New customs duty for online purchases that are declared in July (updated 26.6.2026)
As of 1 July 2026, all online purchases arriving from outside the EU are subject to customs duty. Due to the change, private persons can no longer personally declare parcels for which value added tax was paid already in connection with purchase. Please be prepared for the possibility of your transport operator having to return your parcel to the seller.
Updated 26.6.2026
As of July, all online purchases arriving from outside the EU are subject to customs duty. The customs duty is three euros for each goods item in a consignment when the consignment is worth at most 150 euros, excluding transport costs. Until July, payment of customs duty is required only for online purchases that cost more than 150 euros.
The change involves an EU decision on intervening in the explosive increase of low-value import consignments ordered from outside the EU and in the consequences of excessive consumption to the environment, consumers and the competitiveness of businesses throughout the EU. Low-value import consignments comprise, for example, consignments that cost no more than 150 euros. The changes are part of a broader EU Customs Reform that will be implemented in stages.
Private persons can no longer declare all consignments personally as of July
As of July, it is no longer possible for private persons to declare all consignments personally. In the future, private persons can no longer declare consignments for which they have paid value added tax to the seller already in connection with the purchase. Sellers under the special IOSS (Import One Stop Shop) system are responsible for declaring such consignments and for paying the new customs duty.
Customs clearance and customs duties can also be handled by transport companies that represent sellers. In order to cover the costs resulting from the new customs duty, sellers may for example raise the prices of their products.
– Private persons can no longer declare such consignments personally, says senior customs officer Antti Hästbacka.
Private persons can declare other online purchases personally, in the same way as before. In such instances, customers pay both the new customs duty and value added tax only in connection with declaring their goods.
New customs duty to be paid if goods are declared in July
The customs clearance date determines whether a customs duty is required this summer for online purchase consignments worth at most 150 euros. A customs duty is required if you declare your consignment on 1 July or after.
– If a customer declares a parcel during July, a customs duty is required even if the online order was made in June or earlier, says Hästbacka.
Customs clearance can start only when the transport company sends the customer a clearance request. It is also possible that the transport company declares the customer’s parcel entirely on the customer’s behalf, in which case a customs clearance request is not sent.
Some sellers located outside the EU can import goods in advance to the territory of the EU.
– In such cases, sellers declare goods and pay customs duty and value added tax, given that the goods are sold to consumers in the EU after customs clearance. When consumers purchase goods, they will no longer have to consider customs clearance or pay customs duty, as sellers have already declared the goods for entry to the EU, says Hästbacka.