Online orders from outside EU to Germany will soon cost more

In July 2026, the European Commission will introduce a new customs duty on e-commerce parcels arriving from outside the bloc.

New duty for non-EU e-commerce packages

From July 2026, the European Union will charge a duty on e-commerce parcels arriving from outside the bloc. The duty will apply to packages up to the value of 150 euros and charge 3 euros for every type of item packaged. For example, if a package contains a t-shirt and a pair of shoes, the levy would be 6 euros. 

EU countries are introducing the surcharge in hopes of reducing the high number of incoming packages from online stores, especially those in China, such as Temu, Shein and AliExpress. “The new duty will help protect the competitiveness of European businesses by levelling the playing field between e-commerce and traditional retail,” the European Commission wrote in a press release. 

EU mulls handling fee for packages

A handling fee for parcels coming from outside the EU is also being discussed. If it goes ahead, regulations could come into effect in European countries from November 2026 and would charge an additional 2 euros per item in a package. 

“While the customs duty eliminates a competitive advantage that the e-commerce operators currently enjoy, the handling fee is meant to compensate for the increasing costs that customs authorities incur for supervising the very significant flow of parcels,” wrote the commission.