United Kingdom

Germany

Exporting from the UK to Germany

Q: Do I need an EU EORI number to export to Germany?

You need a GB EORI to file the UK export declaration. Your German buyer needs their own EU EORI to file the import declaration on their side — that is their responsibility, not yours, unless you have agreed to handle it under a DDP-style arrangement.

Q: What is a statement on origin and who issues it?

It is a declaration you make as the UK exporter, on the invoice or a separate document, confirming the goods meet the TCA rules of origin. It replaces the older EUR1 certificate for most shipments and is what allows your German buyer to claim 0% duty.

Q: Do I need to register for German VAT to sell there?

Not if you sell DAP or FCA and your German buyer imports in their own name — they account for German import VAT themselves. You only need a German or EU VAT registration if you sell DDP and want to reclaim or account for that VAT yourself.

Q: Can I ship DDP into Germany?

Only with an EU VAT registration or a fiscal representative in an EU member state — without one you cannot legally account for German import VAT. Most UK exporters ship DAP or FCA instead and let the buyer's own VAT registration handle it.

Q: How long does road freight actually take door to door?

2–4 days from most UK collection points to German delivery addresses, using daily groupage or full-trailer services via the Channel Tunnel or Dover-Calais crossings.

Q: What happens if my goods fail the TCA rules of origin?

The shipment still clears, but your buyer pays the full EU Common External Tariff rather than 0% duty — often the difference between your quote being competitive and not. Check origin eligibility before pricing, not after the goods have shipped.

Q: Do I need an export licence for machinery or electronics?

Most commercial machinery and electronics need no licence. Dual-use items — anything with a plausible military or surveillance application, including some encryption and precision tooling — do need an ECJU export licence regardless of the buyer.

Q: Is German import VAT reclaimable by my buyer?

Yes, a VAT-registered German business reclaims import VAT on its own VAT return in the normal way, in the same manner a UK business reclaims import VAT on inbound goods.

Germany is the UK's largest EU export market, worth £33.7 billion in UK goods exports in the four quarters to Q4 2025, up 3.5% year-on-year (ONS). Post-Brexit export declarations and a statement on origin decide whether your goods enter at 0% duty or the full tariff — we handle both, plus the road, air and sea rates to get them there.

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£33.7B

UK Goods Exports (2025)

2–4 Days

Road Transit

<1 Day

Air Transit

Duty With TCA Origin

Why do UK businesses export to Germany?

UK goods exports to Germany reached £33.7 billion in the four quarters to Q4 2025, up 3.5% year-on-year (ONS) — the UK's largest single EU export market. Machinery, automotive components, pharmaceuticals and chemicals dominate, moving daily via the Channel Tunnel and Dover-Calais, with air and sea for higher-value or bulk cargo.

Germany remains the UK's largest goods export market in the EU, and the corridor is dense with daily groupage, full-trailer and just-in-time automotive freight. Machinery, precision components, pharmaceuticals, chemicals and vehicle parts are the largest categories, much of it feeding German manufacturing supply chains rather than end consumers.

Since Brexit, every UK export to Germany needs a UK export declaration and, for the goods to clear at 0% duty under the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA), a valid statement on origin issued by you as the exporter. Get the statement wrong, or omit it, and your German buyer pays the full EU Common External Tariff instead — often the difference between a competitive quote and a lost order.

Gxpresss files the UK export declaration and safety and security declaration, verifies your goods meet the TCA rules of origin before you issue the statement, and arranges the road, air or sea leg through to German delivery — so your buyer never has to chase you for missing paperwork.

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Tell us what you're moving on the UK–Germany route. You get an itemised breakdown — freight, duty, VAT, clearance — not a callback asking for the same details again.

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What are you shipping?

Should you use road or air freight to Germany?

Road freight is the default for this corridor — cheaper than air and fast enough for almost all cargo given the short Channel crossing. Air only earns its premium for genuinely urgent or very high-value shipments.

Road Freight — Groupage & FTL

Daily departures via the Channel Tunnel or Dover-Calais reach German destinations in 2–4 days door to door. Groupage (shared trailer) suits smaller consignments; full truckload suits volume shipments and just-in-time automotive schedules. The default for over 90% of this corridor's freight.

Air Freight

Daily flights from Heathrow and Manchester to Frankfurt reach German destinations in under a day. Worth the premium only for genuinely time-critical spares against a stopped production line, or high-value items where insurance and inventory-carrying cost outweigh the freight difference.

Given the 2–4 day road transit already on offer, air freight rarely changes the delivery date meaningfully for this corridor — reserve it for true emergencies rather than default urgency.

What documents do you need to export from the UK to Germany?

Five documents clear a UK export to Germany: commercial invoice, UK export declaration (EX1 via CDS), statement on origin for TCA preference, CMR consignment note or bill of lading, and a safety and security export declaration (EXS).

Essential documents for exporting commercial goods from the UK to Germany.

Commercial Invoice

Full goods description, HS code, quantities, values, currency and Incoterms — must match the export declaration and transport documents exactly.

UK Export Declaration (EX1 / CDS)

Filed through the Customs Declaration Service before the goods leave Great Britain. Mandatory regardless of the goods' EU destination.

Statement on Origin (TCA Preference)

Issued by you as the exporter on the invoice or a separate document, confirming the goods qualify as UK-origin under the TCA rules of origin. Without it, your German buyer pays the full EU tariff.

CMR Note / Bill of Lading

Transport document confirming consignor, consignee and routing — a CMR note for road freight, a bill of lading for sea.

Safety and Security Declaration (EXS)

Pre-arrival export safety and security filing required on UK exports to the EU, typically submitted by the carrier or your freight agent ahead of departure.

What import duty will your customer pay in Germany?

UK-origin goods qualifying under the TCA enter Germany at 0% customs duty against your statement on origin. German import VAT (Einfuhrumsatzsteuer) at the standard 19% rate still applies, calculated on the customs value regardless of the preferential duty rate.

Duty relief under the TCA is not automatic — it depends on the goods meeting the agreement's rules of origin, which for products with non-UK components can require a specific minimum level of UK transformation. Goods that fail this test, or ship without a valid statement on origin, are charged the full EU Common External Tariff, which on some machinery and automotive categories runs several percentage points. German import VAT applies either way and is typically reclaimable by your VAT-registered German buyer on their own return.

Rules of origin are assessed per product, not per shipment — a component sourced outside the UK can disqualify an otherwise-qualifying consignment. Gxpresss checks origin eligibility before you issue the statement, not after your buyer's customs agent queries it.

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How do you export from the UK to Germany?

Exporting to Germany takes six steps: confirm TCA origin eligibility, file the UK export declaration and safety and security declaration, issue the statement on origin, book road, air or sea freight, cross into the EU with pre-lodged declarations, then deliver to the German address.

How Gxpresss manages your export from the UK to Germany.

Confirm TCA Origin Eligibility

Check your goods meet the TCA rules of origin before agreeing a price that assumes 0% duty — a failed check late in the process is an expensive surprise for your German buyer.

UK Export Declaration & EXS

File the EX1 export declaration through CDS along with the safety and security export declaration ahead of departure.

Issue Statement on Origin

Add the statement on origin to your commercial invoice or a supporting document, referencing the specific TCA rule your goods satisfy.

Book Freight

Road groupage or full trailer for most cargo, air for time-critical shipments, sea via Hamburg or Bremerhaven for bulk or oversized freight.

Cross Into the EU

Declarations are pre-lodged so the crossing at Dover-Calais or the Channel Tunnel does not stop for a fresh filing.

German Import & Delivery

Your buyer's customs agent clears the EU import declaration against your statement on origin, and the goods are delivered to the final German address.

Get an instant freight estimate

Freight cost only — a starting point before your itemised quote.

What does it cost to export a shipment from the UK to Germany?

A real shipment structure — machinery components, full trailer road freight, Birmingham to Munich, claiming TCA preference.

Goods value (FCA Birmingham)	£16,000
Road freight (FTL, Birmingham–Munich)	£1,900
Insurance (0.3%)	£48
Shipment value (customs basis)	£17,948
EU duty @ 0% (TCA preference, statement on origin held)	£0
German import VAT @ 19% (payable by buyer)	£3,410.12
UK export declaration & clearance fee	£55
Total UK-side export cost	£2,003

German import VAT is charged to and reclaimable by your VAT-registered German buyer, so it does not add to your export cost — only the freight, insurance and UK-side clearance do. Without a valid statement on origin, the buyer would instead pay EU Common External Tariff duty on top, which for machinery typically runs 1.7–2.7% before VAT.

Which Incoterm should you use exporting to Germany?

German buyers are used to frictionless intra-EU trade and often still expect a delivered price. Whether you quote DAP or FCA changes who manages EU import formalities on the other end.

DAP (Delivered at Place)

You deliver to the German address with the buyer handling EU import clearance and paying German VAT. The term German buyers find most familiar, and workable as long as your freight partner coordinates with their customs agent so the goods do not sit at the border waiting for a declaration.

FCA (Free Carrier)

You hand the goods to your carrier in the UK with the export declaration complete; the buyer arranges freight and EU import from that point. Shifts more logistics work onto the buyer, but avoids you carrying any liability once the goods leave UK soil.

Avoid quoting DDP into Germany unless you hold an EU VAT registration or use a fiscal representative — without one, you cannot legally account for German import VAT yourself. Gxpresss prices DAP and FCA quotes so you are not guessing at the EU-side cost.

What can't you export from the UK to Germany?

Five categories need extra paperwork or fail clearance into Germany: dual-use and defence goods needing a UK export licence, goods without a valid statement on origin, non-CE/UKCA-marked electricals, chemicals not REACH-registered in the EU, and excise goods such as spirits.

Dual-use and defence-related goods — controlled items need a UK export licence from the ECJU before departure, regardless of the buyer's intended use.
Goods without a valid statement on origin — clearance proceeds, but your buyer pays full EU tariff rather than the 0% TCA rate you likely quoted against.
Electricals and machinery without CE marking — UKCA marking alone does not satisfy EU market requirements; products need CE marking to be placed on the German market.
Chemicals not registered under EU REACH — UK REACH registration does not carry over; your German importer needs a separate EU REACH registration or an Only Representative.
Excise goods (spirits, tobacco) — need to move under an EU excise movement (EMCS) or have German excise duty accounted for on arrival.

Unsure whether your product meets EU market requirements? Get a free pre-shipment compliance check before you agree a delivery date.

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Every declaration is filed by an HMRC-registered customs broker and backed by BIFA and FIATA/IATA network membership — the accreditations UK freight forwarders are judged on.

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Exporting to Germany — FAQ

Common questions about exporting goods from the UK to Germany.