In brief

• From 1 November 2026, parcels from outside the EU sold online to consumers are charged a handling fee of 2 euros for each item on the customs declaration.
• The fee does not depend on the value of the parcel and is added to the flat-rate customs duty of 3 euros applicable from 1 July, making a total of 5 euros per item.
• The revenue is to finance customs control and handling of small shipments, and China has called on the EU to carefully assess the effects of the regulation.

Why the EU is introducing this fee

From 1 November, EU member states collect a handling fee on parcels of goods sold to consumers in the Union by shops and platforms from outside the community (Koniec tanich przesyłek z Chin. Od listopada obowiązuje kolejna opłata – PulsHR.pl) (Nowa unijna opłata manipulacyjna związana z obsługą zgłoszeń celnych przesyłek w sprzedaży na odległość – Gov.pl) (Od 1 listopada opłata 2 euro za przesyłki spoza UE. Nowe zasady od 1 listopada – farmer.pl). The fee amounts to 2 euros and is charged for each item of a customs declaration lodged for release for free circulation. It applies regardless of the value of the parcel and is collected by the customs authority where the declaration was accepted.

The amount was set by the European Commission in a delegated regulation of 21 September, published on 22 October in the Official Journal of the EU. It applies only to distance sales to consumers (B2C).

The reason is the rapid growth of e-commerce and of the number of small shipments. The money is to finance risk analysis, control and customs handling of these parcels (Chiny apelują o "rozwagę". Chodzi o nowe opłaty za tanie przesyłki – dlahandlu.pl). EU regulations are also meant to limit the inflow of cheap goods from China.

Customs duty and the fee together

The fee is added to the flat-rate customs duty of 3 euros, which from 1 July applies to shipments with a value of up to 150 euros (Zakupy na Temu i AliExpress znowu droższe. Policzyliśmy ile dopłacisz – antyweb.pl). Together, the two charges come to 5 euros for each item, and when products from different categories are ordered, the surcharges add up. According to calculations by the Antyweb service, 5 euros is about 22 złoty, and the 2 euros alone about 8.80 zł.

The Chinese Ministry of Commerce expressed concern about the new fees and appealed to Brussels to carefully assess their effects on global e-commerce (Nowe cła na tanie przesyłki. Pekin apeluje do Brukseli – TVN24). Ministry spokeswoman Huang Ling stressed that cross-border trade is a new business model that gives consumers a wide choice.

Beware of fees charged by shops

Some foreign platforms add items described as customs duty or customs fees at checkout. However, paying the seller does not mean the money has reached the customs office. If the seller does not transfer it, the buyer may be required to pay again, so it is worth checking what the charged amounts are used for.

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• Opłaty celne działają. Liczba paczek z Chin w Polsce spadła o połowę