Imported parcels: the introduces new processing fees as of November 1

From 1^er in november 2026, a processing fee of €2 applies for each category of item in a distance sale shipment without a value threshold.

This tax applies to all goods dispatched directly from a country outside the customs territory of the Union in the context of a distance sale to a private individual located in the EU.

This processing fee of 2 € is therefore applied for each category of item contained in the package, for example, if the latter contains:

• 2 toys, 1 coat and 2 bottles of perfume, the total processing fee for this package is 6 € (3 different categories of items in the package);

• 3 t-shirts and 1 pair of shoes, the total amount of the processing fee is 4 € (2 different categories of items in the package).

Item categories are defined from the European Combined Nomenclature.

These European processing fees are in addition to the €3 customs duties already applied since July 1, 2026, the calculation of which is based on the same principle of category of item contained in a package with a value of less than or equal to €150.

These processing costs are intended to help cover the costs of management, IT and administrative processing and customs controls at European level.

A Europe-wide inspection campaign revealed that more than 60% of the items checked did not comply with European standards.

The level of processing costs will be reviewed at European level every two years to keep pace with the cost of customs checks.