Post collect these Customs Charges from you and pay them to the Irish Revenue Commissioners (Revenue) on your behalf in satisfaction of your liabilities.
A team of Revenue’s customs officials are based at An Post’s Mail Centre and oversee the customs clearance of imported goods.
The Customs Act 2015 applies to cross border mail. Section 13(4) of such act authorises Revenue to carry out all necessary checks and examinations of cross border mail, while Section 13(7) provides for the collection of duties and taxes by An Post.
It is mandatory for An Post to collect these Customs Charges, An Post cannot deliver your items until these charges have been paid.
The amount payable is determined by legislation and may depend on a number of factors including the country where the goods are sent from, the type of goods and their value etc. If you have a query on a specific Custom Charge, you should contact the retailer of the goods.
For further information, please refer to the Revenue website or to the following guide on importing goods through the postal system.
From 1 January 2021 it is mandatory for an electronic customs declaration to be filed for all goods imported by post. Where goods are imported by you through the postal system, An Post will lodge an electronic customs declaration on your behalf acting as your direct representative for customs purposes.

When an item is posted to Ireland from a country that is outside the EU, an electronic version of the postal customs declaration forms (CN22/CN23) for that item is sent to An Post. We then submit this information to Revenue by way of filing an electronic customs declaration as your direct representative for customs purposes. If there is no customs duty or VAT due on the item, then the item will be delivered as normal.
If customs duty or VAT is due on the item then we will contact you, using the address information provided by the sender of your item and send you an SMS or email (if these details have been provided by the sender). We will give you various payment options for paying the charges raised and will deliver your item after payment has been received.

Within days of receiving an SMS and/or email you will receive an official An Post postcard detailing your Customs Charges (a Customs Charge Notification Card to which specific Terms & Conditions apply).
Links contained in any official An Post communication will direct you to anpost.com.
Payments can also be made by entering the track & trace number and reference number provided in the Postcard/SMS/email on our online payment channel or by bringing your reference details to any post office.

The calculation of Customs Charges on your item depend on a number of factors including the price paid for the item, the country where the item is sent from and the type of item etc. Customs Charges are generally calculated based on the information provided by the sender. For further information please visit the Revenue website.
For further information specific to your Customs Charges, please contact the retailer of the goods.

Your Customs Charge can be paid either:
- Online, using your credit/debit card and the Customs reference number detailed on the Postcard/SMS/Email; or
- at any Post Office, using your credit/debit card or cash. Please bring the email or the card you received in the post with you to the Post Office.
Once your payment is complete, we will arrange for your item to be delivered.

Customs Charges arise on the importation of most items in accordance with relevant laws. An Post collects these charges and provides them to Revenue.
A customs admin fee is charged by An Post for customs handling of items imported from countries outside the EU. This fee is in addition to any duty or VAT payable.

If your goods have a customs value (including insurance, freight and postage costs) of €22 or less, currently, you will not have to pay Customs Duty or VAT. These limits cover all items contained in the individual postal package and insurance, freight and postage costs. You must pay Customs Duties where applicable, and VAT and Excise Duty on alcohol or tobacco products, perfumes or toilet waters, regardless of their value.

For further information please refer to the Revenue website.

If your item is a gift, please see below.

Whether the item is a gift or not, it must still be cleared through customs. You will need to pay Customs Charges as calculated in order to receive your item.
Gifts may be imported free of Customs Duty and VAT where the value of the gift (including insurance, freight and postage costs) is €45 or less and the gift is correctly declared as such for customs purposes etc.
Please see the Revenue website for information on the treatment of gifts.

Great Britain is no longer a member of the European Union and in accordance with relevant VAT law, there is a requirement that VAT is calculated/charged on all Non-EU goods.

From 1 January 2021: VAT will be calculated/charged on Non-EU items over €22 and for items over €150 VAT and Customs Duties will be charged
From 1 July 2021: VAT & Customs Duties will be calculated/charged on all non-EU items (previously only items containing goods above €22)
It is mandatory for An Post to collect these charges on behalf of Revenue. An Post is unable to deliver your item until this charge has been paid.

In addition, customs duties and excise duties may arise on the importation of certain postal items from Great Britain.

Customs Charges must be paid by the “Pay by Date”. The “Pay by Date” is specified on the Customs Charge Notification Card you received in the post, in the email you received from An Post (if applicable) or on our online payment channel, (you will need your Customs Reference number here).