How to Send a Parcel to Italy from the UK

Italy is the EU's third-largest economy and one of the fastest-growing e-commerce markets in Europe. For UK retailers, it represents a substantial opportunity, but it’s also one of the more bureaucratically complex EU destinations to ship to.

Here’s everything you need to know about shipping to Italy as a retailer in 2026.

Why Italy is might be your next cross-border expansion target

The Italian e-commerce market is large, growing, and increasingly mobile-first. It was worth €58.8 billion in 2024 with revenue forecasted to exceed €61 billion in 2025. While online shopping penetration sits below levels seen in parts of Northern Europe, that gap represents an opportunity rather than a warning.

A strong mobile presence will be essential. Smartphones generated 56.4% of online transaction value, making Italy fundamentally a mobile-first eCommerce market. Buy-now-pay-later volume grew 46% in 2024, with instalment payments rapidly becoming mainstream.

Unsurprisingly, fashion remains Italy's strongest online vertical, followed by food and wine, beauty, consumer electronics and home goods.

Italian shoppers favour established online marketplaces, making them a sensible entry point for UK brands. Some of the most popular platforms include:

• Amazon.it is the clear market leader for general merchandise.

• Zalando is dominant in fashion.

• Yoox is a homegrown luxury fashion specialist.

• Mediaworld and UniEuro are the leading electronics marketplaces.

• Subito and Kijiji are popular classifieds and resale platforms.

Whether you sell through your own platform or the marketplaces above, you'll want to update payment options for the Italian market.

PayPal remains the most-used online payment service, while BNPL services like Scalapay and Klarna dominate fashion and electronics baskets between €50 and €150. Card payments still hold a significant share, but offering PayPal at a minimum is essential — and integrating with Klarna or Scalapay is increasingly worth the effort.

Key dates to know in the Italian retail calendar

Italy has a retail calendar all of its own. It’s important to know the following dates to maximise sales and avoid delivery delays.

• Befana / Epiphany (6 January): Secondary gift-giving occasion, especially for children. The "Old Lady of Christmas" delivers gifts the night before.

• Easter: Major religious holiday with significant retail activity.

• Liberation Day (25 April): Public holiday.

• Labour Day (1 May): Public holiday.

• Republic Day (2 June): Public holiday.

• Ferragosto (15 August): The biggest summer holiday in Italy. Many businesses close for the entire week, and some shut for the whole of August.

• All Saints' Day (1 November): Public holiday.

• Immaculate Conception (8 December): Public holiday and the unofficial start of the Christmas shopping season.

• Christmas and New Year

Retailers should also be aware of Saldi, Italy's government-regulated winter and summer sales. Critically, dates vary by region. Winter Saldi typically run from early January to early March, and summer Saldi from early July to early September. Always check the regional schedule before planning campaigns.

How long does shipping to Italy take?

For UK retailers using a major cross-border carrier, standard services take three to five working days for northern and central Italy, while express services take one to two working days. Southern Italy and the islands (Sicily and Sardinia) typically take one to two working days longer.

Italy's geography matters. Milan, Rome and the northern industrial regions are well-served by motorways and reliable courier networks. The south, Sicily and Sardinia involve longer journeys and additional ferry or air segments.

What customs documentation do you need for Italy?

Since Brexit, all UK-to-Italy shipments require full customs documentation. You'll need:

• A commercial invoice. This must include a full description of the parcel's contents, its value, the sender, the recipient and Incoterms.

• An EORI number. This is your unique trader identifier for EU customs.

• Commodity codes (HS codes). Make sure to apply the correct HS codes for each product, as they are used to determine duty and VAT rates.

• CN22 or CN23 forms. For postal shipments, a CN22 is required for items under £270, and a CN23 plus an SP126 wallet is required for items over £270.

Italy is also one of the EU member states where the recipient's codice fiscale (Italian tax code) is sometimes required, particularly for B2C shipments over €150 or for any business-to-business shipment. Carriers will often request this at the booking stage.

Italian customs has a reputation for slower processing than northern European member states. Documentation errors are the single biggest cause of delays, so accuracy is essential.

DDP or DDU: Which Incoterm should you use to ship to Italy?

As with all cross-border eCommerce deliveries, retailers must choose between Delivered Duty Paid (DDP) and Delivered Duty Unpaid (DDU) Incoterms when sending goods.

Delivered Duty Unpaid (DDU) means that Italian customers will pay VAT and any additional customs charges before receiving the parcel. Delivered Duty Paid (DDP) means you, the retailer, collect and pay all duties and VAT in advance.

This decision matters more in Italy than in some other EU markets. Italian customs delays are notoriously variable, and DDU shipments can sit in customs for extended periods while the carrier tries to collect payment from the recipient.

With that in mind, it's best practice to send parcels under the Delivered Duty Paid (DDP) Incoterm.

When it comes to paying VAT, Italy applies a standard VAT rate of 22%, which is among the higher rates in the EU. If you're sending goods valued at €150 or less, the Import One-Stop Shop (IOSS) is by far the most efficient way to pay it. With an IOSS registration:

• You charge customers VAT at the point of sale

• You file a single monthly VAT return covering all EU shipments

• Your customers receive their parcels without unexpected VAT charges at the door

For shipments over €150, standard import VAT and duty apply at the border.

How to address a parcel to Italy

The Italian address format includes the recipient's name, the street name and house number, the postcode, the city and the province code in brackets. End the address with ITALY in capital letters. Here's an example:

Marco Bianchi

Via del Corso 123

00187 Roma (RM)

ITALY

There are a few specifics to watch out for. The postcode comes before the city, the province code appears in brackets after the city and the street type prefix (Via, Viale, Piazza) is part of the address and should always be included.

Which carriers ship to Italy?

There are several Italian final-mile partners you can use for the last leg of your delivery. The main players include:

• Poste Italiane – the dominant national postal operator with the widest geographic reach in Italy, including the islands. Best for residential coverage in less urbanised regions.

• BRT (Bartolini) – one of Italy's largest private parcel carriers, particularly strong on B2B and SME shipments with extensive depot coverage across the country.

• GLS Italy – a major player with strong cross-border coverage from elsewhere in Europe and a growing network of ParcelShops.

• DHL eCommerce Italy – the international carrier of choice for many UK retailers, with strong infrastructure across northern and central Italy.

• SDA Express Courier – owned by Poste Italiane, focused on express and courier services for time-critical deliveries.

• InPost Italy – the parcel locker specialist, building out an Italian locker network for retailers offering out-of-home delivery options.

There's no need to rely on just one of these carriers, however. At Pro Carrier, our global network of final-mile partners means we can find the right carrier for each shipment based on destination, service level and cost. That way, you're never locked into a single provider.

How to track Italian deliveries

Italian consumers expect tracking notifications in their local language. Given that more than half of Italian online transactions happen on smartphones, mobile-optimised tracking experiences matter more here than in most markets.

Horizon, our cross-border eCommerce solution, provides your customers with at least six Italian-language tracking notifications throughout the parcel's journey. It also includes fully branded tracking and returns portals, allowing you to deliver a seamless customer experience, and bespoke reporting so you can stay on top of every delivery.

Send parcels to Italy the easy way with Pro Carrier

Italy is a substantial opportunity for UK retailers, but doing it well still requires the right setup. The customs complexity, the regional variations and the public holiday calendar all reward retailers who set up properly.

Pro Carrier's eCommerce service gives UK retailers access to a network of trusted Italian final-mile partners, a single-label shipping process and a raft of other services that reduce the complexity of shipping across borders.

Whether you're testing the Italian market or scaling an established operation, speak to an expert today to find out how we can help.