Every parcel entering the EU from a non-EU origin now carries a customs charge. From July 1, 2026, the €150 duty-free exemption that allowed low-value goods to enter without paying customs duty is gone. In its place is a €3 charge, applied per tariff heading within each consignment. Not as a flat fee per parcel.

This was confirmed by the EU Council on February 11, 2026, following a December 2025 agreement. An interim system runs from July 1, 2026 to July 1, 2028, when the permanent EU Customs Data Hub takes over and full tariff-rate duties apply. US brands shipping into the EU are in scope regardless of where their goods originate.

The per-tariff-heading structure matters more than the headline figure suggests. A parcel containing products across three different tariff headings carries €9 in duty, not €3. For US brands still shipping direct to EU consumers, the costs accumulate quickly on multi-SKU orders, particularly in health, beauty and lifestyle categories where customers bundle products. The €3 sounds manageable on a single item. Across 500 monthly orders on a mixed catalog, the monthly exposure climbs to thousands of euros in overhead your current pricing does not cover.

• The €3 applies per tariff heading (HS6) within each consignment. One parcel crossing three HS6 categories carries €9 in total duty.
• July 1, 2026 is confirmed with no delay announced. The EU Council gave final approval February 11, 2026.
• The interim period runs to July 1, 2028, after which the EU Customs Data Hub replaces the flat rate with full tariff-rate duty.
• France has a separate national €2 surcharge per unique HS6 item category, in place from March 1, 2026.

Brands with stock inside the EU are not affected. Goods shipped to our Netherlands warehouse clear customs once on the inbound bulk shipment, and every EU consumer order ships domestically from there.