Europe · EU
Trade terms in Germany: what works and what catches people out
Germany applies EU customs law: the customs declarant must be established in the EU, so a non-EU seller cannot itself file DDP imports and needs an EU-established indirect representative. EXW exports by non-EU buyers hit the same rule. EU customs value includes freight and insurance to the EU border.
Record last reviewed · Check a route to Germany →
DDP when importing into Germany Practically hard Needs review
Can a foreign seller clear the goods and pay import taxes in this country?
Practically hard for non-EU sellers. EU customs law requires the declarant to be established in the EU customs territory, with narrow exceptions (e.g. transit, temporary admission, occasional declarations). A non-EU seller therefore needs an EU-established indirect customs representative, and usually has German VAT questions to solve (import VAT recovery) — not yet documented here.
Sources: EU / legislation.gov.uk · International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) · last checked
CIF when importing into Germany Unverified Unverified
Can the seller buy the cargo insurance abroad for goods going into this country?
No CIF barrier is listed for Germany in ICC's January 2025 barrier tables. We have not yet checked national sources, so treat this as unverified.
Sources: International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) · last checked
CIP when importing into Germany Unverified Unverified
Can the seller buy the cargo insurance abroad for goods going into this country?
No CIP barrier is listed for Germany in ICC's January 2025 barrier tables. We have not yet checked national sources, so treat this as unverified.
Sources: International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) · last checked
EXW when exporting from Germany Practically hard Needs review
Can a foreign buyer handle export clearance out of this country?
Exports from the EU: the exporter on the export declaration must also be EU-established, which many foreign buyers are not. ICC reports that the buyer's agent then asks the seller for a power of representation to name it as exporter, so the EXW seller takes on duties it did not expect — and may struggle to prove the VAT export exemption without control of the export declaration.
Sources: EU / legislation.gov.uk · International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) · last checked
FCA when exporting from Germany Unverified Unverified
Are there export-filing traps when the buyer arranges carriage from this country?
No FCA barrier is listed for Germany in ICC's January 2025 barrier tables. We have not yet checked national sources, so treat this as unverified.
Sources: International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) · last checked
FOB when exporting from Germany Unverified Unverified
Are there local quirks with FOB when shipping from this country?
No FOB barrier is listed for Germany in ICC's January 2025 barrier tables. We have not yet checked national sources, so treat this as unverified.
Sources: International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) · last checked
Key facts
- Customs valuation Needs review
EU customs value is CIF-style: transport and insurance costs up to the place where goods enter the EU customs territory are added to the transaction value.
Sources: EU / legislation.gov.uk · last checked
Sources used on this page
- Union Customs Code, Regulation (EU) No 952/2013, Article 170 (text as published on legislation.gov.uk) — EU / legislation.gov.uk
Official current consolidated text: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2013/952/oj (EUR-Lex blocked automated checking on 2026-10-16). - National regulatory barriers to the Incoterms® 2020 rules (updated January 2025) — International Chamber of Commerce (ICC)
Snapshot as of December 2024, compiled from ICC national committees. Used as a lead list: facts that rely only on this document are flagged for review until confirmed against national law. - Union Customs Code, Regulation (EU) No 952/2013, Article 71 (elements of the transaction value) — EU / legislation.gov.uk
Official current consolidated text: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2013/952/oj
'Needs review' means the fact relies on a secondary source (often ICC's January 2025 barrier list) or an inference we have not yet confirmed against the national law. Spotted an error or a change? Tell us.