From 1 July 2026, the EU abolishes an outdated customs duty exemption for e-commerce packages worth less than €150. The measure will help to ensure fair conditions for EU businesses and safe choices for consumers, in response to the surge of billions of low-value e-commerce goods entering the EU. Goods coming from third countries bought online and shipped directly to consumers will now pay a €3 customs duty per item.

The €150 customs duty exemption was designed for an era of occasional online purchases and less digitalised customs systems. This no longer fits reality, and its removal corrects a long-standing structural imbalance for EU enterprises. Across Europe, town high streets are becoming increasingly deserted, undermining local job opportunities and weakening community life. From an environmental perspective, the fast-paced e-commerce model contributes to packaging waste and carbon-heavy logistics, with frequent returns and long-distance shipping doubling transport pollution.

This measure restores fairness across importers, ensuring that EU retailers importing in bulk, and large-scale non-EU online operators compete under the same regulatory conditions.

Maros Šefčovič, EU Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security, said: 

Open market, equal rules. The EU e-commerce market stays open – but it cannot come at the expense of European consumers and businesses. Goods entering the Union should meet the same standards of compliance and traceability as goods sold in our Single Market. Platforms and sellers profiting from European consumers must play by the same rules as European businesses. Scrapping the de minimis exemption simply brings our customs system up to speed with how trade works today – resulting in fairer competition, stronger enforcement, better consumer protection.

More information is available online in the press release and the questions and answers.