Goal: learn how to avoid unwanted DPD surcharges when your shipment does not meet the carrier’s shipping terms.
→ Click here to go to the DPD shipping terms.

Disputing DPD surcharges: Want to dispute a surcharge from DPD? Submit your request within 14 days of the invoice date, including the required evidence.

Required evidence:

Photos showing the dimensions of the package (with measuring tape)
A photo of the package on a scale
The sales invoice of the shipment

You can submit the request via the Support page in your Sendcloud panel. Please note that an incomplete request or submission after the 14-day period may result in rejection by the carrier.

📐Dimension surcharges

Surcharge length exceeded - €46.70

Package length exceeds 175 cm.

How to avoid this surcharge?

Always allow for margin. During the shipping process, a box can change shape. Without a margin, the package may exceed the allowed length. We recommend a margin of 10 cm.

Also, use sturdy packaging. The sturdier it is, the smaller the chance the package changes shape. Still looking for the right packaging? Take a look at our Sendcloud shop.

Surcharge weight exceeded - €46.70

Package weight exceeds 31.5 kg.

Surcharge girth exceeded - €46.70

Package girth exceeds 300 cm.

The girth is calculated as follows:
(2 × height + 2 × width + length)

How to avoid this surcharge?

Always allow for margin. During the shipping process, a box can change shape. Without margin, the package may exceed the allowed girth. We recommend a margin of 10 cm.

Also, use sturdy packaging. The sturdier it is, the smaller the chance the package changes shape. Still looking for the right packaging? Take a look at our Sendcloud shop.

Surcharge length exceeded NSP*

Package length exceeds 130 cm.

See which category you fall into and the associated costs under Non-standard package.

How to avoid this surcharge?

Always allow for margin. During the shipping process, a box can change shape. Without margin, the package may exceed the allowed length. We recommend a margin of 10 cm.

Also, use sturdy packaging. The sturdier it is, the smaller the chance the package changes shape. Still looking for the right packaging? Take a look at our Sendcloud shop.

Surcharge diagonal length exceeded NSP*

Package diagonal length exceeds 130 cm. The distance is measured diagonally through the package.

See which category you fall into and the associated costs under Non-standard package.

How to avoid this surcharge?

Always allow for margin. During the shipping process, a box can change shape. Without a margin, the package may exceed the allowed length. We recommend a margin of 10 cm.

Also, use sturdy packaging. The sturdier it is, the smaller the chance the package changes shape. Still looking for the right packaging? Take a look at our Sendcloud shop.

Surcharge weight exceeded NSP*

Package weight exceeds 20 kg.

See which category you fall into and the associated costs under Non-standard package.

Surcharge length exceeded (Small Package) – Costs depend on destination

Sending a package with DPD Small Package that is longer than 50 cm.

Destination	Costs
Netherlands	Shipping costs + €0.25
Belgium	Shipping costs + €0.25
Germany	Shipping costs + €0.28
France	Shipping costs + €0.48

How to avoid this surcharge?

Always allow for margin. During the shipping process, a box can change shape. Without a margin, the package may exceed the allowed length. We recommend a margin of 10 cm.

Also, use sturdy packaging. The sturdier it is, the smaller the chance the package changes shape. Still looking for the right packaging? Take a look at our Sendcloud shop.

Surcharge weight exceeded (Small Package) – Costs depend on destination

Sending a package with DPD Small Package that is heavier than 3 kg.

Destination	Costs
Netherlands	Shipping costs + €0.25
Belgium	Shipping costs + €0.25
Germany	Shipping costs + €0.28
France	Shipping costs + €0.48

Surcharge girth exceeded (Small Package) – Costs depend on destination

Sending a package with DPD Small Package that has a girth greater than 111 cm.

The girth is calculated as follows:
(2 × height + 2 × width + length)

Destination	Costs
Netherlands	Shipping costs + €0.25
Belgium	Shipping costs + €0.25
Germany	Shipping costs + €0.28
France	Shipping costs + €0.48

How to avoid this surcharge?

Always allow for margin. During the shipping process a box can change shape. Without margin, the package may exceed the allowed length. We recommend a margin of 10 cm.

Also use sturdy packaging. The sturdier it is, the smaller the chance the package changes shape. Still looking for the right packaging? Take a look at our Sendcloud shop.

📦 Surcharges packaging & label

Relabeling surcharge – €0.89

Applied if a package needs to be relabeled. Possible causes:

Missing label
Unreadable label:
- Poor print quality
- Incorrect alignment or cut-off label
- Barcode incorrectly placed or distorted
- Barcode (partially) covered
- Multiple labels on the package
For Germany: label does not meet the new weight requirements

Non-standard package surcharge for irregular shape NSP*

Surcharge due to an irregular or unstable shape (such as sphere, cylinder, or roll), preventing automatic processing. Packages must be rectangular and stable. If the package offers insufficient protection or contains visible damage, this surcharge will apply too.

See which category you fall into and the associated costs under Non-standard package.

Non-standard package surcharge for manual handling NSP*

Surcharge because the package required extra manual handling outside the standard process.

For example: an irregular shape, unclear addressing, unreadable label, or unsuitable packaging.
This is assessed by a DPD employee at the sorting center.

See which category you fall into and the associated costs under Non-standard package.

🔧*Non-standard package (NSP)

The NSP surcharges are determined based on the category (A, B, C, D) you fall into. This is set per billing period and is based on the share of NSP packages (with surcharge) relative to the total number of DPD packages sent.

NSP categories + costs

Category D	NSP packages > 50%	€7.84
Category C	NSP packages 15-50%	€5.84
Category B	NSP packages 10-15%	€3.54
Category A	NSP packages < 10%	€2.24

How this works in practice

Sendcloud processes the carrier invoices as soon as they are received
NSP surcharges are only passed on to the customer once the carrier's invoice has been received
The price per NSP surcharge depends on the ratio:
(Number of packages with NSP surcharge) ÷ (total number of DPD packages shipped in the period) x 100 = ..%
Sendcloud invoices customers every two weeks. This means that within one billing period different rates may apply.

Example:
In week 1, 12% of packages have an NSP surcharge → rate €3.54.
In week 2, 16% of packages have an NSP surcharge → rate €5.84.

🌍 Customs surcharges

Customs surcharge - €29.89

Costs are charged for customs work for shipments to Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Bosnia, and Serbia.

Customs surcharge (United Kingdom) - €3.79

Costs are charged for customs work for shipments to the United Kingdom.

Extra HS codes - €2.95

If you have more than 3 HS codes for your customs documents, DPD charges a surcharge.

What is an HS code

An HS code (Harmonized System code) is an international goods code used to classify products for customs and trade purposes.

Example:
HS code 6109.10 = Cotton T-shirts.
HS code 8703.23 = Passenger cars with an engine capacity of 1500-3000 cc.

🏔️ Remote area surcharges

Important: Shipments to the Channel Islands (postal codes GY1–GY9, JE1–JE4) and the Isle of Man (IM1–IM9) are only supported via the shipping method DPD International Express. This shipping method is not available within Sendcloud’s DPD Netherlands rates. As a result, it is currently not possible to create shipments to these destinations using DPD NL via Sendcloud.

Remote area surcharge (costs in table)

Surcharge	Description	Costs
Remote area surcharge – Norway	Surcharge for delivery to a postcode in a remote area designated by DPD. For Norway, this applies to postcodes in the following ranges: 9170–9179	€85.00
Remote area surcharge – Portugal	Surcharge for delivery to a postcode in a remote area designated by DPD. For Portugal, this applies to the following postcode ranges: 62601, Azores, 9500–9999, Madeira, 9000–9499	€47.50
Remote area surcharge – Spain	Surcharge for delivery to a postcode in a remote area designated by DPD. For Spain, this applies to the following postcode areas: Balearic Islands: 07000–07999 Canary Islands: 35000–35999	€32.30
Remote area surcharge – Finland	Surcharge for delivery to a postcode in a remote area designated by DPD. For Finland, this applies to postcodes on the Åland Islands: 22100–22101, 22120, 22130, 22140, 22150, 22160 22220, 22240, 22270–22271 22310, 22320, 22330, 22340 22410–22411, 22430 22520, 22530, 22550 22610, 22630 22710, 22720, 22730 22810, 22820, 22830, 22840 22910, 22920, 22930, 22940, 22950	€27.50
Remote area surcharge – France	Surcharge for delivery to a postcode in a remote area designated by DPD. For France, this applies to the following postcodes, including Corsica: 17111, 17123, 17190, 17310, 17370, 17410, 17480, 17550, 17580, 17590, 17630, 17650, 17670, 17740, 17840, 17880, 17940, 22870, 29242, 29253, 29259, 29990, 56360, 56590, 56780, 56840, 85330, 85350 Corsica: 20000–20999	€24.50
Remote area surcharge – Greece	Surcharge for delivery to a postcode in a remote area designated by DPD. For Greece, this applies to the following postcode areas: Mainland and islands: 18010, 18020, 18040, 18050 80100 81100–81113, 81200, 81300 81400–81401 82100, 82102–82104 82200, 82300 83100–83104, 83200 84002–84003, 84005, 84008–84010 84100, 84200–84201 84300–84302 84400–84401 84500 84600 84702 84800–84801, 84804 85001–85002, 85100–85109, 85111 85200, 85300, 85303 85400–85401, 85500, 85600, 85700, 85800 Crete: 70001–82101	€22.50
Remote area surcharge – Croatia	Surcharge for delivery to a postcode in a remote area designated by DPD. For Croatia, this applies to the following postcode areas: 21220, 21223–21225 21400–21401, 21403–21405, 21410, 21412–21413, 21420, 21423–21426, 21430–21432, 21450, 21454, 21460, 21462–21463, 21465–21469, 21480, 21483, 21485 22000, 22010, 22020, 22030 22202–22206, 22211–22215, 22221–22223, 22231–22236, 22240, 22242–22244 22300–22307, 22310–22312, 22317–22324 23212, 23234, 23249–23251, 23262–23264, 23271–23275, 23281–23287, 23291–23296 51280–51282 51500, 51511–51517, 51521–51523, 51542, 51550–51557, 51559, 51561–51564 53291, 53294, 53296–53297 20221–20226, 20260–20261, 20263–20264, 20270–20275, 20289–20290	€22.50
Remote area surcharge – Italy	Surcharge for delivery to a postcode in a remote area designated by DPD. For Italy, this applies to the following postcode areas: Mainland and other islands: 04020, 25050, 30135, 71040, 91023 04027, 30010, 30141, 80070–80071, 92010 07024, 30012, 57030–57039, 80073–80077, 98050 07042, 30100, 58010, 80079, 98052 07046, 30121–30126, 58012–58013, 90010, 98055 09014, 30131–30133, 58018–58019, 91017 90010–90151, 92010–92100, 94010–94100, 96010–96100, 98020–98168 91010–91100, 93010–93100, 95010–95127, 97010–97100 08010–08100, 09070–09099, 09124, 09170 09010–09049, 09100, 09126	€22.50
Remote area surcharge – Estonia	Surcharge for delivery to a postcode in a remote area designated by DPD. For Estonia, this applies to the following postcode areas: 62601 88001–88005 91217 91301–91320 92001–92420 93001–94799 96027, 96098	€21.50
Remote area surcharge – United Kingdom	Surcharge for delivery to a postcode in a remote area designated by DPD. For the United Kingdom, this applies to the following postcode areas: Channel Islands, Isle of Man and Isle of Wight: GY1–GY9 (Guernsey) JE1–JE4 (Jersey) IM1–IM9 (Isle of Man) PO30–PO41 (Isle of Wight) Northern Ireland: BT1–BT71, BT74–BT82, BT86–BT88, BT92–BT97 Scottish Highlands and islands: IV1–IV28, IV36, IV40–IV56, IV63 KW1–KW17 KA27–KA28 PA20–PA38, PA41–PA48, PA50–PA78 PH19–PH26, PH31–PH44	€22.50
Remote area surcharge – Sweden	Surcharge for delivery to a postcode in a remote area designated by DPD. For Sweden, this applies to the following postcode areas: 10005 13025, 13033–13034, 13036, 13038–13039, 13042–13043, 13055–13056 43080–43089, 43095–43097 47132 62000–62999 76019	€17.50
Remote area surcharge – Germany	Surcharge for delivery to a postcode in a remote area designated by DPD. For Germany, this applies to the following postcode areas: 18565 25845–25847, 25849, 25859, 25863, 25869 25929–25933, 25938–25942, 25946–25949, 25952–25955, 25961–25970, 25980, 25985–25986, 25988–25990, 25992–25994, 25996–25999 26465, 26474, 26486 26548, 26571, 26579 26757 27498 51280–51281 51500, 51511–51514, 51516–51517, 51521–51523, 51550–51552, 51554–51557, 51559, 51561–51562, 51564 83256	€13.00
Remote area surcharge – Denmark	Surcharge for delivery to a postcode in a remote area designated by DPD. For Denmark, this applies to the following postcode areas: Mainland and islands: 3700, 3720, 3730, 3740 3751, 3760, 3770, 3782, 3790 4592 5960, 5970, 5985 6720 7884 8305 8592 9940, 9950, 9960 Greenland: 3900–3999 Faroe Islands: 0100–0970	€10.00
Remote area surcharge – Netherlands	DPD applies a surcharge for parcels delivered to the Wadden Islands. These islands are classified as remote areas by DPD due to additional logistical handling (such as ferry transport and extended delivery times). This surcharge applies to the following postcode areas: Texel: 1791–1797 Vlieland: 8899 Terschelling: 8881–8884 Ameland: 9161–9164 Schiermonnikoog: 9166	€8.00

💬 Other surcharges

Fuel surcharge

DPD charges a variable fuel surcharge on the parcel price for all services and products.

This surcharge is indexed, which means that we adjust it regularly according to fluctuating fuel prices.

Click here for more information.

Where can I see these surcharges on my invoice?

Surcharges are applied by the carrier after the shipment has been processed and may not be visible when you create the label.

You can find these charges in your Sendcloud account via Account > Billing, where you can download your invoice in PDF or CSV format:

PDF invoice: Shows a summary of your total costs, including surcharges.
CSV invoice: Shows a detailed breakdown per shipment, including the tracking number, shipping cost, and any applied surcharges.

💡 Tip: Use the tracking number in the CSV to identify which shipment a surcharge applies to.

For a full explanation of how shipping costs and surcharges are invoiced and how to read them, see Shipment invoicing.

To avoid the above surcharges, we recommend carefully reading the shipping conditions, staying well within the allowed dimensions, and choosing the right network for your package.

DPD General Terms and Conditions of Carriage