Overview
- The new €2 charge applies per goods position for direct shipments from outside the EU and takes effect on 1 November 2026, and it is added to the existing €3 small‑parcel handling charge.
- Customs will count goods positions by category rather than by individual item or parcel, so multiple identical items can be treated as a single position while different products increase the fee.
- Importers, typically platforms, sellers or carriers, must pay the fee to customs but can pass the cost to shoppers through higher prices or shipping charges.
- Early enforcement after the July change already showed big drops in small‑parcel entries, and sellers are shifting toward EU warehouses, bulk shipments or price adjustments ahead of holiday sales.
- The charge responds to a wave of low‑cost imports—about 5.9 billion last year, mostly from China—and follows EU checks that found widespread non‑compliance and dangerous products, with the Commission estimating related customs costs at roughly €5.3 billion a year.