Online trade EU introduces new handling fee for cheap online goods
In the fight against the flood of small parcels from online purchases from third countries, the EU is introducing a new handling fee. From November 1, the new fee will apply to every product ordered online and imported into the EU.
27.03.2026, 00:20
SDA
The fee is to be levied by the national authorities. This was agreed by negotiators from the European Parliament and the EU countries in Brussels, as announced by both.
The amount of the fee has yet to be determined by the EU Commission. The fee is intended to cover the rising costs of the growing number of small consignments from online trade - such as the inspection and control of imports.
The handling fee is in addition to the planned new customs duties. Parcels with a value of up to 150 euros can currently be imported into the international community duty-free. However, in order to counteract unwanted cheap imports, from July a fee of three euros will apply to every parcel with a value of up to 150 euros.
