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Is the new parcel duty the same as the EU handling fee?

No — they are two different instruments, and only one of them exists. The flat customs duty of €3 per HS6 tariff line has been law since 1 July 2026. The EU-wide handling fee on low-value goods is still a proposal, with its amount and start date expected to be decided in autumn 2026. Merging the two into one “new parcel fee” muddles what you actually owe today.

Decided and in force: the transitional customs duty

Regulation (EU) 2026/382 abolished the de-minimis exemption and introduced a flat duty of €3 per distinct HS6 tariff line for IOSS consignments up to €150. It is a customs duty in the legal sense, it flows to public budgets, and it is transitional — scheduled to run until July 1, 2028, when per-product tariffs take over.

Proposed and undecided: the EU handling fee

Separately, an EU-wide handling fee on low-value parcels has been proposed to help fund the cost of processing billions of small imports. So far there is no adopted amount, no start date and no legal text in force — the decision was expected in autumn 2026. Until that lands, any article quoting a specific handling-fee figure is quoting speculation.

And a third thing: carrier fees and national charges

Confusion is easy because a third category already exists: carriers charge their own advancement or presentation fees for clearing parcels. These are commercial charges set by the carrier, not by customs — typically €0–€8 for postal operators and €5–€20 for express couriers.

On top of that, several member states have signalled national handling charges of their own. None of these are the EU proposal, and none of them are the flat duty. When a charge appears on your delivery notice, it helps to know which of the three buckets it belongs to.

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Frequently asked questions

Has the EU handling fee on parcels started?
No. It remains a proposal without an adopted amount or start date; the decision was expected in autumn 2026. Any charge you paid on a recent order is something else — either the flat customs duty per HS6 tariff line, the standard tariff on a non-IOSS parcel, import VAT, or your carrier's own advancement fee.
What is the difference between a customs duty and a handling fee?
A customs duty is a tax on imported goods collected under customs law — the flat per-line charge and standard tariffs are both duties. A handling fee pays for processing: the proposed EU version would cover the cost of dealing with the parcel flood, while carrier fees such as €0–€8 postal or €5–€20 express are private charges for the clearance service itself.
Could I end up paying both the duty and a handling fee?
Possibly, if the proposal becomes law. The flat duty or a tariff would remain a customs charge, and a handling fee would come on top of it, much as carrier advancement fees already do today. Nothing is certain until the EU adopts an amount and a start date, so treat any combined figure you read as provisional.
Are member states adding their own parcel charges?
Several have signalled charges of their own, but — as with the EU-wide fee — none were finalised when this guide was last verified. If one arrives it will be a separate line from customs duty and VAT, and in most setups it would be collected by the carrier at delivery, alongside today's advancement fees.

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