No immediate extra fees on packages from outside the EU, Dutch state secretary confirms

Caretaker State Secretary for Finance Eugène Heijnen has informed the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of Dutch parliament, that, for now, packages arriving from outside the European Union, especially from China, will not incur any extra fees.

One of the government’s reasons for proposing the surcharge was to offset the rising costs customs face in checking the large volume of packages coming from China.

The Netherlands, along with Belgium and France, is one of the EU countries processing the highest number of online orders, and the three together handle four out of every five packages entering the EU.

Earlier, EU member states agreed to impose a levy on orders up to 150 euros. Currently, these orders are exempt from import duties, which already adds at least 3 euros to the cost. The proposed national surcharge would have increased the price even further.

The Council of State recently criticized the proposed stacking of fees. Heijnen stated that he needs additional time to review the advice and potentially revise his plans. It also matters that Belgium and France have chosen not to implement a national levy either.

A court in The Hague previously determined that the Dutch government has the power to implement a handling fee. However, when it might take effect is still uncertain, as the measure must first be approved by the Council of Ministers.

The surcharge on packages under 150 euros aims to align import duties and customs charges, curb fraud, under-valuation, and complicated paperwork, and strengthen enforcement of safety inspections and product standards.