EU starts €2 handling fee per item for online imports from outside the bloc

The European Union has begun applying a new Union handling fee of €2 per item on distance sales from countries outside the bloc, a measure that takes effect on 1 November 2026. ([financien.belgium.be](https://financien.belgium.be/nl/douane_accijnzen/ondernemingen/douane/e-commerce/uhf/gedelegeerde-verordening-eu-20262152?utm_source=openai))

The fee is charged per individual article declared for customs purposes — not per parcel — and covers goods bought online from non‑EU sellers and shipped into the EU. It therefore increases the landed cost of purchases made through low‑cost marketplaces such as Temu, Shein and AliExpress. ([monitorlegal.ro](https://monitorlegal.ro/en/consumer-protection/delegated-regulation-eu-2026-2152-union-handling-fee-2-euro-item-parcels-distance-sales/?utm_source=openai))

How the new levy fits with existing rules

The €2 handling fee is separate from the temporary customs duty of €3 that the EU introduced on 1 July 2026 for consignments with an intrinsic value up to €150; the two charges can apply at the same time and are calculated on different legal bases. ([portal-cec.consumo.gob.es](https://portal-cec.consumo.gob.es/en/comunicacion/noticias/2026/new-european-duty-3-euros-online-purchases-150-euros-shipped-outside-eu?utm_source=openai))

EU authorities say the handling fee is intended to defray the costs of increased customs processing: verification of declarations, risk analysis and physical or documentary checks as the volume of small parcels has surged in recent years. The temporary €3 duty, by contrast, is aimed at rebalancing competition between direct online imports and traditional sellers. ([webgate.acceptance.ec.europa.eu](https://webgate.acceptance.ec.europa.eu/portal9/en/news/eu-applies-eu3-customs-duty-item-low-value-e-commerce-consignments?utm_source=openai))

Retail platforms and carriers must adapt their systems to collect and report the additional charge from 1 November; logistics specialists warn the combined charges will raise costs for very low‑priced items and may accelerate a decline in small‑parcel volumes that started after the €3 duty was introduced. ([forwardernews.com](https://www.forwardernews.com/news/2026-10-29-eu-2-customs-handling-fee?utm_source=openai))

The EU handling fee applies inside the European Union and does not automatically impose the same levy on consumers or shipments in third countries such as North Macedonia; any similar national measure would have to be adopted separately by the authorities outside the EU. ([forwardernews.com](https://www.forwardernews.com/news/2026-10-29-eu-2-customs-handling-fee?utm_source=openai))

Photo: press material from the event