Organizers of today’s event in Reykjavík shared a striking story: a woman in Denmark opened a package sent from Iceland only to find herself staring at a customs bill of twenty thousand ISK.
Þórhildur used the moment to walk through how wildly customs rules can differ from one country to the next. “In Denmark, for instance, a gift that exceeds 360 Danish kroner—about seven thousand kroner—triggers a tax,” she explained. The EEA agreement sets no universal gift value thresholds, so each country writes its own rules.
Iceland allows gifts up to 13,500 kroner before customs kicks in. In the United States, that ceiling sits at around $100. “The difference can be quite stark,” Þórhildur noted. The rules turn on price rather than what the item actually is — and while the thresholds haven’t shifted much lately, the price of gifts certainly has over the past decade.
Navigating Frustrations
Þórhildur acknowledged that customs fees can put people off accepting gifts altogether. “It’s rare for people to reject gifts outright, but I can completely understand the apprehension about receiving something only to find they owe a hefty sum to retrieve it. It’s understandable that this would be frustrating.”
Postal staff are well aware of the holiday rush and do what they can for people sending Christmas gifts. That said, Þórhildur was clear on one point: don’t underreport the value of a package. If it gets lost or damaged in transit, a falsely low declared value will cause real problems.
She also touched on what can and can’t cross borders. “While you can send green beans to Sweden without issue, sending ham might lead to problems — like spoilage along the way,” she said.
“Chocolate? That’s never a problem. It’s all about joy, especially when it comes to licorice,” she added with a smile.
For domestic shipments, packages can be mailed until December 21, and staff will be on duty until noon on Christmas Day. International packages have no delivery guarantee before the holidays, though they can still be dropped off at mailboxes and post offices.
Christmas card volumes have fallen off in recent years, but Þórhildur isn’t ready to write them off. “There’s something romantic about sending a beautiful greeting to your loved ones,” she said — a reminder that a handwritten note still carries weight, even now.
