EU introduces €3 duty on low‑value parcels from outside the bloc

From 1 July 2026 the European Union will end the “de‑minimis” exemption for goods under €150 and apply a flat €3 customs duty for each product category in parcels shipped from third‑country sellers. The measure targets the surge of cheap online orders, mainly from China, which accounted for over 90 % of the roughly 5.9 billion low‑value items that entered the EU in 2025 (about 16 million parcels per day). It is intended to level the playing field for European retailers, improve product‑safety oversight and reduce the administrative burden on customs authorities.

The duty is temporary, lasting until 1 July 2028, after which a full Customs Data Hub will replace the flat charge with normal tariff calculations. The €3 fee is payable by the importer – now treated as the online marketplace – and may be passed on to consumers. It is applied per product category, so a mixed order of three different categories would incur €9 of duty, whereas three identical items would be charged once.

France’s national €2 “small‑parcel” tax, introduced in March 2026, was suspended on the same day to avoid double charging, with the government citing the EU measure as the intended solution. Similar national provisions in Italy, Romania, Belgium, the Netherlands and Portugal are expected to be superseded once the EU rule takes effect.