Starting Sunday, November 1st, the European Union will begin charging an additional €2 "processing fee" on all parcels imported from non-EU or EFTA third countries. This new measure, which was first announced in April, applies to every shipment regardless of the value of the items ordered. The fee is intended to help cover the rising customs costs generated by the massive volume of individual packages entering the European market.
This new charge is in addition to the existing €3 tax that has been applied since July to imported parcels with a value below €150. These processing fees are calculated based on the categories of items contained within a single package. For example, a shipment containing twenty caps of the same model will incur a single €2 fee. However, if a parcel contains a mix of items—such as three caps, four t-shirts, and two belts—the fee applies to each separate category, resulting in a total charge of €6. This calculation method aligns with how products are declared at customs.
European legislation mandates that these fees are the responsibility of the platforms, sellers, or their intermediaries, though they may be billed to consumers at the time of purchase. The European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) clarified on Monday that these charges must not be claimed from consumers by postal services or delivery companies after the initial transaction.
The introduction of this fee is part of a broader effort to finance tighter customs controls in response to the surge of goods from Asian-based platforms like Shein, Temu, and AliExpress. In 2025, nearly 5.9 billion small parcels entered the EU, averaging over 180 every second—a fourfold increase since 2022. Approximately 93 percent of these shipments originated from China. The EU has stated that this volume makes systematic checking impossible, creating risks for dangerous or counterfeit products to enter the market.
European manufacturers and merchants have long campaigned against what they describe as unfair competition, with several nations, led by France, urging the EU to address the issue. The existing €3 tax has already impacted trade, with small parcel flows dropping by roughly 64 percent since July, though officials warn it remains too early to draw definitive conclusions. While the €2 processing fee is a permanent measure subject to a biennial review, the €3 tax is temporary and slated to be removed in July 2028, at which point small parcels will be subject to standard European customs duties.
Faced with such an avalanche of goods, which widens the European trade deficit, the EU says it is impossible to systematically check parcels. This allows dangerous or counterfeit products to slip through the cracks.
The €3 tax has already had significant effects: since July, flows of small parcels have dropped by about 64 percent, even if Brussels has warned that it is too early to draw conclusions.
