EU’s €2 handling fee for imported online purchases starts on 1 November
The EU charge applies per customs item to qualifying distance sales, separately from import duty and VAT. It is not a new fee on parcels entering South Africa.
The European Union’s €2 handling fee for qualifying imported online purchases applies from Sunday, 1 November, adding a customs-processing charge separate from existing import duties and VAT.
The European Commission confirms the start date in its customs-reform guidance. For South African businesses selling goods online to EU customers, the relevant issue is a qualifying sale into the European customs territory — not a new charge on parcels arriving in South Africa.
Not simply €2 for every parcel
The fee is calculated per customs item, rather than automatically per parcel or individual physical object. An item can include several goods sharing the same tariff classification, description and, where required, origin.
Greece’s tax and customs authority, AADE, sets out the implementation in a circular dated 30 October. It says the fee applies to qualifying distance sales regardless of value, including consignments above €150. Preferential customs-duty treatment does not remove the handling charge.
The circular excludes non-commercial shipments between private individuals. It identifies the customs declarant as the debtor; where someone acts through indirect representation, the person represented is also liable.
Separate from duty and VAT
The handling fee should not be confused with the temporary €3 customs duty introduced in July for eligible low-value imports. AADE says both charges apply where their respective conditions are met. VAT remains a separate part of the transaction’s tax treatment.
The Commission says the handling charge is intended to cover customs-supervision costs, including checking information, assessing risks and inspecting goods.
AADE cites Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/2152, published on 22 October, for the €2 amount and 1 November application date.