€3 EU import fee for non-EU parcels approved, Netherlands may add extra charge

Buying parcels from outside the EU will get more expensive. Starting in July, consumers must pay a 3-euro import fee on all packages, including those from Chinese online stores. EU finance ministers approved the measure on Friday. At present, import duties only apply to packages worth 150 euros or more.

EU member states aim to curb the massive influx of parcels, particularly from China, entering the EU.

In addition to the import fee, the Netherlands plans to introduce a 2-euro handling charge per product as soon as possible. This means a parcel containing a single item would become 5 euros more expensive, while a package with three different items would add 15 euros to the cost.

The fee is set to come into effect across the EU in November next year, but the Netherlands aims to implement it as early as January 1. Approval is still needed from the Council of Ministers, so it is unclear if this timeline can be met. Heijnen also plans to roll out the measure in coordination with several other countries.

State Secretary Eugène Heijnen, responsible for Fiscal Affairs and Customs, welcomed the decision. “Given the massive volume of parcels coming into Europe, we see this as a very effective measure.”

Heijnen clarified in Brussels that the 3-euro fee applies to each individual product starting in July. So, for an order containing a pair of socks, a charging cable, and Christmas lights, consumers would pay an additional 9 euros on top of the product prices.

The European Commission had originally intended to implement the measure in 2028, but some member states pushed for an earlier start.