Online purchases shipped directly to EU consumers from outside the bloc will no longer be exempt from customs duty when they are worth less than €150, after a rule change that took effect on Tuesday.
Packages under the previous threshold will now be charged a flat €3 customs duty per item, with the duty collected from online platforms or other businesses involved in selling and transporting the goods, the European Commission announced on Wednesday.
Consumers will not have to pay the duty directly to customs authorities at the point of delivery.
Low-value parcels have become the dominant type of imported item entering the EU, with 5.9 billion such items brought in during 2025 alone.
That equated to more than 16 million packages cleared by customs each day.
The €150 exemption — sometimes called a “de minimis” threshold — was introduced when online shopping was less common and customs systems were less digital.
Safety checks and new product identifiers
A 2025 EU-wide investigation found that more than 60% of low-value goods entering the EU did not comply with product requirements or safety standards, the Commission said.
The new rules also introduce the need to declare product identifiers, described by the Commission as information that helps authorities identify goods and manage risk. The requirement will be voluntary from 1 July 2026 and become mandatory from November 2026.
The €3 duty is a transitional measure agreed by EU member states, and is due to be replaced from July 2028 when the EU Customs Data Hub becomes operational and customs duties are applied under normal rules based on a product’s classification, origin and value.
Trade commissioner Maroš Šefčovič said the change would bring the customs system “up to speed with how trade works today” and would mean “stronger enforcement” and “better consumer protection.”
