How to Define Surcharges by Country with WooCommerce

Defining surcharges by country in WooCommerce allows you to add additional fees based on the customer’s location. This can be useful for covering extra shipping costs, taxes, or other regional expenses.

Step 1: Install and Activate a Custom Functions Plugin

To add custom code snippets to your WooCommerce store, it’s recommended to use a child theme or a custom plugin like “Code Snippets”. This way, you won’t lose your customizations when updating your theme or WooCommerce.

  1. Install the Code Snippets Plugin: Go to your WordPress dashboard, navigate to Plugins > Add New, and search for “Code Snippets”. Install and activate the plugin.

Step 2: Add a Custom Code Snippet for the Surcharge

Once the plugin is activated:

    1. Go to Snippets > Add New in your WordPress dashboard.
    2. Title your new snippet for future reference (e.g., “Country Based Surcharge”).
    3. Paste the following code snippet into the code box:

  1. Customize the $country_surcharges array by adding or modifying the country codes and surcharge amounts as needed. You can find the two-letter country codes here.
  2. Save and activate the snippet.

Step 3: Test the Surcharge

After adding the custom code, test the functionality to ensure that the surcharge is correctly applied:

  1. Visit your WooCommerce store as a customer.
  2. Add products to the cart and proceed to checkout.
  3. Select or enter a shipping address with a country that you’ve set a surcharge for.
  4. The surcharge should now be added to the cart total.

Additional Tips

  • Testing: Thoroughly test the surcharge functionality for different countries to ensure that the correct fees are being applied.
  • User Transparency: Consider informing your customers about potential surcharges based on their location through your store’s FAQs or shipping policies page to maintain transparency and prevent surprises during checkout.

This guide outlines a basic approach to adding country-based surcharges. Depending on your specific needs, you might require additional customization. For more complex scenarios, consider hiring a WooCommerce developer or consulting with WooCommerce support for tailored solutions.

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About the Author: Bernard Aybout

In the land of bytes and bits, a father of three sits, With a heart for tech and coding kits, in IT he never quits. At Magna's door, he took his stance, in Canada's wide expanse, At Karmax Heavy Stamping - Cosma's dance, he gave his career a chance. With a passion deep for teaching code, to the young minds he showed, The path where digital seeds are sowed, in critical thinking mode. But alas, not all was bright and fair, at Magna's lair, oh despair, Harassment, intimidation, a chilling air, made the workplace hard to bear. Management's maze and morale's dip, made our hero's spirit flip, In a demoralizing grip, his well-being began to slip. So he bid adieu to Magna's scene, from the division not so serene, Yet in tech, his interest keen, continues to inspire and convene.