EU To Add €3 Flat Customs Duty Fee On Low Value Imports In July 2026
EU countries set to impose flat €3 customs duty fee on imported parcels under €150 in temporary measure aimed at curbing low-value foreign ecommerce shipments until broader, permanent changes go into effect in 2028.
"With e-commerce expanding rapidly, the world is changing fast and we need the right tools to keep pace," said EU Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič said.
"That is why the decision on customs duties for small parcels coming into the EU is so important to ensuring fair competition at our borders in today’s e-commerce era."
The decision, which goes into effect July 1 2026, applies per item, which will be applied to each item according to its tariff heading contained in a consignment.
This temporary flat duty fee is separate from ongoing negotiation of an EU handling fee, which is meant to compensate for the increasing costs that customs authorities incur for supervising the significant flow of on ecommerce packages.
According to the Council mandate, that separate handling fee should enter into force in November 2026 but the content and date are currently under negotiation between the Council and the European Parliament as part of ongoing customs reform discussions.
In addition, several EU jurisdictions including Belgium, France, the Netherlands, and Romania are expected to introduce their own customs handling fee of €2 per declaration item on low-value shipments from non-EU countries to EU consumers as early as January 1, 2026.
The number of small ecommerce parcels entering the EU has increased sharply in recent years. Some €4.6 billion low-value items under €150 were imported to the EU in 2024, representing an average of 12 million parcels per day, according to European Commission data.
The move follows similar changes in the US which ended the $800 de minimis exemption earlier this year, causing postal services across the globe to scramble for solutions to comply with new requirements to implement systems to support Delivery Duty Paid shipments.
Liz Morton
While this new EU fee is expected to have the largest impact on Temu, Shein and other China based ecommerce giants, Amazon, eBay, Etsy and other marketplaces are sure to feel the pinch as well.
