January 30, 2014
Italian Customs Taxes and Delays on Certain Merchandise Italian Customs authorities recently notified U.S. Navy representatives that some merchandise shipped via the U.S. Military Postal System may be subjected to Value Added Tax (VAT) and customs duties. The U.S. Navy is working with the other service branches and the U.S. Embassy to clarify the rules and regulations regarding importation of goods by U.S. personnel through the Military Postal System. In the interim, the notification could affect any merchandise with a value in excess of 22 euros (approximately $30) and/or specific items, identified in the following categories, regardless of value: - Roasted ground coffee and surrogates. - Master keys and utensils for combination locks - Plants and soil - Lottery tickets of any kind. - Slot machines or parts thereof - Albums of any kind (for photographs, postcards, stamps, etc.) - Artificial fruit and flowers and accessories for the same - Bells and other musical instruments and parts thereof. - Capsules and cartridges - Clocks and watches supplies - Coins, banknotes and paper values - Corals mounted of any kind. - Ether and chloroform - Photographic and cinematographic films exposed - Footwear of all kinds - Apparel and sewn clothing of every kind. - Hair and hair product - Products in leather - Nutmeg, vanilla, sea salt, mineral salt and saffron - Playing cards of any type - Postage stamps in letters open or closed - Typewriter Ribbons - Saccharine - Salted meat, smoked, or otherwise prepared - Toys which are not exclusively made of wood - Skins and furs, treated While discussions are ongoing to clarify application of existing bilateral agreements, all personnel are advised that they may be subject to delays as well as taxes for merchandise received through the postal system. If any of your mail is sequestered by Italian authorities, you will be notified by the post office and will be personally responsible for payment of VAT and/or customs duties. Personnel subject to customs duties will not be reimbursed for the expenses. If you have questions, please contact any of the area post offices.