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Temu, Shein & AliExpress: the EU's €3 duty and new €2 fee explained
Since 1 November 2026 a €2 EU handling fee sits on top of the €3 duty on cheap non-EU parcels. What it costs you this Christmas and how to check.
If you plan to order Christmas gifts from Temu, Shein, AliExpress or any other shop outside the EU, your basket now carries two EU charges instead of none. Since 1 July 2026, goods in parcels worth €150 or less pay a temporary €3 customs duty per item, ending the old duty-free exemption. And since 1 November 2026, the European Commission says a separate €2 "Union handling fee" also applies, set by Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/2152. Import VAT, which already applied, stays as it was. Here is what that means at checkout, who actually pays, and how to avoid surprises.
What changed, and when
| Date | Change | Applies to |
|---|---|---|
| Until 30 June 2026 | No customs duty on parcels up to €150 (VAT still due) | Low-value imports |
| 1 July 2026 | Temporary €3 customs duty per item | Distance sales in parcels up to €150 |
| 1 November 2026 | €2 Union handling fee per item; product identifiers become mandatory in customs data | Goods sold online and shipped to EU consumers from outside the EU |
| 1 July 2028 | €3 flat duty ends; normal duty rates apply via the new EU Customs Data Hub | All e-commerce imports |
Both charges come from the EU's customs reform, which entered into force in September 2026. The Commission's stated reasons: around 5.9 billion low-value items were shipped directly to EU consumers in 2025, four times the 2022 volume, and EU-wide inspections in 2025 found that more than 60% of checked products in categories such as toys, cosmetics and electronics did not meet EU standards.
How the €3 duty is counted
The €3 is charged per item, not per parcel — but "item" means a product type by customs tariff classification, not each individual unit. The Commission gives this example:
| What's in the parcel | €3 duty |
|---|---|
| 5 T-shirts | €3 (one product type) |
| 1 T-shirt + 1 watch | €6 (two product types) |
So a parcel with five identical phone cases costs less in duty than one phone case, one charger and one pair of earrings.
How the €2 handling fee works
The handling fee is not a customs duty. It is meant to cover the cost of customs processing each parcel: checking data, running risk analysis and carrying out physical controls. The Commission's customs reform page confirms the €2 fee applies from 1 November 2026. Specialist summaries of the regulation report that it is charged per item and, unlike the €3 duty, is not limited to parcels under €150. The exact counting rules for businesses are in the Commission's guidance document (linked below); for you as a shopper, the practical point is that the fee stacks on top of the duty.
From 2028, goods shipped from customs warehouses inside the EU are due to get a lower fee, because they are easier to check.
Who pays — you or the platform?
On paper, not you. The Commission stresses that both measures are imposed on businesses: the seller, platform or its customs representative declares the goods and pays. Under the reform, online platforms become responsible as "importers for distance sales", including for product safety compliance.
In practice, platforms typically build the extra cost into the price or show it as a line at checkout. Only in rare cases — for example when you import something yourself through a national customs portal — would you deal with it directly.
What this means for you: the final price at checkout is the number to compare. If a courier asks you for extra money on delivery for a parcel you already paid duty on at checkout, check your order confirmation before paying and contact the seller.
Why some "EU" deliveries won't carry the charges
Several large platforms have moved stock into warehouses inside the EU. Orders shipped from an EU warehouse are domestic deliveries, so the €3 low-value duty and the €2 fee do not apply to your parcel (the goods were cleared in bulk when they entered the EU). Delivery is often faster, too. Product pages usually say where an item ships from; look for "local warehouse" or an EU dispatch country.
Your consumer rights still matter
Paying more doesn't change your basic rights. When a seller targets EU consumers, EU consumer law generally applies — including, for most online purchases, a 14-day right to withdraw. Watch out, though: return shipping to a non-EU address can be expensive, and duties and fees already paid may be hard to recover. Before Black Friday, read our guide to spotting fake discounts under EU rules. If you are tempted to split payments, see what the new EU buy-now-pay-later rules change.
This is general information, not tax or legal advice. National customs authorities handle individual cases.
What to do now
- Check the full checkout total, including any "import charges", "customs" or "handling" line, before comparing with an EU shop.
- Count product types, not units. Many different small items in one order can add up to a noticeable sum in duties and fees.
- Prefer EU-warehouse listings where the price is similar — no import charges on your parcel and usually faster delivery.
- Order Christmas gifts early. Mandatory product data since 1 November gives customs more grounds to hold or reject parcels with incomplete information.
- Keep your order confirmation showing what you paid, in case a courier asks for duty on delivery.
- Check returns terms first, especially who pays return postage to a non-EU address.
Sources
- European Commission – EU Customs Reform (handling fee, legal texts, guidance)
- European Commission – Guidance and Q&A on the temporary €3 customs duty
- EU Access2Markets – EU applies €3 customs duty per item on low-value e-commerce consignments
- Euronews – EU slaps €3 duty fee on SHEIN, Temu and AliExpress imports