The EU €2 customs handling fee from 1 November 2026: what it costs and how Teleship collects it
Antoine Mosneron Dupin
October 27, 2026
From Sunday 1 November 2026, EU customs charge a new €2 handling fee on every line item of a B2C parcel imported from outside the EU. If you sell from the UK to EU shoppers, it applies to you. If you show live Teleship rates at checkout, it is already taken care of.
Starts
Sunday 1 November 2026
Amount
€2 per declaration line, on top of duty and VAT
In scope
B2C parcels from outside the EU, including Great Britain, into the EU27
With Teleship
Added to live checkout rates from Wednesday 28 October
1. What is the EU customs handling fee?
The Union handling fee is a flat charge EU customs collect to cover the cost of checking e-commerce imports: data checks, risk analysis and controls. It is set out in the recast Union Customs Code and was fixed at €2 per line item by the European Commission in September 2026.
It is separate from the €3 duty per HS6 line that low-value parcels have paid since 1 July 2026. A parcel can pay both. The fee is owed by whoever declares the goods to customs, not collected from your customer on the doorstep, so it needs to be priced in before the parcel ships.
2. What it costs you: two worked examples
The fee is charged per declaration line, not per parcel or per unit. Items that share a tariff (HS) code go on the same line, so accurate HS codes keep your line count, and your fee, as low as possible. Switch between the two orders below to see every charge, including duty and VAT.
Line 1Ceramic tableware HS 6912
€65.002 × Ceramic Mug + 1 × Ceramic Side Plate
Line 2Candles HS 3406
€30.001 × Soy Wax Candle
Line 3Kitchen linen HS 6302
€15.001 × Cotton Tea Towel
Customs duty
€9.00Flat €3 × 3 lines
EU handling fee
€6.00€2 × 3 lines
Import VAT (France 20%)
€22.00On the goods, collected at checkout under IOSS
The takeaway: on orders under €150 the fixed charges stack up per line, so baskets with many different kinds of products cost the most. Over €150, the flat €3 duty is replaced by the normal duty rate for each product, but the €2 handling fee still applies to every line.
3. If you already ship with Teleship
There is nothing to set up. If your Shopify or WooCommerce checkout shows live Teleship shipping rates, the fee is added to the shipping charge from Wednesday 28 October, so parcels that reach EU customs from 1 November are covered. You only choose who pays it, per region, in Settings › Customer checkout rates:
Teleship adds it at checkout
Customs handling fee toggle off (default)
The applicable fee is added to the shipping charge your customer sees, line by line. Your product prices stay as they are.
Best if you show live Teleship rates and want zero margin impact.
You include it in your prices
Customs handling fee toggle on
You have already built the fee into your retail prices for this region, so Teleship does not add it again.
Best for flat or free-shipping offers and duties-included pricing.
4. Not with Teleship yet? Here is what we take off your plate
From 1 November, selling to EU shoppers means handling a fee per line, duty, VAT and product identifiers on every order. You can do it yourself, or let Teleship do all of it at checkout.
Add €2 per declaration line to every EU order
Count lines yourself and build it into prices
Added to checkout rates automatically
€3 duty per line and import VAT
Calculate, collect and declare yourself
Calculated at checkout and prepaid (DDP)
IOSS registration
Register and file monthly returns
Use Teleship's IOSS number if you have none
Product identifiers on every line
Map M-PID, NS-PID and S-PID per carrier
Filled in from your catalogue
Ready before 1 November, in three steps
- 1
Connect your store
Install the Teleship app for Shopify or WooCommerce. It takes a few minutes and reads your products and orders.
- 2
Turn on EU checkout rates
One setup covers all 27 EU countries: shipping, duty, VAT and the €2 fee shown at checkout, so customers pay upfront.
- 3
Print labels and ship
Every label carries the customs data, identifiers and prepaid duties. Your customer pays nothing on delivery.
5. The other 1 November change: product identifiers
The same date makes product identifiers (PIDs) mandatory on every item line of an EU B2C declaration: your SKU (M-PID), the manufacturer's code (NS-PID) and the barcode (S-PID) where one exists. Teleship adds them to every label automatically, but clean catalogue data gives the fastest clearance.
Where to set PIDs in Shopify and WooCommerce
Field-by-field instructions for SKU, barcode, NS-PID and products with no barcode.
6. Questions merchants ask
Does the fee apply to parcels from the UK?
Yes. Great Britain is outside the EU, so B2C parcels from GB into any of the EU27 are in scope from 1 November 2026, including parcels to Ireland.
Is it per parcel or per item?
Per declaration line. Items that share a tariff (HS) code go on the same line: two mugs and a plate are one line of ceramic tableware; a candle and a tea towel add one line each.
Does it replace the €3 duty?
No. The €3 duty per HS6 line on low-value parcels has applied since 1 July 2026. The €2 handling fee is a separate charge that comes on top.
What about orders over €150?
The €2 handling fee still applies, per declaration line, whatever the order value. What changes over €150 is duty: the flat €3 per line is replaced by the normal duty rate for each product, plus import VAT.
Is the fee refundable if a parcel comes back?
No. The fee covers customs processing, so it is not refunded for refused, failed or returned parcels.
Do I have to do anything?
If you show live Teleship rates, no: the fee is added from Wednesday 28 October. Just decide whether Teleship adds it at checkout or you include it in your prices. Not with Teleship yet? Connect your store and turn on EU checkout rates, and the fee, duty, VAT and product identifiers are handled for you.
Not sure how the fee hits your margins?
We will walk through your EU checkout setup with you before 1 November. Or write to hello@teleship.com.