New EU Tariffs on Low-Cost Imports: Czech Republic Collects CZK 117 Million in the First Two Weeks

The European Union has introduced new tariffs on low-value consignments from non-EU countries. In the first two weeks alone, the Czech Republic collected almost CZK 117 million in duties on around 470,000 parcels.

The Czech Customs Administration registered almost 470,000 parcels with a value of less than EUR 150 from non-EU countries during the first two weeks following the introduction of the new EU customs levy. Duties totalling almost CZK 117 million were imposed on these consignments, reports news channel ČT24.

According to the General Directorate of Customs, a total of 467,258 customs declarations for e-commerce consignments with a value of up to EUR 150 were recorded between 1 and 14 July 2026. Duties amounting to CZK 116,733,375 were levied on these consignments. One quarter of the revenue remains in the Czech Republic to cover administrative costs. The remaining 75 per cent is transferred to the European Union budget.

The new rules apply to all parcels with a value of up to EUR 150 imported from countries outside the European Union. The amount of duty is determined not by the number of products, but by the number of different product categories within a consignment.

A fee of EUR 3 – equivalent to around CZK 75 – is currently charged for each product category. For example, if a customer orders four T-shirts, only one product category is charged. If the consignment also contains a mobile phone case, it counts as two categories, increasing the duty to EUR 6 – regardless of the value of the phone case.

Initially Introduced for Two Years

The European Union introduced the new customs levy on 1 July on an initial two-year basis. It applies to consignments from all non-EU countries, including the United States and Switzerland. However, the measure is primarily aimed at parcels from Chinese online retailers such as Shein, Temu and AliExpress.

With the new rules, the EU aims to create a level playing field, improve controls on imported goods and reduce the rapidly growing number of low-value consignments. According to the European Commission, around 4.6 billion parcels with a value of less than EUR 150 were imported into the European Union last year – more than twice as many as in the previous year. Around 90 per cent of these consignments originated from China.