The EU plans to impose import processing fees before November 1st, which is not the same as the €3 tariff.

On July 10, FedEx announced that the EU plans to increase a uniform processing fee on low-value imported goods. The more accurate wording in official EU documents is that the Parliament and the Council have reached a provisional political agreement; if customs reform and the accompanying authorization legislation are completed on schedule, member states will begin collecting the fee once the necessary IT systems are operational, with implementation planned no later than November 1, 2026.

This processing fee is a separate charge from the €3 temporary tariff that has been in effect since July 1, and they may appear simultaneously in the future.The processing fee has not yet been announced or officially implemented, so it cannot be quoted directly as the rumored 2 euros.

For cross-border sellers, the actual impact is as follows: low-value orders already require payment of import VAT and a temporary tariff of 3 euros, and around November, an additional processing fee may be added. The specific amount of the additional fee and which goods will ultimately be included will depend on formal regulations and authorization legislation; this cost may still be factored into the product price, logistics quotes, or customs clearance bills.

How exactly will the processing fee be collected in November?

The EU established this fee to compensate for the data verification, risk analysis, system and inspection costs incurred by customs in processing large quantities of low-value e-commerce goods.

The framework already defined in the interim agreement includes:

• This applies to imported goods that are shipped directly to EU consumers from outside the EU via distance sales;
• FedEx's notification describes it as a low-value goods handling fee, but the EU interim agreement does not explicitly set a €150 cap, and the final range will be subject to official regulations;
• The direct import model is proposed to charge per item, not a carrier surcharge added by FedEx, DHL, or UPS.
• In principle, processing fees are paid by the debtor of the same customs debt for the same goods. Before the new rules applied to distant sales importers, these fees were borne by the declarant, usually the IOSS user or their indirect customs representative, not the consumer; after the new rules apply, they are borne by the distant sales importer.
• The fees are collected by the customs authorities of each member state, and the specific amount is determined by the European Commission through an authorization bill, which is reviewed every two years.
• FedEx has stated that the fee is non-refundable and will ultimately be subject to the EU Authorization Act and the implementing rules of member states.

The EU also plans to charge lower fees for models that are easier to centralize oversight. For example, platforms or sellers that import goods in bulk to remote sales customs warehouses within the EU and then ship them to consumers may be eligible for lower processing fees. The interim text requires operators of such warehouses to meet "Trust and Check" requirements; AEO qualification alone does not automatically qualify for lower rates.

What's the difference between this fee and the €3 customs duty?

The two fees have different purposes and are implemented at different times:

• 3 euro temporary tariffIt was implemented on July 1, 2026, to replace the original tariff exemption for low-value goods under 150 euros;
• EU uniform processing feeIt is still in the stage of a temporary political agreement and supporting legislation, and is planned to be implemented no later than November 1, 2026. It is intended to compensate for customs processing and supervision costs, and the amount is yet to be announced.

The €3 provisional duty is actually levied based on the items declared in customs. The same item can include multiple goods, but they must have the same tariff classification, product description, and the same country of origin when applicable; therefore, it is not simply calculated based on the number of physical items or packages. The European Commission provides the following example:

• A package containing 5 identical T-shirts will be charged 3 euros as a Class 1 item.
• A package containing one T-shirt and one watch will be charged 6 euros as a Class 2 item.

The processing fee amount has not yet been announced. The interim agreement stipulates that the direct import model will be charged per item, and lower rates will be set for eligible remote sales customs warehouse models, but the final technical details are still pending the authorization bill, so it is not possible to accurately calculate the final increase per shipment at this time.

What fees might be involved in a package?

Taking a Chinese seller shipping a €100 B2C order to a German consumer as an example, if the package only contains phone cases of the same tariff classification, at least the following should be considered:

1. Import value-added tax;
2. A temporary tariff of 3 euros;
3. The amount of the potential new EU unified processing fee around November is yet to be determined.
4. The carrier may charge a prepaid tax or customs clearance service fee.

If the package contains both a phone case and earphones, the provisional duty of €3 may be calculated as €6 based on both declared items. The specific amount and technical details of the processing fee will be available after the EU publishes its authorization legislation.

IOSS is only used for declaring and paying import VAT on low-value distance sales and will not exempt you from the €3 provisional duty or the proposed processing fee.

Romania, Italy, and France already have their own domestic fees.

Prior to the implementation of the EU's unified processing fee, some member states had already introduced or piloted their own fees. According to a FedEx notification dated July 10, 2026:

• RomaniaFrom January 1, 2026, a fee of 25 lei (approximately 5 euros) will be charged on B2C parcels shipped from outside the EU to Romania with a value of less than 150 euros. Local law has not yet clarified whether this fee will be abolished after the implementation of the EU's unified processing fee, therefore there is a possibility that it may continue to be applied.
• ItalyThe €2 low-value import processing fee has been approved, but its implementation date has been postponed multiple times. It is currently scheduled to be implemented on October 1, 2026.
• FranceFrom March 1 to June 30, 2026, an administrative fee of 2 euros was charged for each declaration item for simplified customs clearance shipments. This fee will be suspended from July 1.

Whether these national fees will be eliminated after the EU's unified processing fee is implemented remains uncertain. For low-value parcels sent to Romania and Italy, extra attention needs to be paid to whether national fees overlap with EU fees.

What to prepare before November

1. For low-value B2C orders, do not only calculate shipping costs and VAT; the quotation should include a provisional tariff of 3 euros and allow for proposed EU processing fees and carrier clearance costs.
2. Recalculate the profits of low-priced, multi-category orders; the more product categories there are, the easier it is to accumulate the 3 euro temporary tariff.
3. Confirm who among the platform, seller, recipient, or logistics service provider bears the import costs to avoid tax rebound after delivery;
4. Starting November 1st, imported goods sold remotely will be required to declare Product Identifier Codes (PIDs), and this is not limited to goods under €150; voluntary declaration has been available since July 1st. SKU, manufacturer model, and EAN/UPC data should be prepared in advance. Detailed requirements can be found here.EU Product Identification Code Special Topic;
5. The price will be recalculated based on the destination country before shipment. International express fees can be paid via [contact information].CZL shipping cost inquiryThe calculation and other charges can be viewed.International Express Surcharge Inquiry.

Official source

• European Parliament: Agreement on EU Customs Code Reform
• European Council: Customs reform and unified processing fees
• European Commission: Provisional €3 tariff guidelines for low-value goods
• EU Council: New tariff rules for low-value parcels finally approved

This article is compiled based on official EU documents and a FedEx customer notification dated July 10, 2026. The EU uniform processing fee is currently in the stage of a provisional political agreement and supporting legislation; the fee status and "non-refundable" clauses for Romania, Italy, and France are based on FedEx notifications. The final scope, amount, and member state transition rules are subject to official regulations and customs implementation rules.