Denmark adds €3 customs fee to cheap Chinese online purchases

From today Denmark will charge a €3 (about 22 kr) customs fee on each type of item in small parcels arriving from non‑EU countries, ending the previous exemption for goods valued under €150. The fee applies per product category, so a package containing a shirt, a charger and socks will be charged three times, while multiple identical items incur a single charge. The change targets the roughly 17 million low‑value parcels that entered Denmark last year, more than 90 % of which came from China, and aims to create fairer competition for Danish and EU retailers and improve safety and environmental standards. The measure is part of a broader EU customs reform set to run until 2028.

Industry groups such as Dansk Erhverv view the fee as a step toward level‑playing conditions, though they doubt it will substantially curb consumer demand for low‑cost foreign e‑commerce platforms.