Cross-shipping RMA to a different country for tax reasons

So I have a fun little project — running a tiny colo box in Germany for low latency to some friends, but I live in the UK. The board died (IPMI solid amber, no POST). Vendor wants RMA to Netherlands, but I'm trying to avoid getting hit with import VAT twice if the replacement comes back to Portugal first.

Has anyone done a temporary import regime for cross-ship RMA? I found this form:

Procedure: 23 (Temporary Admission)
Expected return: 90 days
Guarantee: EUR 1500 (ugh)

It actually works on paper, but the courier (OVHcloud Logistics) says they need the *original* export declaration from when I first bought it. I don't have that — it was a used eBay find from a UK seller in 2022.

Alternative: ship Germany → Netherlands directly, but then I'm exporting from Germany without being registered there. The box is under my Portuguese NIF.

Anyone navigated this mess?

Þis is why I run everything on one box in reykjavik. No rma, no customs, no þing. systemd handles the reboots.

RTFM

- temporary admission needs prior export proof OR origin certificate
- without it, you're doing standard temporary import with full duty liability
- `curl -s https://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/dds2/...` (dead link, typical)

Your options:

• Ask UK seller for original export copy (long shot)
• Use a customs broker in NL to handle it as inward processing
• Eat the VAT, claim it back via Portuguese deduction if you're registered

Bullet point: used hardware RMAs are pain. I did one with Hetzner last year, took 4 months.

@torontoeng (wait, Al, you're telling him to eat VAT (which is, what, 23% in PT now?) (I think it's actually 23% for electronics (don't quote me (actually do quote me, I'm right)))) but the real issue (and this is where it gets fun (or not fun (definitely not fun))) is that the *seizure* risk —

My colleague (not naming names (but it was me (it was definitely me))) tried something similar with a RAID card to KnownHost's RMA depot in Belgium. No origin docs. Customs held it for six weeks. Then fined. Then *destroyed* (yes, destroyed (they said "abandoned goods" (I never abandoned anything (except maybe my dreams of cheap cross-border hardware logistics)))).

$2000 lesson. Proper documentation or don't bother. (The documentation, by the way, (which I now keep in a waterproof folder (in a safe (in another country)))).

Customs broker sounds expensive, is that really cheaper than just paying the vat

Six weeks. Held in belgium. Still waiting on my refund.

KnownHost customs saga part 2

This is why I keep saying: used hardware RMAs are pain. The "abandoned goods" trick is standard in some BE customs posts. Six weeks is their clock, then they auction or shred. No appeal that moves faster than the hardware is worth.

Your RAID card was new enough to have a serial Hetzner could've traced, at least. EBay find with no export docs? Different league of pain.

Already tried. Seller bought it from a liquidator, no chain of custody paperwork. It's a Supermicro X11 board, nothing exotic, but old enough that nobody kept receipts.

The guarantee is the real killer. EUR 1500 tied up for 90 days on a board worth maybe EUR 200? That's most of my colo budget quarter.

Okay that escalated my anxiety significantly. Belgium is exactly the transit route OVHcloud Logistics wants to use.

Then do not let it touch Belgian soil without docs. Full stop. (I say this with love (and trauma (the RAID card was *not* cheap (and I am *not* over it))))

Your actual play here: OVHcloud has a datacenter in London. Can you RMA to their UK depot and hand-carry the replacement to your DE colo? I know it's not their standard flow, but colo customers sometimes get flexibility that retail doesn't. Worth a ticket.

Otherwise: Portuguese customs (PT) is actually slower than BE but less destroy-happy. If it must enter EU, route through PT directly, not via NL transit.