EU introduces €2 handling fee per item on parcels from non-EU countries
From 1 November, the European Union charges €2 for each item listed in the customs declaration on parcels from third countries. Together with the €3 customs duty introduced in July, goods from outside the EU become more expensive.
From 1 November, a handling fee applies across the European Union (EU) to parcels arriving from third countries. Shoppers must pay two euros for each item listed in the customs declaration. Combined with the €3 customs duty introduced in July, goods ordered from outside the EU now cost more.
The fee is part of the EU's customs reform. It is intended to cover the costs of customs control, including document checks, risk analysis and physical inspection.
Parcel volumes have surged
Darja Ralkina, head of customs services at Estonia's Tax and Customs Board, says the number of parcels imported into the EU from third countries has grown steadily in recent years. There were one billion in 2022, two billion in 2023, four billion in 2024 and six billion in 2025.
She says checking parcels involves a lot of work: processing data, maintaining information systems and carrying out risk analysis. If the analysis shows a parcel needs to be checked after it arrives in Estonia, that also takes time and resources. A check may involve reviewing documents or physically inspecting the goods. Ralkina notes that customs has many more tasks than checking parcels from China.
Where the money goes
Both the €3 duty, in place since 1 July, and the €2 handling fee, in place since 1 November, apply across the EU. The revenue is split between national and EU budgets. Of the €3 duty, 25% stays with the country that collected it and 75% goes to the EU budget. The customs duty is split the same way. Ralkina says talks are under way and the proportion may change from January, so that countries spending resources on customs clearance receive more.
What the fee covers
The handling fee applies to parcels sent by companies to private individuals. It does not apply to trade between businesses, nor to gifts sent from one private person to another.
Recipients will not necessarily have to pay the fee separately on delivery. Depending on the online shop's or platform's terms, it may be charged at checkout or when the goods are imported.
