Starting today, the EU has abolished an outdated customs duty exemption for e-commerce packages worth less than €150, in a bid to help ensure fair conditions for EU businesses and safe choices for consumers.
The measure comes in response to a surge of billions of low-value e-commerce goods entering the EU. Goods coming from third countries bought online and shipped directly to consumers will now pay a €3 customs duty per item.
“Goods entering the Union should meet the same standards of compliance and traceability as goods sold in our Single Market”, said the Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic: “Platforms and sellers profiting from European consumers must play by the same rules as European businesses. Scrapping the de minimis exemption simply brings our customs system up to speed with how trade works today – resulting in fairer competition, stronger enforcement, better consumer protection.”
The €150 customs duty exemption was designed for an era of occasional online purchases and less digitalised customs systems. This no longer fits reality, says the EU executive, and its removal corrects a long-standing structural imbalance for EU enterprises. Across Europe, town high streets are becoming increasingly deserted, undermining local job opportunities and weakening community life. From an environmental perspective, the fast-paced e-commerce model contributes to packaging waste and carbon-heavy logistics, with frequent returns and long-distance shipping doubling transport pollution.
The measure ensures that EU retailers importing in bulk, and large-scale non-EU online operators compete under the same regulatory conditions.
European consumers are not responsible for paying the duties to the customs authorities. Duties are collected by the customs authorities from the platforms, or any other business involved in the sale and transportation of the imported goods. Consumers buying online are therefore spared from additional payment at delivery.
The rapid growth of e-commerce has also brought increased risks for consumers. A 2025 EU-wide investigation found that over 60% of low-value goods entering the EU do not comply with product requirements or safety standards. This means they can contain toxic ingredients or be incorrectly labelled, putting consumers in danger.
The new measure also introduces the need to declare product identifiers (PIDs). The inclusion of PIDs improves risk management and control procedures, helping to enforce prohibitions and restrictions. This will support authorities to more effectively detect non-compliant goods and expand controls beyond individual shipments, to cover all items presenting similar risks. This will apply on a voluntary basis from 1 July 2026 and will become mandatory as from November 2026.
The €3 rate is a transitional solution, agreed by EU Member States, as an urgent response to the challenges arising from the rapid growth of e-commerce. From July 2028, the EU Customs Data Hub will become operational, applying normal customs duties based on the good’s tariff classification, origin, and value, in accordance with existing/standard EU customs duty rules.
Questions and answers – European Commission
Guidance document for Member States on €3 temporary customs duty
