From 1 November, parcels from outside the EU carry a new fee: €2 per product category. What now goes into the price of an order from a foreign platform, and what to check before paying

What is happening

From 1 November 2026, a new fee applies across the European Union: the redevance pour frais de traitement (handling fee). Service Public announced it on 28 October 2026. The amount is €2 per product category in a parcel, and, according to Service Public, it applies to all parcels entering the EU.

It is owed not by the person receiving the parcel but by the online platforms and sellers shipping goods into the EU through distance selling (vente à distance). The note also says plainly that merchants are free to raise their prices to pass the new cost on to customers, so in practice the fee is likely to end up in the price.

Its purpose, according to Service Public, is to help cover the cost of customs checks and monitoring. The amount will be reviewed every two years. The legal basis is Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/2152 of 21 September 2026 and Regulation (EU) 2026/2108 of 16 September 2026.

How it is counted: by category, not by item

The fee is charged neither per parcel nor per item, but per product category, as defined by the EU Combined Nomenclature (nomenclature combinée). Service Public's examples:

• 2 toys, 1 coat and 2 bottles of perfume: three categories, a €6 fee;
• 3 T-shirts and 1 pair of shoes: two categories, a €4 fee.

The second new charge since the summer

Since 1 July 2026, parcels worth €150 or less have been subject to a flat EU customs duty of €3 per product category, also paid by platforms and sellers. At the same time, the French tax on small parcels, in force since 1 March 2026, was suspended. The new €2 fee comes on top of that duty.

Take the toys, coat and perfume example. For a parcel worth €150 or less, the summer rule means €9 in duty, and from November another €6 in fees: €15 in total on the seller's side, whatever the goods themselves cost.

Plus VAT, which is not new

For anyone who has just moved to France: French customs (Douane) points out that goods delivered from outside the EU are subject to VAT from the first euro. There are two ways it gets paid:

• if the seller or platform is registered for IOSS, VAT is paid at the time of purchase;
• if not, the carrier collects the VAT on delivery, and may also charge the recipient its own fee for handling the customs formalities. That fee is the carrier's charge, not a tax.

This is why the final cost of an order can be higher than the figure shown at checkout: part of it only appears at delivery.

What to check before ordering

Customs advises you to:

1. Check which country the goods ship from. That determines whether import taxes and charges apply at all.
2. Read the terms of sale carefully (conditions générales de vente). They show whether taxes and charges are included in the price or will be due on delivery.
3. Avoid prohibited goods. Counterfeits, tobacco, alcohol and protected species of fauna and flora appear on the customs list of restricted or prohibited goods. According to customs, offenders face penalties, including fines and prison sentences.

What we don't know

Service Public does not say how the new fee applies to gifts or parcels sent between private individuals, for example from relatives outside the EU. The note covers sales by platforms and sellers. We won't draw conclusions it doesn't draw; if the question matters, it is one to put to customs through its official channels.

In short

• From 1 November 2026: an EU fee of €2 per product category on parcels from outside the EU.
• Platforms and sellers pay it, but may pass it on in their prices.
• It comes on top of the €3 per category duty (since 1 July, parcels up to €150) and VAT from the first euro.
• Before paying, check where the goods ship from and what the terms of sale say.