EU customs reform brings new fee on direct imports from non-EU countries in November

A new fee will take effect in early November as part of the European Union's customs reform, according to heise online 1. The charge applies to direct imports from countries outside the EU, and the source warns that such purchases could become more expensive as a result 1.

The working headline of the report points to the central detail of how the fee is structured: it is levied per item, not per parcel 1. In practice, this means the cost is tied to the individual positions within a shipment rather than to the package as a whole. The source describes the fee as a consequence of the EU's customs reform and gives early November as the start date 1. The short summary available does not state the amount of the fee, the exact date in November, or which categories of goods are affected, so those points remain unconfirmed here 1.

For European consumers who order directly from shops outside the EU, the per-item approach could matter most when a single parcel contains several different products, since each position may be charged separately 1. That could raise the final price of mixed orders compared with the current situation, although the source only says that direct imports may become more expensive 1. The next step is the start of the fee in early November, when its practical effects on online shopping from non-EU countries should become clearer. Further details on the amount and the scope will be needed to assess the full impact 1.