Shipping Policy

Last updated 2026-05-25 · Version 1.0

Every Citadel Vault order ships from the United States via DHL Express Worldwide with signature required and full-value insurance. We ship to five geographic zones at flat rates in USD. International orders ship on DAP terms (Delivered At Place, Incoterms 2020): you pay local VAT and customs duties to the carrier when your parcel arrives. Pro+, Advisor, and Founders Edition customers may elect a $200 DDP upgrade so Citadel pre-pays those charges on your behalf.

1.How we ship

All Citadel Vault orders ship from the United States via DHL Express Worldwide with signature required and full-value insurance on every parcel. A tracking number is provided by email when the parcel leaves our fulfillment lane. Every shipment declares full commercial value on the customs documentation.

USA domestic orders may ship via USPS Priority Mail Express or FedEx 2Day where DHL domestic pricing is not advantageous, but the tracking and insurance coverage are equivalent.

2.Shipping zones and prices

Prices are flat USD per zone. Each price includes the carrier fee, fuel surcharge, signature requirement, and full-value insurance. There are no hidden handling fees on top of the zone price.

Zone	Region	Price (USD)	Lead time	Tax burden at import
Zone 1	USA (50 states + DC)	$165	2 to 4 days	Domestic; no VAT or duty
Zone 2	Canada	$165	3 to 5 days	GST/HST 5 to 15%
Zone 3	EU + UK + Switzerland + Norway	$165	3 to 5 days	VAT 17 to 25% + 0 to 5% duty
Zone 4	Rest of EMEA + AU / NZ / JP / SG / HK	$165	4 to 7 days	GST/VAT 5 to 15%
Zone 5	Rest of world	$245	5 to 10 days	Variable; carrier collects on arrival

Prices include the carrier fee, fuel surcharge, signature, and full-value insurance. Bank wire or Bitcoin payments may take 1 to 3 additional business days to clear before we ship.

3.DAP (Delivered At Place) terms

You pay import taxes and duties at the door, not at checkout. The shipping price you see covers the parcel from our facility to your address. Local VAT, GST, customs duties, and brokerage are collected by DHL Express directly from you before delivery. The carrier holds the parcel until those charges are paid. This is not a Citadel Vault policy choice; it is standard Incoterms 2020 DAP practice used by Coldcard, Trezor, BitBox, and most premium electronics exporters.

Citadel Vault ships internationally on DAP per Incoterms 2020. The shipping price at checkout covers the parcel to your door. Local VAT, GST, customs duties, and brokerage are your responsibility and are paid by you to the carrier when the parcel arrives. DHL Express acts as your customs broker, calculates the amounts due, and contacts you before delivery to collect payment. The parcel is held until those charges are settled.

Because Citadel Vault never collects or holds import VAT or duties, those amounts cannot be refunded by us. Returns are only by authorized RMA under the Terms of Sale; see the Returns and RMA Policy for how returns work on international orders.

4.DDP (Delivered Duty Paid) upgrade

Vault Pro+, Vault Advisor, and Vault Founders Edition customers may elect a $200 DDP upgrade at checkout. The DDP upgrade pre-pays estimated destination VAT and customs duty through the carrier. In most regions this clears your parcel with nothing due at the door, but the $200 is an estimate based on information available at the time of order, and we make no representation that additional charges will never arise; unusually high assessments may leave a small balance payable locally. Founders Edition includes DDP at no extra cost.

Vault Standard and Vault Pro are not eligible for DDP in this version of the policy.

Estimated import charges by region (approximate; actual rates set by your government). EU: 17 to 25% VAT. UK: 20% VAT. Canada: 5 to 15% GST/HST. Australia: 10% GST. Singapore: 9% GST. Switzerland: approximately 7.7% VAT. Norway: approximately 25% VAT. The $200 DDP upgrade is a blended flat price that covers typical duty and brokerage amounts in these regions. High-VAT destinations (Norway, Iceland) may approach the upper bound of the flat fee.

The DDP upgrade fee is non-refundable once the parcel has cleared customs. The $200 has been applied before the device reaches your door.

5.Lead times

Lead times are estimates from the ship date, not the order date. They do not include order processing (typically 1 to 2 business days) or customs clearance time (usually under 2 days, but can be longer for first-time importers or high-volume border periods). We provide a tracking number for every shipment; please monitor your parcel and respond promptly to DHL communications about customs.

Bitcoin-paid orders begin processing after on-chain confirmation. Bank wire orders begin processing after funds settle in our account. Either method may add 1 to 3 business days before the parcel ships.

6.What happens at the border

DHL contacts you before delivery. You receive an email and SMS from DHL with the import duty and VAT amount due. Pay online via the MyDHL app or portal.
DHL releases and delivers. Once payment is confirmed, DHL releases the parcel and completes delivery. A signature is required on receipt.
Carrier clearance fee. DHL adds a small brokerage clearance fee on top of VAT and duty. This is typically $15 to $25 and is separate from the shipping zone fee you paid at checkout.
If you do not pay or claim within DHL's window. DHL typically holds a parcel for 7 days before initiating a return. If the parcel is returned to us, we deduct the outbound shipping fee, return shipping (typically 1.5 times the outbound cost), and any duties Citadel was billed from any refund. See the Returns and RMA Policy for full details.

7.Restricted destinations

We do not ship to OFAC-sanctioned countries. As of this policy version, the restricted list includes Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Syria, Russia, Belarus, and Russia-occupied regions of Ukraine. If your delivery address is in a restricted destination, your order will be declined and refunded in full.

Sanctions lists change. We follow current US OFAC guidance at the time of shipment. If a destination becomes sanctioned after your order is placed but before it ships, we will contact you and refund your order in full.

8.Lost or damaged in transit

Every parcel ships insured for its declared value. Risk of loss passes to you when we hand the shipment to the carrier. If a parcel is lost or damaged in transit, you must pursue a claim with the carrier. On request we will provide reasonable documentation (such as your invoice and proof of shipment) to support your claim, but we are not obligated to file or manage carrier claims on your behalf. If a parcel arrives damaged, do not discard the packaging; photograph it before opening and retain it to support your carrier claim.

9.Tracking

A tracking number is emailed to you when the parcel ships. It is also visible in your order confirmation email thread. For Bitcoin-paid orders, your tracking number is keyed to your order number, not your wallet address.

If you have not received a tracking number within 3 business days of payment clearing, contact orders@citadelvault.org.

10.Refunds and returns

All sales are final. Returns are only by authorized RMA under the Terms of Sale §7; see the Returns and RMA Policy for the full procedure and conditions. As it relates to shipping:

Returns. Only by authorized RMA under the Terms of Sale. There is no general 14-day return window.
Outbound shipping fee. Not refundable. The carrier service was rendered.
VAT and duties. Not refundable by Citadel. Citadel never collected those amounts. They were paid to your local tax authority via DHL. Many jurisdictions offer a duty drawback or VAT refund procedure administered locally; we provide all required documentation (commercial invoice, RMA number, proof of return) on request.
Return shipping. Your responsibility, unless the unit arrived defective or we shipped the wrong SKU, in which case we arrange and pay the return label.

11.Contact

Shipping questions: shipping@citadelvault.org

Order status and tracking: orders@citadelvault.org