Customs: Council agrees to levy customs duty on small parcels as of 1 July 2026 13:10 The Council takes urgent action to tackle the influx of dangerous and undervalued goods[...]

The Council today agreed to apply a fixed customs duty of €3 on small parcels entering the EU, largely via e-commerce, from 1 July 2026.

This temporary measure responds to the fact that such parcels currently enter the EU duty free, leading to unfair competition for EU sellers, health and safety risks for consumers, high levels of fraud and environmental concerns. The measure will stay in place until the permanent arrangement for such parcels, agreed in November 2025, enters into force.

As of 1 July 2026, goods entering the EU in small consignments will be subject to a fixed €3 customs duty. The rate will be applied to all goods entering the EU for which non-EU sellers are registered in the EU's import one-stop shop (IOSS) for value-added tax purposes. This encompasses 93% of all e-commerce flows to the EU.

The measure is distinct from the proposed so-called 'handling fee' which is currently under discussion in the context of the customs reform package and the multiannual financial framework.

A temporary solution to an urgent problem

Today's move follows the Council's commitment in November 2025 to work towards a simple, temporary solution to levy customs duties on such goods as soon as possible in 2026. The measure will stay in place until the agreement for a permanent solution to eliminate the customs duty relief threshold altogether comes into application. At that point, all goods under €150 will be eligible for customs duty at the normal EU tariffs for individual products.

The Commission will regularly assess whether the rate should be extended to goods arriving in the EU sold by traders not registered in the IOSS.

• Customs: Council takes action to tackle the influx of small parcels (press release, 13 November 2025)
• EU customs: Council agrees position on key features for a more modern, efficient and secure framework (press release, 27 June 2025)
• Modernising the EU customs union (background information)
• The EU customs union (background information)