📘 9 min read

Do you have to pay tariffs on AliExpress?

Short answer: yes, in most countries. Long answer: it depends on where you live, what you bought, how it shipped, and whether the seller is enrolled in your country’s low-value tax program. This guide unpacks all of it.

The 60-second answer by country

• United States: Yes — orders > $800 attract Section 301 tariffs (~30% on China-origin goods). Below $800 historically duty-free, but the de-minimis exemption is under active review.
• United Kingdom: Yes — every parcel is liable. AliExpress collects VAT at checkout for IOSS-enrolled sellers, otherwise you pay 20% VAT + ~2.5% duty at delivery.
• European Union: Yes — every parcel is liable since 2021. IOSS sellers handle VAT at checkout; otherwise expect 19–25% VAT + small duty.
• Canada: Yes — duty + GST/HST kicks in over CAD $20 ($40 for GST).
• Australia: No duty under A$1,000, but 10% GST applies from $0 (often collected by AliExpress).
• Bangladesh, India, Pakistan: Yes — every parcel is liable, often 20–30% duty + 15–18% VAT.
• Brazil: Yes — 60% remessa conforme tax for non-enrolled sellers, 17% for enrolled (Mercado Livre / AliExpress Programa Remessa Conforme).
• UAE: 5% duty + 5% VAT typically applies above $270.

Run our calculator with your specific URL and country for the exact number.

The two ways AliExpress tariffs are collected

1. Pre-collected at checkout (IOSS / sales-tax inclusive)

For EU, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Norway, and a handful of others, AliExpress is registered to collect VAT/GST at checkout on behalf of the destination country. You see the tax line on the invoice. The parcel clears customs without you ever interacting with the courier or post.

This is the smoothest experience. Look for the “Tax included” badge on the product page.

2. Charged on delivery (DDU)

For everywhere else (US, Bangladesh, India, Brazil for non-enrolled sellers, etc.), the parcel ships delivered duty unpaid. The local courier or post computes the duty + VAT when it arrives at customs and bills you separately. You either:

• Pay online before the courier delivers (DHL, UPS, FedEx all do this)
• Pay at the post office when picking up
• Pay the courier driver in cash on delivery

Express couriers add a $5–$25 brokerage fee on top. Postal services usually charge $0–$5.

When you don’t pay tariffs on AliExpress

There are exactly four legal scenarios where you skip duty:

1. The order falls under your country’s de-minimis threshold (US $800, Australia A$1000 for duty, Singapore S$400, etc.). See our de-minimis guide.
2. The product ships from a local AliExpress Choice warehouse in your country. Local fulfillment = no import = no duty.
3. Your country has a free trade agreement with China that covers your product category (rare for retail).
4. The parcel slips through customs uninspected — common for low-value postal shipments to countries with high parcel volume. Don’t plan around this.

Why the tariff bill is sometimes higher than the product

Three things compound: duty, VAT, and brokerage. A $20 product shipped DHL to Brazil might land at $20 (product) + $4 (shipping) + $14 (60% remessa) + $4 (ICMS) + $20 (DHL fees) = $62. That’s why the calculator matters.

How to know exactly what you’ll pay

Use our calculator on the homepage, or — better — install the free Chrome extension which shows the landed cost directly on every AliExpress product page before you click Buy.

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