Declared value and additional cover answer different questions — knowing which gap each one actually closes is what decides whether you need one, the other, or both.
Declared value and additional shipping insurance sound like the same thing and get conflated constantly, but they answer two different questions. Declared value, covered in detail in its own guide, sets the ceiling on what you could ever recover — it's a number, not a purchase. Additional cover is the separate product you actively buy at booking to make a claim within that ceiling actually payable, and it comes with its own exclusions (documented in the guide on what additional cover doesn't cover) that apply regardless of the value you declared.
So the honest answer to 'do I need both' is: declared value isn't optional in the sense that you always enter some figure, accurate or not — the real decision is whether to also buy additional cover on top, and that decision depends on what you're shipping and what you'd lose if something went wrong.
| Question | Declared value | Additional cover |
|---|---|---|
| What is it? | A figure you enter at booking | A separate product you buy at booking |
| What does it set? | The ceiling on any possible recovery | Whether a claim within that ceiling is actually paid out |
| Is it required? | You always enter some value, accurate or not | No — it's an optional add-on |
| Does it have exclusions? | No exclusions as such, but statutory liability limits (CMR/Montreal Convention) still cap recovery regardless | Yes — five specific categories are excluded by default regardless of declared value |
Assuming a high declared value alone means you're covered — it only sets the ceiling; a claim still needs to be payable under whatever cover (or lack of it) applies.
Buying additional cover and assuming it overrides the exclusion list — it doesn't; the five excluded categories apply regardless of what cover was purchased.
Not realizing that statutory liability limits (CMR for road, Montreal Convention for air) apply on top of both declared value and any additional cover, capping recovery independently of either.
No. Declared value only sets the ceiling on what you could recover — whether a claim is actually paid depends on additional cover (if purchased) and the statutory liability limits that apply regardless.
No — declare an accurate value regardless of whether you also buy additional cover. Under-declaring caps your own potential recovery no matter what cover you have.
Yes — five categories (food, fragile items, high-value items generally, individual items over €5,000, and sentimental-value items) are excluded from additional cover by default, and separately, some categories are outright prohibited from being shipped at all regardless of value or cover.
Decide on declared value and additional cover together, before you pay — neither can be added retroactively once a parcel is on its way.
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