How to Send a Package to Portugal From the UK

Portugal is a fast-growing, outward-looking eCommerce market, with high internet penetration and millions of older shoppers coming online. It’s also an underserved market, particularly for UK brands.

With that in mind, here’s everything you need to know about shipping to Portugal as a retailer in 2026. From the market itself to the customs paperwork, carriers and delivery expectations, this article will help you decide whether Portugal is the right market for you.

Why Portugal should be your next cross-border expansion target

Portugal is home to around 11 million people, with roughly 88% of households having access to the internet. Online shopping is mainstream. Marktest's Barómetro e-Commerce puts the country at 5.8 million online shoppers in 2025, just under 68% of the population, up from around 64% the year before.

The market itself is worth over $6 billion a year and growing at double digits on most forecasts. Fashion leads the way, accounting for around a third of online spend, followed by electronics and media, then toys, hobby and DIY.

One of the most interesting shifts is generational: older shoppers are coming online fast, with the over-65s now a meaningful and growing share of buyers.

You’ll still need to deliver a first-rate smartphone experience, however. More than seven in ten Portuguese online transactions happen on a smartphone, according to Mordor Intelligence.

What customs documentation do you need for Portugal?

Since Brexit, every parcel from the UK to Portugal will need the right paperwork. You'll need a commercial invoice, a clear and accurate product description, the correct commodity (HS) codes and a GB EORI number. For postal shipments, you’ll need a CN22 for items under £270 and a CN23 for items over £270.

As Portugal is an EU member, EU VAT rules apply. When it comes to paying VAT, you can use the EU’s Import One-Stop Shop (IOSS) for consignments valued at €150 or less. Above €150, standard import VAT and duty apply at the border.

Whether you collect VAT at the point of purchase or when customers receive the goods depends on which Incoterm you use: DDP or DAP.

Should you ship DDP or DAP to Portugal?

As with all eCommerce deliveries, you’ll need to decide whether you ship goods DDP or DAP.

Shipping DDP (Delivered Duty Paid) means you charge customers VAT upfront, so the parcel arrives with nothing left for the customer to pay.

Shipping DAP (Delivered At Place) means the customer settles the duties and VAT before the carrier hands over the parcel. It's simpler for retailers, but it leaves your customer with an unexpected bill, usually accompanied by a delay while they pay it.

For most retailers selling to Portuguese consumers, DDP is the best bet. Surprise charges are one of the biggest causes of refused deliveries and returns. A demand for extra cash on the doorstep is a quick way to lose both the sale and the customer.

Which carriers ship to Portugal and how long does it take?

Shipping to Portugal usually takes between three and five days. Express shipping can take between one and two days in some cases. It all depends on which carrier you choose.

Several final-mile carriers can handle the final leg of a delivery to Portugal. The main players are:

• CTT Correios de Portugal - the national postal operator, with the widest reach across the mainland and the islands of Madeira and the Azores. Best for residential coverage in less urban areas.

• CTT Expresso - CTT's express arm, for faster, time-critical parcels.

• DPD Portugal - strong urban and suburban courier coverage with a growing network of pickup points.

• GLS Portugal - solid cross-border coverage across Europe and a useful ParcelShop network.

• DHL - the international carrier of choice for many UK retailers, with reliable infrastructure around Lisbon and Porto.

There's no need to lock yourself into one carrier, though. At Pro Carrier, our network of final-mile partners means we can match the right carrier to each shipment based on destination, service level and cost.

This is particularly helpful for managing peak periods, when some carriers may be more expensive or busier than others. In Portugal, this includes the summer sales (saldos) period, which runs between July and August, as well as the festive period.

How to address a parcel to Portugal

Getting the address right is the simplest way to avoid a failed delivery. Portuguese addresses are very similar to those in the UK. The only difference is the postcode comes before the town or city.

Here’s an example:

Ana Silva

Rua da Liberdade 123, 2º Esq

1000-001 Lisboa

PORTUGAL

How to track Portuguese deliveries

Providing shipping updates in Portuguese is the best way to keep customers happy and reduce WISMO queries. Given how smartphone-led the market is, making these mobile-first messages will be important, too.

While you can trust carriers to send these updates, a better approach is to use a centralised tracking system. Pro Carrier’s Horizon, our cross-border eCommerce solution, gives your customers multiple Portuguese-language tracking notifications across the parcel's journey. It also includes fully branded tracking and returns portals, so the experience feels like part of your store rather than a third party's.

Send packages to Portugal the easy way with Pro Carrier

Portugal is a genuine opportunity for UK retailers. It’s a digital-savvy, cross-border-friendly market with plenty of headroom. But entering it successfully means getting the customs, VAT and carrier setup right and meeting the mobile-first, free-delivery expectations of Portuguese shoppers.

Pro Carrier's eCommerce service gives UK retailers access to trusted Portuguese final-mile partners, a single-label shipping process and fast DDP options. Our Horizon platform adds branded tracking and returns portals plus the reporting retailers need to stay in control and optimise sales.

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