EU Customs: the management fee for non-EU online purchases has been set at 2 euros

The European Commission has set the amount of the new management fee on products purchased online and imported from non-EU countries at 2 euros per item as part of the broader customs reform. The handling fee aims to support the increased management costs linked to the deluge of parcels purchased through e-commerce, arriving mainly from China. The amount is published in the delegated act consulted by ANSA and according to expectations it will apply from November 1st. It is a measure distinct from the flat-rate duty of 3 euros on small parcels in force from July 1st with the abolition of exemptions under 150 euros.

The 2 euro figure is in line with the expectations circulated in recent weeks and is formally indicated by the European Commission in the delegated act published on 21 September. The regulation will still have to pass the scrutiny of the European Parliament and the Council: the two co-legislators have 30 days from notification to raise any objections. In the absence of any findings, as is probable, the regulation may be published in the Official Journal of the EU and will come into force on the same day of publication. The management fee will apply ten days later: for this reason the start of the 'handling fee' is expected from November 1st.

The measure aims to deal, as mentioned, with the explosion of low-cost online purchases from third countries and the consequent increase in work for European customs. In 2025, around six billion items were contained in small e-commerce consignments processed in the EU, 90% of which came from China. In particular, purchases made through large platforms such as Shein, Temu and AliExpress will be affected, but also non-EU sales made through other marketplaces, including Amazon.

The 2 euros will serve to cover at least part of the costs incurred by the customs authorities to manage the growing flow of shipments: from data collection and verification to risk analysis, up to checks on goods and the necessary infrastructure.

According to the Commission's assessment, the amount is commensurate with the approximate costs of customs supervision of products sold remotely. The commission is not conceived as a payment collected directly from the consumer upon delivery: in the new system, customs responsibility for online sales falls on the economic operator who sells or facilitates distance selling. However, it remains possible for operators to incorporate the new cost into the prices charged to customers. The amount is not necessarily destined to remain fixed at two euros. The new Customs Code in fact provides for a periodic verification of the costs incurred by the administrations: the Commission will have to process them in a report every two years, on the basis of which the commission can be revised.