How to Send a Parcel to Spain from the UK

Spain is one of the UK’s most important trading partners and one of Europe’s fastest-growing eCommerce markets. With 18% of Spanish cross-border shoppers buying from UK retailers and a market that generated $143.2 million in 2025, it's a market well worth taking seriously.

But since the UK left the European Union, sending a parcel to Spain is no longer as straightforward as it once was. There's more paperwork, new customs requirements and tax obligations to navigate. This guide covers everything UK retailers and businesses need to know to ship to Spain efficiently and compliantly.

Why it’s worth selling in Spain

Spain's ecommerce market grew 13.1% year-on-year in 2024, making it one of the fastest-growing digital retail markets in Europe. With 26.8 million online users projected by 2029 and a user penetration rate already above 42%, the opportunity for UK retailers is big and growing.

If you’re considering making the move, here are the online categories Spanish shoppers care about most:

• Apparel

• Cosmetics

• Electronics

• Home goods
  
  

UK fashion and beauty brands are particularly well-positioned given Spanish consumers' appetite for international brands.

How long does shipping to Spain take?

Despite brands facing additional customs checks since Brexit, shipping times to Spain remain competitive. Standard delivery from the UK typically takes three to five working days. Express services can deliver in one to two days.

Customs clearance is the key variable. Well-prepared documentation can see your goods sail through, while errors or missing information can add days to transit time. That’s why it’s important to work with an expert cross-border delivery partner like Pro Carrier that can complete paperwork quickly and accurately.

How to ensure your goods sail through Spanish customs

All shipments from the UK to Spain now require customs documentation. Here are the documents you need to include:

• Commercial invoice. This must include your registered business name and address, your EORI (Economic Operators Registration and Identification) number, a full description of the goods, their quantity, value, and the relevant commodity (HS) codes.

• CN22 or CN23 form. For postal shipments, a CN22 form is required for items valued up to £270. A CN23 form plus a transparent SP126 wallet is required for items over £270.

• Recipient DNI number. For shipments to Spain valued over €150, Spanish customs require the recipient's nine-digit DNI (Documento Nacional de Identidad) number. For non-Spanish residents, a NIE number can be provided instead. This is a Spain-specific requirement not applicable in most other EU markets, so don't overlook it.
  

You’ll also need to decide whether you send goods Delivered Duty Paid (DDP) or Delivered Duty Unpaid (DDU).

With DDP, you collect all duties and taxes at checkout and handle the customs process on the customer's behalf. It's more complex to set up, but it delivers a significantly better customer experience and dramatically reduces failed deliveries and complaints.

With DDU, the recipient is responsible for paying VAT and any customs duties before receiving their parcel. This creates a poor customer experience. Shoppers who weren't expecting an additional charge often refuse the delivery or simply never pay. You end up with a failed delivery, a dissatisfied customer and a returned shipment.

How to pay VAT using the EU's Import One Stop Shop (IOSS)

Spain's standard VAT rate (IVA) is 21%. For UK retailers selling goods worth €150 or less, the EU's Import One Stop Shop (IOSS) scheme simplifies VAT compliance.

IOSS lets you collect VAT at the point of sale and file a single monthly return covering all EU sales, rather than dealing with customs VAT separately on each parcel. It also speeds up customs clearance, as parcels with a valid IOSS number are processed faster.

For orders over €150, DDP is the standard approach. That means you pay the VAT and duties on the customer's behalf and invoice them as part of the product price.

At Pro Carrier, we can act as your IOSS intermediary, handling registration and filing on your behalf.

How to address a parcel to Spain

Spanish addresses follow a specific format that differs from UK conventions.

You’ll need to write the province name in capital letters on a separate line beneath the city and include the five-digit postal code before the city name.

Always include the recipient's phone number or email address in your customs data.

Spanish customs may need to contact the recipient, and missing contact details can hold up clearance.

Here’s what a correctly formatted Spanish address looks like:

Sr. Carlos López

Calle Mayor, 47, 3º Izda

28013 MADRID

MADRID

SPAIN

Which carriers ship to Spain?

There are several final-mile carriers you can use to deliver to Spanish customers. Here’s what you need to know about each of them:

• Correos – Spain's national postal service and the most widely used carrier in the country. With thousands of service points and parcel lockers and a fleet of eco-vehicles, it offers the broadest geographic coverage of any Spanish carrier.

• Correos Express – The express arm of Correos, offering next-day delivery and particularly strong coverage of the Canary and Balearic Islands.

• SEUR (DPDgroup) – Widely regarded as one of the fastest domestic carriers in Spain, with a 24-hour delivery guarantee and thousands of service points, including convenience stores and lockers.

• MRW – a Spanish carrier with over 5,000 delivery points and a strong reputation for express and same-day delivery.

• DHL – the leading carrier for international shipments into and out of Spain, offering 24 and 48-hour delivery across Spain and Portugal.

• Celeritas – offers home delivery and a network of over 4,500 collection points, including locations in the Canary Islands. It's a good option for heavier or larger items where an extensive PUDO network matters.
  

Pro Carrier's carrier-agnostic approach means we route your Spanish orders through whichever of these carriers delivers the best combination of performance, coverage and value for your specific shipments.

How to track deliveries to Spain

While many of the carriers above offer tracking solutions, it can quickly become complicated if you’re using multiple final-mile partners. That’s why many retailers use Pro Carrier’s Horizon platform to manage everything in one platform.

With live parcel tracking at every stage, delivery insights, bespoke reporting tools and dedicated support at every step, Horizon helps retailers effortlessly scale cross-border activities.

It also provides customers with a minimum of six localised delivery updates throughout the parcel’s journey. These make a significant difference to the customer experience and reduce WISMO enquiries.

Ship to Spain with Pro Carrier

Pro Carrier's cross-border eCommerce solution makes it simple to send a parcel to Spain from the UK.

It integrates with your existing eCommerce platform, connects you with best-in-class local carriers and makes it easy to track every parcel. We handle DDP shipping, act as your IOSS intermediary, manage customs clearance and keep your Spanish customers informed throughout the delivery journey.

Speak to an expert today to find out how we can help you ship to Spain.