Selling to EU customers? A €2 handling fee now applies to every item
Since 1 November 2026, the EU charges a €2 handling fee on each line of an order sent from outside the EU to an EU shopper. It comes on top of the €3 customs duty per line on parcels worth up to €150, which has applied since 1 July 2026, plus VAT. Royal Mail now also needs product identifier data for parcels to the EU.
Key facts
- Platform
- EU customs
- Do I need to act?
- Yes
- Deadline
- None
- Who it’s for
- founders, ops
- Announced
- 1 November 2026
- Source
- royalmail.com ↗
What they said
Read the original ↗“The fee has been published in the delegated act as €2 per line, will apply to distance sales”
Does this affect you?
- UK online shops selling and shipping to consumers in the EU
- Orders delivered within the UK
Why it matters
For a UK brand selling to EU shoppers, an order with two different products worth under €150 can now carry €10 of extra charges before VAT. If your customer pays them on delivery, expect more refused parcels and returns.
Royal Mail says it started requiring product identifier data on items posted to the EU from 26 October 2026, so missing data can hold parcels up.
What to do
- 1Decide who pays the new chargesYou or your finance team
Choose whether to build the duty and fee into your EU prices or have customers pay on delivery, and say so clearly at checkout.
- 2Check your customs data is completeYour ops team
Make sure every product has the right commodity code and description, and that your shipping app sends the product data your carrier now asks for.
- 3Review your EU shipping pricesYou
Work out what a typical EU order now costs you and check your shipping rates and free delivery threshold for EU customers.
Questions
What is the EU €2 handling fee?
It's a €2 charge per line on goods sold online and sent to EU consumers from outside the EU. It has applied since 1 November 2026, on top of customs duty and VAT.
Does the €2 fee apply to orders over €150?
Yes. The €3 flat duty only covers parcels worth up to €150, but the €2 handling fee applies to distance sales whatever the value.
Found by our AI agent and checked by Peter Screeton, Founder of Create8. He confirmed the original source is genuine and that this summary matches what it said when published.
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