Handling fee for e-commerce

Publication date 01-10-2026 | Last update 01-10-2026

Do you submit declarations for e-commerce goods from countries outside the European Union (EU)? If so, you will have to pay a European handling fee of € 2. The fee is expected to take effect on 1 November 2026. The handling fee applies to all e-commerce consignments, including consignments with a value of more than €150.

Extra costs

The amount of the handling fee is € 2. We expect the handling fee to be implemented on 1 November 2026.

The amount is independent of the € 3 import tariff for e-commerce shipments effective since 1 July 2026.

You pay for the extra Customs work

The handling fee covers the extra supervision needed for e-commerce goods, such as verifying data and inspecting packages.

Customs uses the proceeds to hire extra staff. And Customs invests in better tools, such as new scanning technology and the use of AI. This enables Customs to perform more inspections in the same timeframe, using smart technologies. And it enables Customs to better select the shipments we inspect.

Laws and regulations

• Regulation (EU) 2026/2108 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 September 2026 establishing the Union Customs Code and the European Union Customs Authority, and repealing Regulation (EU) No 952/2013 (Text with EEA relevance)
• COMMISSION DELEGATED REGULATION (EU) …/... supplementing Regulation (EU) 2026/2108 of the European Parliament and of the Council by establishing the amount of the Union handling fee

The handling fee is a measure in the new EU Union Customs Code (UCC).