EU Plans New Two-Euro Fee on Online Orders from Third Countries

Online orders from countries outside the European Union could become more expensive again from November. The EU is planning a new handling fee of two euros per imported item. Unlike the customs duty already in force since July, it is to be charged regardless of the value of the shipment.

The European Union is further tightening its rules for cross-border online trade. According to the Czech Customs Administration (Celní správa ČR), the new European customs legislation provides for an additional handling fee for e-commerce shipments from countries outside the EU.

The new fee is to amount to two euros per imported item and apply from 1 November 2026. EU member states and the European Parliament can still raise objections to the amount of the fee. If no objection is lodged and the regulation is published in time, the fee is to be introduced as planned.

Photo: Polina Tankilevitch | Pexels

Fee regardless of the value of the shipment

The new charge therefore differs from the customs duty on goods from foreign online shops that has been in force since 1 July 2026. Since then, most e-commerce shipments worth no more than 150 euros have been subject to customs duty of three euros per item. The previous customs exemption for low-value shipments was thereby abolished.

The planned two-euro fee, by contrast, is not to be limited to shipments worth up to 150 euros. Under the current proposal, it is to apply to e-commerce imports regardless of the value of the goods.

Three-Euro Customs Duty Takes Effect in the Czech Republic – Cheap Imports Down Sharply Since July

The background to the new rules is above all the sharp increase in online orders from countries outside the European Union. This trend is also particularly evident in the Czech Republic.

According to the Czech Customs Administration, around 105 million items were imported into the Czech Republic over the whole of 2025. A comparable volume was already reached again in the first half of 2026. The growing quantities are increasingly creating challenges for customs authorities when it comes to checking imported goods.

Since the introduction of the three-euro customs duty in July, however, the number of imports has fallen significantly. In July and August 2026, the Czech Customs Administration registered around 6.6 million imported items. In the same period of the previous year, the figure was still around 20.3 million.

According to the Customs Administration, the new duty has therefore at least partly helped to slow the influx of particularly cheap goods from third countries and to level the playing field between European retailers and suppliers outside the EU.

EU wants to ease pressure on customs controls

The additional two-euro fee is now intended to prevent another sharp rise in shipment volumes from overwhelming European customs authorities. At the same time, it is intended to improve controls, better protect consumers and make it easier to ensure compliance with European customs and product safety rules.