EU imports now cost 3 euro per item as duty-free threshold expires

The European Union's €150 duty-free threshold for imported parcels expired July 1, replaced by a flat €3 ($3.24) customs duty per item on low-value goods shipped from outside the bloc.

The new charge per tariff line

The €3 duty applies to consignments valued up to €150, the same band that previously escaped customs duty entirely. It runs as a temporary flat rate until July 1, 2028, when standard ad-valorem duties based on product classification take over across all import values.

Crucially, the €3 hits per tariff line, not per parcel. A single box with a phone case, a USB-C cable and a T-shirt covers three separate customs categories, so it draws €9 ($9.73) in duty before VAT and any carrier handling fee. Multiple units of the same product type under one tariff heading count as one €3 charge.

Legally the duty is owed by the declarant, usually the marketplace or its customs agent. In practice it lands on buyers through higher prices, checkout surcharges or delivery-time collection.

What it costs a nomad in the European Union

Import VAT still applies on top of the €3, at whatever rate the destination country charges (19% in Germany, 21% in Spain, 23% in Portugal). Carriers and national post offices can add their own clearance fees, which in some member states already run €5 to €15 per parcel.

For a remote worker ordering monthly from non-EU retailers, the math shifts fast. A nomad in Lisbon who used to bring in three small parcels a month, each with two or three item categories, is now looking at roughly €18 to €27 ($19 to $29) a month in duty alone or €216 to €324 ($233 to $350) a year, before VAT and handling. Small orders take the hardest hit: a €12 phone accessory can carry €3 duty, €2.76 VAT and a carrier fee bigger than the item itself.

Two ways to blunt the impact: consolidate same-category items into one order to trigger a single €3 charge and buy from stock already inside the bloc, which faces only normal VAT. Anyone weighing a longer stay can compare cross-border shopping costs by member state in the European Union residency guide.