A New EU Handling Fee of 2 Euros per Item Applies to Online Orders From Outside the EU From 1 November, on Top of the 3 Euro Duty

From Sunday, 1 November, every online purchase shipped to Portugal from outside the European Union carries a new EU customs handling fee of 2 euros per item, whatever the order is worth. The fee is set by Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/2152, published on 22 October, and it comes on top of the flat 3 euro customs duty that has applied to cheap parcels from Shein, Temu and other non-EU sellers since 1 July.

CTT (Correios de Portugal, the national postal operator) sets out the change on its customs clearance page, updated on 20 October, and in a statement reported by Notícias ao Minuto.

What the new fee is

The "Union handling fee" was created by Article 20 of the new Union Customs Code, Regulation (EU) 2026/2108, to pay for the data checks, risk analysis and controls that customs authorities carry out on the flood of goods sold at a distance and posted straight to consumers. Unlike the 3 euro duty, which covers only consignments worth up to 150 euros, the handling fee applies at every value. It is non-refundable, even on returns.

"Per item" does not mean per object. CTT says both charges are counted per type of article, defined by its customs tariff code, so quantity and price of one product make no difference. CTT's own examples, which leave out VAT on the goods and its clearance service charge:

• Three identical T-shirts: 3 euros of duty plus 2 euros of handling fee, each plus VAT.
• One T-shirt and one pair of shoes: 6 euros of duty plus 4 euros of handling fee, each plus VAT.

At the mainland standard VAT rate of 23 percent, that second order would carry 12.30 euros in fixed charges before VAT on the goods themselves (our calculation). For orders above 150 euros, normal percentage-based duty applies instead of the 3 euros, plus the 2 euro fee per item type.

Who pays, and when

Legally, the fee is owed by whoever owes the customs debt: the importer or declarant, usually the seller registered for the EU's Import One-Stop Shop or a customs representative. The regulation states that the consumer should not be the debtor. In practice the cost can be passed on. CTT says it may be charged by the seller at checkout; if it was not, it will be collected when the parcel reaches Portugal, before it is presented to customs, with any unpaid duty and VAT.

VAT itself is not new. Import VAT has applied to every non-EU parcel, however cheap, since 1 July 2021, when the old exemption for goods under 22 euros ended, as Council Regulation (EU) 2026/382 recalls. That regulation scrapped the 150 euro duty exemption and set the 3 euro duty until 1 July 2028.

How to avoid surprises

• Check where the goods are stored before buying: goods dispatched from a warehouse inside the EU do not go through customs.
• Look at the checkout total for duty, VAT and the handling fee. If they are not included, expect to pay on delivery, plus CTT's clearance charge.
• Expect delays. CTT warns that processing may be slower, and that from 1 November parcels under 150 euros whose sender has not supplied product identification data in the customs declaration may be returned.

The import rules for purchases made by companies, and for gifts between private individuals worth up to 45 euros, are unchanged, according to CTT. For background, see our report on the end of the 150 euro duty-free exemption in July and on the shoes from Shein and Temu that broke EU chemical limits.