From Sunday: EU charges €2 fee on parcels from outside the bloc
The new handling fee comes on top of the temporary €3 duty on small parcels. Platforms such as Temu, Shein and AliExpress are most affected.
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From Nov. 1, 2026, the EU will charge a flat €2 handling fee on goods ordered online from non-EU countries. It does not depend on the value and also applies to consignments worth more than €150. One item means goods with the same tariff classification, description and origin: a parcel with a pen, a notebook and a key ring costs €6, two identical pens €2. The fee is non-refundable, including for returns.
The declarant – platform, seller or carrier – pays and can pass the cost on to buyers. 75 percent of the revenue goes to the EU budget, 25 percent stays with member states. The fee comes on top of the temporary €3 duty per item on consignments up to €150, which has applied since July 1, 2026 and runs until July 1, 2028.
According to the European Commission, small-parcel imports fell by 60 percent between July and September, but around 5 million parcels still enter the EU every day. In 2024, 91 percent of them came from China. E-commerce is “a disproportionate cost” for customs, an EU official said.