From Sunday 1 November, the European Union will charge a new €2 processing fee on parcels sent directly to EU consumers from outside the EU and EFTA. According to The Local Germany, the fee is added on top of the €3 tax on small parcels that has applied since July, so cheap orders from platforms such as Shein, Temu and AliExpress will cost more.
What happened
The Local Germany reports that the EU announced the new handling or processing fee in April. It now applies to all shipments arriving in the EU from a non-EU country that is also outside EFTA (the European Free Trade Association, made up of Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein). The fee applies whatever the value of the goods ordered.
The EU says the money will cover the growing customs costs caused by the very large number of individual packages, and will pay for tighter customs controls. The Local Germany cites figures showing that nearly 5.9 billion small parcels entered the EU in 2025, more than 180 every second and four times the number in 2022. Of these, 93 percent came from China, usually through sites such as Shein, Temu and AliExpress.
According to the report, the EU says the volume makes it impossible to check parcels systematically, which lets dangerous or counterfeit products get through. European manufacturers and retailers had long complained of unfair competition, and several countries, led by France, pushed the EU to act.
What it means for you
If you live in Germany and order goods from shops or marketplaces based outside the EU and EFTA, you may pay more per order from 1 November. The timing matters, because many people do their heaviest online shopping around Black Friday and Christmas.
The fee is not charged per parcel or per individual item. Like the €3 small parcel tax, it is charged for each category of item in a single package, because this is how goods are declared at customs. The Local Germany gives these examples:
- A parcel containing twenty caps, of any brand or model, costs €2 in fees, because caps count as one category.
- A parcel containing three caps, four t-shirts and two belts costs €6, because it holds three separate categories.
The €2 fee comes on top of the €3 tax that has applied since July to imported parcels worth less than €150. Both charges are worked out by category in the same way.
Under European law, the platforms, sellers or their intermediaries are responsible for paying these fees. They are allowed to pass the cost on to you when you pay for your order. However, The Local Germany reports that the European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) has pointed out that postal services and delivery companies must not later ask consumers to pay these fees.
In practice, residents should:
- Check the final price at checkout on non-EU platforms, as the fees may be included there.
- Expect a higher total when one order includes several types of product.
- Be careful if a postal or delivery company asks for these fees on delivery, since BEUC says this should not happen.
What to watch next
The Local Germany says the €3 tax has already had a significant effect: the flow of small parcels has fallen by about 64 percent since July, although Brussels has warned it is too early to draw conclusions.
The €2 processing fee is permanent, but the amount will be reviewed every two years. The €3 tax is temporary and will be scrapped in July 2028. After that, small parcels will be subject to European customs duties on the same basis as other shipments, so the cost of ordering cheap goods from outside Europe may change again.
Source: The Local Germany
Sources
- The Local Germany: EU to slap new €2 fee on online shopping orders from outside Europe, accessed 31 October 2026
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