Disbursement Fees Explained: Rates, De Minimis Thresholds & How Spaceship Protects You

When shipping internationally, hidden fees can erode your margins before your parcel even reaches the recipient. One of the most commonly misunderstood is the disbursement fee — charged by carriers when they front duties and taxes to customs on your behalf.

Spaceship has done the work so you don't have to: below you'll find a complete breakdown of disbursement fee rates by country, de minimis thresholds, and which routes offer full fee waivers.

 

#	Country	Currency	FedEx Min	FedEx %	UPS Min	UPS %	FedEx Source Date	UPS Source Date	Notes
1	🇺🇸 US	USD	$17.50	2.50%	$17.00	2.00%	Jul 20, 2026	Jun 7, 2026	UPS min increased from $14 in Sep 2025
2	🇨🇦 CA	CAD	CAD 12.00	3.10%	CAD 7.40 (Standard) / CAD 11.65 (Worldwide)	3.70%	Jul 20, 2026	May 31, 2026	UPS tiered by service level
3	🇲🇽 MX	USD	USD 17.50	2.50%	USD 15.00	2.00%	Jul 20, 2026	Dec 21, 2025	MX cleared in USD equivalent; de minimis: USD 50 duty-free, USD 1,000 formal entry threshold
4	🇬🇧 UK	GBP	EUR 15.00*	2.50%	GBP 14.35	3.00%	Jul 20, 2026	Jun 7, 2026	FedEx UK falls under Europe zone (EUR); UPS in GBP
5	🇪🇺 EU	EUR	EUR 15.00	2.50%	EUR 12.50	2.00%	Jul 20, 2026	Jun 7, 2026	FedEx removed tiered structure; UPS flat rate
6	🇨🇭 CH (Switzerland)	CHF	EUR 15.00*	2.50%	CHF ~16.25	2.00%	Jul 20, 2026	Jun 7, 2026	FedEx uses EUR; UPS CHF equivalent
7	🇳🇴 NO (Norway)	NOK	EUR 15.00*	2.50%	NOK 83 (low value)	4.00%	Jul 20, 2026	Jun 7, 2026	FedEx EUR; UPS NOK 83 for goods below NOK 350; 4% above threshold
8	🇯🇵 JP	JPY	JPY 1,920	2.50%	JPY 3,000	2.30%	Jul 20, 2026	Jun 7, 2026	FedEx increased from JPY 1,600/2%; UPS source: JP 2026 guide (Japanese)
9	🇰🇷 KR	KRW	KRW 21,600	2.50%	KRW 9,300	2.30%	Jul 20, 2026	Jun 7, 2026	FedEx min more than 2x UPS min
10	🇵🇭 PH	PHP	PHP 360	2.50%	PHP 314	3.00%	Jul 20, 2026	Jun 7, 2026	UPS % higher; FedEx min higher
11	🇸🇬 SG	SGD	SGD 24.00	5.00%	SGD 25.00 (min) / SGD 100.00 (max)	5.90%	Jul 20, 2026	Jun 7, 2026	Both carriers high % due to SG GST structure; UPS has cap
12	🇻🇳 VN	VND	VND 180,000	2.50%	VND 228,264	2.40%	Jul 20, 2026	Jun 7, 2026	UPS min notably higher than FedEx
13	🇹🇭 TH	THB	THB 240	2.50%	THB 50 (goods ≤THB 1,500) / THB 251 (goods >THB 1,500)	2.00%	Jul 20, 2026	Jun 7, 2026	UPS tiered by goods value
14	🇨🇳 CN	CNY/RMB	CNY 42.00	2.50%	RMB 38.00	2.30%	Jul 20, 2026	Jun 7, 2026 (South CN) / Dec 21, 2025 (North CN)	Both carriers same currency; FedEx slightly higher min
15	🇦🇺 AU	AUD	AUD 24.00	2.90%	AUD 25.00 + GST	3.60%	Jul 20, 2026	Dec 21, 2025	UPS adds GST on top of minimum; UPS % higher
16	🇲🇾 MY	MYR	MYR 60.00	2.90%	MYR 62.60	2.30%	Jul 20, 2026	Jun 7, 2026	FedEx % higher; UPS min slightly higher
17	🇦🇪 AE (UAE)	AED	AED 75.00	2.00%	AED 90.00	2.50%	Jul 20, 2026	2026 guide	UPS min and % both higher than FedEx
18	🇮🇳 IN	INR	INR 960.00	2.50%	INR 825.00	3.00%	Jul 20, 2026	Jun 7, 2026	FedEx min higher; UPS % higher

 

De Minimis Reference (Duty/Tax Thresholds)

In practical terms: if your shipment falls under the full de minimis threshold of the destination country, you won't owe duties, taxes, or a disbursement fee — regardless of which carrier you use.

 

 

Choosing the right carrier and route isn't just about price — it's about understanding where fees apply and where they don't. Spaceship's routing engine factors in disbursement fee exposure so your customers never receive unexpected charges. Questions about a specific country? Our support team specialises in cross-border logistics and can advise on the best route for your shipment.

Country	Duty De Minimis	Tax De Minimis	Status	Predicted Change	Notes
🇺🇸 US	USD 800 → $0	USD 800 → $0	❌ Eliminated Aug 29, 2025	Permanent. Codified via EO14324 Feb 2026; OBBBA locks it until Jul 2027	All courier shipments fully dutiable regardless of value. No reversal expectedavalara+1
🇨🇦 CA	CAD 20	CAD 40	✅ Active	No announced changes; may face pressure to reform post-US de minimis elimination	CUSMA/USMCA goods still apply; very low threshold already
🇲🇽 MX	USD 1,000 (FOB)	USD 50 (FOB)	✅ Active	No announced changes for 2026–2027	USMCA: ≤USD 50 fully free; USD 50–117 at 17% IVA; >USD 1,000 triggers formal entry
🇬🇧 UK	GBP 135	GBP 0 (VAT on all)	⚠️ Phase-out announced	Confirmed removal by March 2029 at the latest; stays intact through Dec 31, 2026	VAT applies from £1 (post-Brexit, since 2021). Consultation closed Mar 2026; reform design ongoingflavorcloud+1
🇪🇺 EU	EUR 150 → EUR 0 + €3 flat duty	EUR 0 (VAT on all since 2021)	❌ Eliminated Jul 1, 2026	Jul 1, 2026–Jul 1, 2028: €3 flat duty per item (per HS6 tariff line). Full ad valorem duties from Jul 2028 when Customs Data Hub goes live	B2C distance sales only. B2B VAT-registered: standard duty rates apply. FTA shipments: duty relief may still applytaxation-customs.europa+2
🇨🇭 CH	CHF 5	CHF 5	✅ Active	No announced changes; already near-zero threshold	Very low threshold — effectively all goods are dutiable
🇳🇴 NO	NOK 350	NOK 350	✅ Active	No announced changes	Below NOK 350: NOK 83 flat UPS disbursement still applies; VAT (25%) applies above threshold
🇯🇵 JP	JPY 10,000 (FOB) ~USD 64	JPY 10,000	⚠️ Under review	60% valuation discount removed (in enacted FY2026 reform). Full exemption elimination NOT enacted — earliest possible: ~Apr 2028 for JCT on low-value goods	Full threshold elimination was considered for Apr 2026 but excluded from enacted proposal. Reform ongoing via Ministry of Financeups+2
🇰🇷 KR	USD 150	USD 150	✅ Active	Under discussion; no confirmed changes for 2026	DHL source (Jun 2026): "ongoing discussions on potential revisions"dhl
🇵🇭 PH	PHP 10,000 ~USD 175	PHP 10,000	✅ Active	No announced changes for 2026	Applies to personal/postal parcels; courier shipments may be assessed differently
🇸🇬 SG	SGD 400	SGD 400	✅ Active (conditional)	No changes announced; GST on all LVG already enacted Jan 2023	GST 9% applies on all goods since Jan 2023 via OVR regime; SGD 400 is the import relief threshold for postal/air only. Overseas vendors >SGD 100K revenue must registerpassportglobal
🇻🇳 VN	VND 1,000,000 → VND 0	VND 1,000,000 → VND 0	❌ Eliminated Aug 1, 2025	Permanent — all low-value express imports now taxable. 10% VAT applies	Abolished to counter Chinese e-commerce surge. Affects all courier shipmentslinkedin+1
🇹🇭 TH	THB 1,500 → THB 1	THB 1,500 → THB 1	❌ Effectively eliminated Jan 1, 2026	Permanent per Customs Notification No. 219/2568	All imported goods now dutiable + 7% VAT regardless of value. Threshold set to THB 1 (effectively zero)taxathand+1
🇨🇳 CN	RMB 50 (conditional)	RMB 50 (conditional)	⚠️ Conditional	Stricter enforcement ongoing; cross-border e-commerce platforms under increased scrutiny	Very low threshold; exemptions conditional on platform registration and declared use
🇦🇺 AU	AUD 1,000	AUD 0 (GST on all)	✅ Active	No announced changes	GST (10%) applies on all goods via LVT since 2018; AUD 1,000 is duty threshold onlydhl
🇲🇾 MY	MYR 500 ~USD 110	MYR 500	✅ Active	No announced changes for 2026	Threshold stable; SST (Sales & Service Tax) applies above thresholdcomgateway+1
🇦🇪 AE	AED 0 (no de minimis)	AED 0	❌ No exemption	No changes expected	UAE has no de minimis — all imports subject to 5% customs duty on CIF value + 5% VATbranvas
🇮🇳 IN	INR 0 (no formal de minimis for courier)	INR 0	❌ No exemption	No changes expected	All courier imports assessable from INR 1; IGST applies on all imports

Choosing the right carrier and route isn't just about price — it's about understanding where fees apply and where they don't.  Questions about a specific country? Our support team specialises in cross-border logistics and can advise on the best route for your shipment.


Last Update on 23 Jun 2026