The European Commission has confirmed a new €2 per-parcel processing fee for all imports from non-EU countries, effective 1 November 2026, as part of a broader customs reform. The fee will be collected from online marketplace platforms — including Shein, Temu, and AliExpress — rather than from European consumers directly.
The new charge layers on top of the €3 customs duty that took effect in July 2026, which ended duty-free treatment for low-value parcels under €150. Together, they add €5 per parcel to the cost of importing cheap goods from China and other non-EU countries. In 2025, EU customs processed approximately 6 billion parcels from online retailers, 90% originating from China.
Early data from France suggests the duties are having an impact: the country's economic ministry reported that small parcel volumes dropped by up to 40% in the first weeks after the July duty took effect. The new November fee is expected to accelerate that trend.
The measures are part of a wider EU customs overhaul that will also establish a new EU customs authority based in Lille, France, beginning operations in 2027. By 2028, a new digital platform will make all imports taxable from the first euro, replacing the current transitional arrangements.
The reforms target the business model of ultra-fast-fashion and budget marketplace platforms that have flooded European markets with billions of low-cost items, often circumventing safety and quality standards.
