Authorities at Germany’s Berlin Airport say they’ve already stopped eight people trying to sneak Apple Vision Pro into the country without paying the requisite import sales tax.
Barely a week after Apple Vision Pro launched, a new report has revealed that “Since the weekend, the German customs authorities at the airports have increasingly been dealing with buyers of the Apple Vision Pro headset who are trying to bring their device into the country without paying the mandatory import sales tax.” (Translated)
According to heise online, customs officers at Berlin Airport revealed that since the devices launch on February 2, they had already caught “around eight people” trying to dodge the import fee.
Apple Vision Pro import woes
As the report notes, getting pulled up at the German border with Apple’s spatial computing headset in your carry-on “can be extremely painful.” Not only will you be required to pay the 19% import tax (roughly $665), you also risk a fine, and customs might even confiscate the headset. As the report notes, backlogs in Germany’s court system mean that your Vision Pro “will remain in the evidence chamber for a good year while the criminal tax proceedings are ongoing.”
As per the report, air passengers must pay a 19% import sales tax on goods worth more than 430 euros. Thankfully, at least, there are no additional customs duties on computers such as Apple Vision Pro. If you want to import Apple Vision Pro into Germany above board, go through the airport’s “red zone” and declare the device. As heise notes, it’s customers trying to sneak through the “green zone” who are getting caught out. Private individuals don’t have to register the import in advance, and hilariously, customs will even accept Apple Pay to speed up the process.
Demand for Apple Vision Pro beyond U.S. shores continues to grow in the wake of the device’s official launch. Elsewhere, devices have sold on eBay for upwards of $10,000, and some individuals in Asia are seeking almost double Apple Vision Pro’s price on resale marketplaces.
