EU Imposes €3 Charge on Low‑Value E‑Commerce Imports

Overview

• The EU began enforcing a €3 charge on low‑value online imports on Wednesday, July 1, replacing the long‑standing €150 exemption that had allowed billions of parcels to enter with no duties.
• The fee is applied per customs classification inside a single shipment, so a package with three different product types will incur a €9 charge while multiple items of the same type pay €3.
• Brussels says the measure aims to cut pressure on national customs services and address safety and labeling failures after 2025 inspections found problems in more than 60% of sampled low‑value imports.
• Online marketplaces are already changing checkout displays and logistics plans: AliExpress will show tariffs and VAT, Amazon says most EU orders come from in‑bloc warehouses, and major sellers may expand European storage while some platforms have not yet commented.
• The charge is temporary until a new EU Customs Authority assumes tariff duties on July 1, 2028; Brussels will require product reference data from November 1, 2026 and officials say they will monitor for routing workarounds and may add a processing fee to fund customs work.