Leaving Denmark? How to send your things home to another EU country

Your semester, degree or job in Denmark is ending, and you've collected more than you arrived with: a winter coat, books, bedding and everything you've bought along the way. If you're heading back to another EU country, sending a few boxes as ordinary parcels is often the simplest way to get it all home.

1. What to send and what to take in your suitcase

Keep with you what you need on the journey and for the first few days: documents, medicine, your laptop and charger, and a few changes of clothes. Your power bank goes in your hand luggage too (check your airline's rules), as loose batteries can't be sent.

Send the rest, especially:

• Heavy things: books, shoes, winter clothes, kitchen things.
• Large, soft things: duvet, pillows and towels, squeezed into vacuum bags.
• Things you won't need straight away: clothes for next season, hobby gear, what you've bought in Denmark.

Taking furniture or white goods? Then a removal company is still the right choice.

Size counts as much as weight. Carriers charge for the actual weight or the volumetric weight, whichever is higher:

Volumetric weight = length × width × height in cm ÷ 5000

A box of 60 × 40 × 40 cm has a volumetric weight of 96,000 ÷ 5000 = 19.2 kg. If it weighs 12 kg, you pay for 19.2 kg. So use smaller boxes for bulky, light things. See current prices for your route.

2. Timing: your move-out date and the label's 30 days

Work backwards from the day you hand back the keys:

• Send while you still live at your Danish address. Drop the parcels off at a service point, or book a pickup for a day when you're still there.
• Buy the label once you know your dates. It's valid for 30 days after purchase, so you can buy it while still packing – but not too early, as unused labels are cancelled automatically after 30 days and aren't refunded.
• Choose the speed that suits you. DHL Express flies the parcel and often delivers the next working day in Europe. UPS Standard goes by road and is usually cheaper, but takes a little longer.

3. Where to send it: your own address or your family's

Think about who will be there when the parcel arrives:

• Your own home address, if you'll be back in time or someone there can accept it.
• Your parents or other family, if you're travelling first or haven't found your next place yet.
• Always add a phone number for the recipient, so the driver can call. If the boxes are going to family, give their number.

This matters more when you're leaving: if the parcel is refused or can't be delivered, the carrier usually returns it to the sender address on the label, often your old Danish address, and you may be invoiced for the return costs. So send it where someone will definitely accept it.

4. Write the address the way your home country does

Use your home country's address format, even though you're booking from Denmark.

• The recipient's name as it appears on the door or letterbox. If the parcel is for you at your parents' address, write your name with "c/o" and the name on the door.
• Every part of the address the local driver needs. In Spain, for example, the floor and door must be included ("Calle Mayor 12, 3º B"), and the postcode has five digits. Our country guides show the format, for example send a parcel to Spain (in Danish) or send a parcel to Italy (in Danish).

Customs: Between EU countries no customs papers are needed. The exception is areas outside the EU VAT area, such as the Canary Islands, Ceuta and Melilla. If home is there, contact us before you book.

5. Packing for a long journey

On its way, a parcel is lifted, stacked and sent along conveyor belts several times. Pack for that:

• Use strong boxes. Double-wall cardboard is best for heavy things. If you reuse a box, remove old labels and barcodes.
• Fill the box completely with clothes, towels or bubble wrap, so nothing moves. Wrap fragile items individually.
• Heavy things at the bottom, light things on top, and books in small boxes.
• Tape every seam with wide packing tape, including the bottom.
• Put a note with your name and home address inside the box, in case the label is torn off.

A parcel can weigh up to 70 kg, but a box of 15–20 kg is easier to carry and less likely to get damaged.

Electronics: devices with the battery inside (laptop, tablet, camera) can be sent if switched off, protected against switching on, well packed and charged to no more than 30%. Loose batteries, such as power banks, spare batteries and e-bike batteries, can't.

More tips: our guide to preparing your parcel.

6. How to send your boxes, step by step

1. Pack and close each box, then measure and weigh it, rounding up to whole centimetres. If it's larger or heavier than you entered, you pay the difference afterwards.
2. Compare DHL Express and UPS on ohship.dk. You don't need an account, and you pay by card.
3. Several boxes to the same address? UPS takes up to 10 parcels to one recipient in one booking, with one PDF holding all the labels. DHL takes one parcel per order.
4. Print the labels on ordinary A4 paper, one label per parcel, and attach each with clear tape so the barcode is visible.
5. Drop the parcels off at a service point, or book a pickup on ups.com or dhl.com using the tracking number on the label.
6. Track the parcels, and share the tracking number with whoever is receiving them.

7. Frequently asked questions

How many boxes can I send at once? With UPS, up to 10 parcels to one recipient per booking; with DHL Express, one per order.

Can I send my laptop? Yes, if it's switched off, well packed and charged to no more than 30%. Many people still prefer to carry it in their hand luggage.

Do I need customs papers to send my things to another EU country? No, not between EU countries. The exception is areas outside the EU VAT area, such as the Canary Islands, Ceuta and Melilla.

I'm moving out in three weeks. Can I buy the label now? Yes. The label is valid for 30 days after purchase. Just use it within that time, as unused labels aren't refunded.

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Sources: OhShip's own information (as of 4 November 2026): Frequently asked questions (DHL Express and UPS, account and payment, volumetric weight, several parcels, labels, pickup, batteries, returns), the country guides (70 kg, customs, address format). Check the figures again before the article is published.