What to Give Your Family in Ukraine When You Live in Germany

You're in Berlin, Munich or Leipzig, while your mom, dad or someone you love is in Ukraine. A holiday is coming up, and it's the same question again: send a box, order something on the spot, or give something that doesn't travel across a border at all. According to Eurostat, at the end of June 2026 more than 1.28 million Ukrainians held temporary protection in Germany, more than in any other EU country, so many families know this question well. Below are practical points specific to Germany: which services to ship with and how long a parcel takes, what to keep out of the box, how to pay for a purchase in a Ukrainian store with a German card, which holidays coincide in the two countries and which don't, and how to present a gift on a video call.

The short answer

If the gift has to arrive by a specific date, it's more reliable not to ship it from Germany but to order from a Ukrainian store with delivery to your family, or to give something digital. A parcel is possible too: Nova Post promises delivery to Ukraine within 5 business days and DHL gives an estimate of 8-11 business days, but weekends, customs clearance and possible delays come on top. So send it two to three weeks ahead, and don't put alcohol, prescription medicines, perishable food or aerosols in the box.

The easiest gifts without a border are the ones that arrive as a link or are ordered inside Ukraine: a video greeting from the grandchildren, a photo calendar printed locally, flowers on the day of the holiday, a cartoon about your family. Present such a gift on a video call, and remember that Ukraine is an hour ahead of Germany.

How to send a parcel from Germany to Ukraine

Nova Post (Nova Poshta). In Germany it has its own branches in several cities, partner points and a courier who picks up a parcel from your home. Documents and parcels up to 30 kg are accepted; anything heavier is handled as freight. The company states a delivery time to Ukraine of up to 5 business days, but doesn't count the drop-off day, weekends, holidays and customs clearance time in it. It's convenient for parents that the parcel arrives in the Nova Poshta network they already know.

Meest. For parcels from Germany, the company gives 4-10 business days from the moment you pay for delivery. A box up to 50 kg is handed to a Meest agent or sent to their warehouse in Germany by any post, so check on the website in advance how this works in your city. A parcel may contain no more than 10 kg of food.

DHL and Deutsche Post. You can drop a parcel off at any branch, and in Ukraine it's delivered by the partner Meest Express: three delivery attempts at the address, after which the parcel can be picked up at a branch. The estimated time is 8-11 business days. Note that for shipments to Ukraine Deutsche Post currently offers no transport insurance and takes no liability for them, and delivers only to postcodes on a list that is updated weekly. Write the address in Latin letters, give the recipient's phone number and enclose a CN23 customs declaration in two copies.

We don't give prices here: rates change, and the calculator on the carrier's website shows the exact sum and timing for your box. And keep the war in mind: in October 2026 Meest warned of possible delays because of attacks on logistics infrastructure in Ukraine, so a delivery date is a guideline, not a promise.

What not to put in the box, and how customs works

Every carrier has its own list of prohibited items, and it's worth opening before you ship. As a guide, here is what Nova Post does not accept from Germany: alcohol, including beer, tobacco, e-cigarettes and vapes; cash, and jewelry made of precious metals and stones; aerosols, gas canisters, lighters; prescription medicines; food that needs a particular temperature, perishable food and food without factory packaging. Packaged food is allowed, but no more than 10 kg in total. Perfume and cosmetics are accepted only if new and in the manufacturer's sealed packaging.

So if you want to send something tasty from Germany, take chocolate, cookies or coffee in factory packaging. Home baking or sausage from the market won't pass that check.

Customs duty. As of 2026, Ukraine has a tax-free limit of 150 euros per international shipment. If the contents cost more, duty of 10% and VAT of 20% are paid on the amount above the limit. Meest clarifies that one recipient can receive up to 50 kg and 150 euros per day without taxes, so two boxes in one name on the same day may be counted together. In October 2026 the Verkhovna Rada (Ukraine's parliament) passed a law that changes these rules no earlier than July 2027: after that, gifts between individuals worth up to 45 euros will stay tax-free. Before a big shipment, check the terms on the carrier's website.

Buying in a Ukrainian store: how to pay from Germany

It is often simpler to buy the gift in Ukraine. A blanket, a coffee maker, a book or a garden set is ordered on a Ukrainian website with delivery to your parents, and the box never crosses a border. You pay online and put Mom's or Dad's name and phone number in the recipient field.

A Ukrainian store charges in hryvnias, so for your bank this is a payment outside the euro area. Many German banks charge an Auslandseinsatzentgelt (foreign usage fee) for such payments, usually around 1-2% of the amount, and the bank itself sets the conversion rate. The exact figure is in your bank's Preis- und Leistungsverzeichnis (price and service list) or in its app.

For purchases abroad, Visa or Mastercard is more convenient: Girocard works worse outside Germany. If a payment doesn't go through, check in your bank's app whether online payments outside the EU are allowed and whether the bank blocked the transaction for security reasons.

And be sure to warn your family to expect a delivery. Older people sometimes refuse a parcel they didn't order themselves, or don't pick up a call from an unknown number.

Gifts that don't need a border

These ideas don't depend on the post or customs: they either arrive as a link or are ordered inside Ukraine. Most of them can be prepared in an evening.

Holidays in Germany and Ukraine: what coincides and what doesn't

Mother's Day coincides. In both Ukraine and Germany (Muttertag) it is the second Sunday of May, May 9 in 2027. Your greeting won't get lost among other people's dates: the holiday falls on the same day on both sides of the border.

With Dad it's different. The German Vatertag falls on Ascension Day (Christi Himmelfahrt), the Thursday 39 days after Easter, which is May 6 in 2027. The Ukrainian Father's Day is the third Sunday of June, June 20 in 2027. Your colleagues in Germany celebrate in May, while Dad in Ukraine will be waiting for a call in June.

St. Nicholas is now on the same day. After the Orthodox Church of Ukraine moved to the New Julian calendar in 2023, St. Nicholas Day in Ukraine is marked on December 6, just like Nikolaustag in Germany. German children put their boots outside the door on the evening of December 5, while Ukrainian kids look for a gift under the pillow on the morning of the 6th. For grandchildren in Germany and grandparents in Ukraine, it's a good reason for a shared morning call.

Christmas in Ukraine has officially been on December 25 since 2023, as in Germany. The customs differ: in Germany gifts are usually unwrapped on the evening of December 24 (Bescherung), while in Ukrainian families that evening is Sviat Vechir (Holy Supper) with kutia, the traditional wheat dish.

Easter is often on different dates. Orthodox and Greek Catholic Christians in Ukraine calculate its date by the ancient rule, so sometimes the holidays coincide and sometimes the difference is more than a month. In 2027, the German Ostern is on March 28, and the Ukrainian Easter is on May 2.

How to present a gift on a video call from Germany

The time difference is one hour, with Ukraine ahead. In winter Germany is on Central European Time (UTC+1) and Ukraine on Kyiv time (UTC+2), and both countries switch to summer time on the same night, so the difference doesn't change. When it's 7 p.m. in Frankfurt, it's already 8 p.m. in Kyiv and Lviv.

Plan the call so that it falls in your evening after work and in their evening before bed. If the holiday is on a weekday and you finish work at six, it's already seven for your parents, and after the festive dinner they may be tired. Sometimes it's better to greet them briefly on the day itself and present the gift on the nearest Saturday afternoon.

Prepare the technical side in advance. A day before, check the connection and ask a relative on the spot to open the link on the TV or tablet and turn the sound on. During the call, keep faces in frame, not the screen. A delivered box should be opened only on camera.

If the connection drops, no problem: ask a brother, a neighbor or a grandchild to film the moment on a phone. You'll see the reaction with a delay, but you will see it.

When to order what

Send a parcel via Nova Post at least two weeks before the holiday, because weekends and customs add to the 5 business days. Via DHL, three weeks. Before Christmas and New Year add another week: there are more shipments.

Place an order with a Ukrainian store a week ahead, and flowers or a cake a few days ahead, so you have time to choose the delivery hour.

Start recording the video greeting and the grandchildren's story a week ahead: kids are rarely in the mood on the exact evening you need. A cartoon about your family takes 48 hours after you send the photos and the story; there is an express option for one day, but then we need the materials right away.

Frequently asked questions