New EU handling fee hits non-EU online packages

Your online orders from outside the EU now cost more. A new EU handling fee took effect on Sunday. The fee applies when packages arrive, not when you buy them. Orders placed before November 1 may still be charged.

The Danish Customs Agency charges 2 euros per item category. That is about 15 Danish kroner per category. The package value does not change the fee. Items with the same customs code belong to one category. Three cotton T-shirts count as one category and cost 2 euros. A cotton shirt and denim jeans count as two categories and cost 4 euros.

This fee comes on top of another summer duty. That duty is 3 euros per item category for orders under 150 euros. The new rules target a surge in non-EU imports. Most of these goods come from China.

In 2025, Denmark logged 68 million item entries under 150 euros. Over 90 percent of these packages contained Chinese goods. Chinese platforms Shein and Temu rank among Denmark's top ten online stores. Christian Lützen from the Danish Customs Agency called the growth a major EU issue. CPH Post reported the update.