EU to remove €150 customs duty exemption threshold

1 December 2025

In November, EU finance ministers formally agreed to remove the €150 customs duty relief threshold, a move that will transform the way e-commerce goods are processed.

With this change, customs duties will apply to all goods entering the EU, regardless of value, aligning the system with existing rules for value-added tax on imported goods.

The new rule will take effect once the EU Customs Data Hub, the proposed central platform for interacting with customs and strengthening controls, is operational, currently expected in 2028. The hub, which is under negotiation between the EU Council and the European Parliament as part of a broader reform of the EU customs framework, will enable calculation and notification of customs debt on a per-item basis. This capability will allow customs authorities across the EU to apply full customs duties to small packages entering the bloc.

It is hoped that the introduction of this measure will prevent fraudulent valuation of goods, with estimates indicating that up to 65% of small parcels entering the EU are undervalued to avoid customs duties on import.