In 2021, the European Union modified the VAT regulations for businesses like AliExpress stop benefiting from the same exemption for packages worth less than 22 euros. Five years later, the measures for products entering Europe duty-free will completely change.
The measure. The Council of the European Union has given the green light to a new regulation on customs duties for items contained in small packages entering the EU.
“The new rules respond to the fact that These packages currently enter the EU duty free, resulting in unfair competition for EU sellers“
According to the Council, the measure is intended to support EU companies and “will close avenues for unscrupulous sellers.”
The three euros. The figure is very specific: three euros of provisional customs fixed on items contained in small packages valued at less than 150 euros. According to the EU, more than 91% of these small shipments come from China.
The key is that those three euros are not per package, they are per different product.
- You order a package with two mobile phone cases valued at four euros
- You also order a tempered glass for one euro
In the event that you order 10 products for 1 euro but they are different, you would not pay 10 euros, you would pay 40 (30 in tariffs).
Starting July 1 you will not pay five euros, you will pay those five euros plus another six (11), when ordering two different products.
The dates. The fixed provisional customs duty of three euros will be applied to all product categories, without exception, between July 1, 2026 and July 1, 2028. Once the new EU Customs Data Center comes into operation, the duty will go from being provisional to a normal customs rate.
Because. According to the statement, the EU is struggling to reform its customs system in order to cope with “the significant pressure arising from increased trade flows.” A measure that will affect giants like Temu, AliExpress and Shein, kings of electronic commerce in Spain.
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