iHerb VAT and customs charges: what you pay in the UK, EU, Switzerland and Norway

iHerb VAT and duty checker

Choose your delivery country to see who charges VAT, whether there’s customs duty and what, if anything, is left to pay on delivery.

In most cases the basket total on an iHerb order to the UK, the EU or Switzerland is the final price. Surprises come from very large orders, from couriers that charge tax twice by mistake, and from rule changes such as the EU’s new €3 duty.

iHerb VAT: who charges it and when

iHerb customs charges in the UK

For consignments of £135 or less, the seller accounts for UK VAT at the point of sale. iHerb includes it in UK prices and pays it to HMRC. Goods in such consignments carry no customs duty under the low value imports relief, and iHerb’s UK delivery page says it intends to cover all VAT and duties on UK orders.

What’s changing:

• In July 2026 the government confirmed it will remove the £135 customs duty relief by October 2028 at the latest, earlier than the March 2029 date announced in the Autumn Budget 2025.
• Overseas sellers may need a UK fiscal representative who shares liability for the duty.
• As of October 2026, no exact start date has been set.

More detail, plus delivery and returns, is in our iHerb UK guide.

iHerb import duty in the EU

iHerb is registered for the EU Import One-Stop Shop, so VAT on orders up to €150 is charged at checkout. Since 1 July 2026, the EU also applies a temporary €3 customs duty on low-value parcels from outside the EU:

• it’s charged once per customs category, so one parcel can carry €3, €6 or €9;
• iHerb offsets it with a discount on orders over €10, though it still shows on the invoice;
• if you return some items, the duty refund is shared across the items in that category;
• it’s a stopgap until the EU scraps the €150 duty exemption altogether, expected in 2028.

Orders over €150 fall outside IOSS and pay import VAT and duty. Country notes for Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands and France are in our iHerb EU guide.

Switzerland and Norway

In Switzerland, iHerb calculates Swiss VAT at checkout. With DPD and DHL Express, duties, taxes and import fees are prepaid, so there’s nothing to pay at the door. Orders close to a tax threshold can still be assessed differently if exchange rates move between ordering and clearance.

Norway works differently. Helthjem deliveries need an identity check before the parcel can be released. When the parcel reaches customs, the agent Tollit sends a secure link, and you confirm your identity through Vipps. The check is free, and your basket shows whether VAT is included for your order.

What the checker doesn’t cover

• Gifts, commercial quantities and goods that need an import licence.
• Courier handling charges for non-prepaid services.
• Product rules: melatonin, for example, is a prescription-only medicine in the UK, and other countries limit doses.

Tax isn’t the only thing that can go wrong. Many US products exceed UK and EU upper limits, so read the dose per serving using our Supplement Facts guide. If you’re pregnant, breastfeeding or on prescribed medicines, check new supplements with your GP or pharmacist.

Before you pay: a quick check

1. Set the delivery country and currency.
2. Look for “Duties & Taxes included” on the delivery option.
3. Check the order summary for VAT, any duty and iHerb’s discount.
4. Compare products by cost per day rather than bottle price.
5. If anyone asks for fees on delivery, contact iHerb before paying, and keep the receipt.

The checklist below holds the same points and remembers your ticks in this browser.

If this is your first order, start with how to order from iHerb, or browse all iHerb guides.