According to the latest announcement from the European Commission, starting from July 1, 2026, the EU will abolish the customs duty exemption for low-value imported parcels under €150, and impose a temporary fixed duty of €3 on low-value consignments from outside the EU, applicable until July 1, 2028.
This duty is not simply calculated at €3 per parcel, but is levied based on the number of commodity items classified under different tariff headings within the parcel. For example, if a parcel contains only one type of item, such as a T-shirt, the duty is €3; if it contains both a T-shirt and a watch, the duty may be €6.
Media reports indicate that in 2024, approximately 4.6 billion low-value parcels under €150 entered the EU market, and by 2025, this figure had increased to about 5.8 billion parcels, a year-on-year increase of approximately 26%. The EU previously disclosed that about 91% of such small parcels originate from China.
The European Commission estimates that about 65% of small parcels entering the EU have undervalued declared goods to evade customs duties. Some enterprises exacerbate pressure on customs supervision and fair competition by controlling the value of goods below the €150 duty-free threshold.
It should be noted that according to the official EU explanation, starting from July 1, 2026, the temporary €3 duty will apply, and the Product Identifier Code (PID) can be declared voluntarily. From November 1, 2026, the PID will become mandatory, aimed at improving product traceability and security inspection capabilities.
Alongside the mandatory PID declaration, a separate EU customs processing fee is also being advanced. This fee is currently still in the proposal stage. Previously, media reported that the European Commission had proposed a processing fee of €2 per parcel for low-value e-commerce parcels.
