Shipments ordered by citizens online do not arrive at the same pace through all courier services, nor is the procedure for how providers of these services inform citizens about the amount they need to pay in taxes uniform, as well as whether they do so upon collection or only after they have paid the duties.
Citizens complain the most about the courier service of the Post of Montenegro and, in discussions on forums and other networks, but also in direct statements to "Vijesti", some of them claim that their shipments have been at the Post since the end of last year. Two days ago, the Customs Administration told the editorial office that the Post did not submit a request for approval to declare express shipments in a special procedure, which ultimately contributes to the shipment reaching the customer as soon as possible. A day later, yesterday, the Post said that they had done so, but did not specify when.
"Montenegro Post [has] submitted the relevant request to the Customs Administration and we expect to receive approval in the coming days to declare express shipments in a special procedure," they said yesterday.
30.000 SHIPMENTS IN JANUARY
Since the beginning of the year, according to the Customs Administration, around 30 thousand shipments have arrived. The two delivery companies, UPS and DHL Montenegro, say that the number of shipments delivered to customers through them is normal, not significantly different from last year's number, although in the meantime the obligation to pay tax on all shipments has come into force, regardless of their value.
Until the end of 2024, shipments worth up to 75 euros were exempt from tax, tax was paid on shipments worth 75 to 150 euros, while for shipments worth over 150 euros, both VAT and customs duty were paid.
Since January 1, when amendments to the VAT Law came into force, customs duties have not been paid on shipments worth over 150 euros purchased by individuals, but VAT is calculated at a rate of 21 percent. The Customs Administration adds that, with the abolition of VAT exemption, a customs debt is calculated and paid on all shipments.
"The value of goods for customs purposes will also include the costs of delivering goods - postage costs will be added to the customs value and increase the basis on which VAT is calculated. This means that postage, which has not been included so far, because there was no calculation of the customs debt, will be added to the customs value from January 1st and will therefore affect the increase in the basis on which VAT is calculated," the Customs Administration said.
They previously explained that they collect import duties from postal operators, and that postal operators collect these duties from the final recipients of the shipment. They also said that recipients of shipments do not need to come to the customs office, because postal operators deliver to the recipient's home address. For additional questions regarding delivery and payment of the recipient of the shipment, they referred to the postal operators.
On January 13, "Vijesti" sent questions to the Post of Montenegro, as well as to private companies NTC, UPS and DHL Montenegro, which also deliver packages ordered online.
The Post Office immediately confirmed receipt of the email, but they did not respond to these questions even after almost ten days. The response was provided by UPS and DHL Montenegro.
I ONLY FOUND OUT ABOUT THE VAT AMOUNT AT THE COUNTER
According to the experience of an interlocutor of "Vijesti" from Podgorica, who recently received a shipment through the Post Office, he received information about the amount he needs to pay in taxes at the counter, when picking it up.
UPS explained to the editorial team that they inform customers about this obligation before delivery - via phone call, message, or email, depending on what information they have.
"When the shipment arrives, we contact each recipient individually and inform them about the arrival of the shipment, the costs and further customs procedures. Each individual recipient is, in accordance with the Customs Law, obliged to provide us with an authorization for customs representation and, after we receive it, we begin the customs procedure. Given that the Customs has decided that for shipments received by individuals, with a value of up to 150 euros, such shipments are cleared under one customs declaration, usually the total value of import duties is paid by us (in order to speed up the customs procedure), and then we send individual payment information to the recipients," he told "Vijesti". Vaso Nikočević from UPS.
30.000 shipments have arrived since the beginning of the year, the Customs Administration said. DHL Montenegro and UPS, which deliver, say the number of shipments is similar to last year's for the same time of year.
After recipients make payment, UPS courier service delivers the shipment.
DHL Montenegro, as they said, "notifies clients by telephone about the arrival of shipments for customs clearance."
In explaining the procedure from the moment the shipment arrives to the moment it is delivered to the customer and how they inform customers of the obligation to pay VAT and customs, they said that they exchange data with the Customs Administration via e-manifest, followed by the submission of import declarations and delivery of the shipment.
"Our courier service charges VAT as well as customs duties for shipments valued above 150 euros," he said. Siniša Milutinović from DHL Montenegro.
Experiences about the way delivery companies inform them of their obligations were also shared on Reddit by service users who order goods online:
"UPS sent me a message on Viber, asking me to print and sign some papers, then take a picture of it and send it to them. Then they sent me the amount of customs and their services to pay into my account. A few days later, the courier brought the shipment to me. DHL just called me on the phone to tell me how much I had to pay and to ask if I was home, the courier collected everything. I have no idea about what goes through the Post Office, because my packages have been at customs since the middle of last month, waiting for them to clear customs by the summer," one of them said.
The fact that once they arrive in Montenegro, shipments do not reach their recipients at the same speed is also indicated by the Customs Administration's response, in which they state that they have issued four approvals for declaring express shipments in a special procedure, which ultimately contributes to the shipment reaching the buyer as soon as possible, and that the Montenegrin Post Office has not submitted such an approval to the Customs Administration:
"The Customs Administration held several meetings with representatives of the Post of Montenegro to resolve the current issues following the arrival of a large number of shipments," they stated in a response to "Vijesti" on Monday.
In addition to questions about how online buyers are informed about the amount they need to pay for VAT and customs duties and the method of delivery of ordered goods, "Vijesti" subsequently submitted a request to the Post of Montenegro regarding approval for declaring express shipments in a special procedure. The Post responded to that question yesterday, but not to the questions sent on January 13.
"Montenegro Post is in constant communication with the Customs Administration and we can boast of our cooperation with this state body. We also note that Montenegro Post has submitted the relevant request to the Customs Administration and we expect to receive approval for declaring express shipments in a special procedure in the coming days. In cooperation with the Customs Administration, we will strive to ensure that the delivery of shipments whose trade takes place via the Internet is as efficient as possible to the satisfaction of citizens," they stated in the response.
Citizens are asked for patience, "bearing in mind that the legal framework in this area regarding the calculation and collection of customs duties and VAT has recently been amended and that certain adjustments to the system are required":
"We believe that once we establish a practice in cooperation with state authorities, the delivery method will be accelerated, meaning that the deadlines for the customs clearance process for shipments will be shorter and thus delivery will be more efficient."
Will update the online calculator
The Customs Administration has previously had a "Customs Calculator" page on its website, which provides information on the types of goods whose import is permitted, goods whose import is permitted only with the permission of the competent authorities, and goods whose import is prohibited.
The website is available at https://info.carina.co.me/carinski-kalkulator.
When asked by "Vijesti" whether anything significant is changing at that location in terms of regulatory changes, they said that the website https://info.carina.co.me is in the test phase.
"And it will be available with more details shortly," they said.
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