From November 1, the EU will start charging a Union handling fee of 2 euros on every parcel shipped from a country outside the Union. Together with the 3 euro customs duty on small parcels in force since July 1, this comes to 5 euros, or about 22 zloty, per item.
The fee applies to goods brought into the EU through distance sales, including orders from platforms such as Temu, Shein or AliExpress. On its page dedicated to the reform of EU customs duties, the European Commission states that from November 1, 2026 the Union handling fee of 2 euros will apply. It is meant to cover the rising costs of customs work: checking data, risk analysis, and document and goods controls.
3 euro duty plus 2 euro fee
A temporary duty of 3 euros has been in force since July 1, 2026. It replaced the customs exemption for consignments worth up to 150 euros. The duty is charged for each goods item (tariff code) in the customs declaration. According to the Commission’s website, the exemption was abolished as part of the reform, and the flat rate is to apply until July 1, 2028, after which standard duties depending on the type of goods will return.
The handling fee is a separate mechanism. According to Eurofiscalis, its amount was set in Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/2152. According to this source, it covers all distance-sale consignments from outside the EU, with no value threshold, and for parcels up to 150 euros the total with duty comes to 5 euros per item. VAT is added on top. The same service notes that the fee is non-refundable, even if the customer returns the goods.
The change is also covered by „Rzeczpospolita”, which reports that the total charge will be 5 euros, or about 22 zloty, for each item in the declaration.
What it means for buyers in Poland
The biggest difference will be felt by people buying cheap trinkets. For an order worth a few euros, an extra 5 euros can double or triple the cost. For a basket worth 100 euros, the surcharge is proportionally small.
The charge is calculated per item, not per order. If a single parcel contains goods under different tariff codes, the fees may add up. How this works in practice depends on how sellers and carriers handle the declarations, since they usually collect the amounts from the customer at purchase or delivery. Buyers should therefore check whether the price in the basket includes duty and the fee, or whether they will be added on delivery.
The change does not apply to purchases from shops based in the EU, even if the goods originally come from China. It applies to parcels sent from outside the Union.
Broader context
The changes are part of a reform meant to curb the influx of very cheap goods from Chinese platforms. The European Commission is also taking action against the platforms themselves. We covered this when Brussels fined Temu 200 million euros.
As of publication, there is no data on whether the platforms will pass the fee on to customers in full or absorb part of it in their margins.
