Finland adds two-euro handling fee to parcels from outside the EU

A new two-euro handling fee will apply from Sunday to parcels ordered from outside the EU, including some purchases made through online second-hand marketplaces, Yle reports.

The fee will be charged per goods item. It is separate from a three-euro customs charge introduced in July for shipments worth up to 150 euros. Parcels from Temu, for example, may incur both charges, bringing the cost to five euros per goods item, Finnish Customs says.

Customs’ chief inspector Antti Hästbacka said the new fee is intended to cover the agency’s increased costs for equipment and information systems used to monitor the parcels. The July charge, by contrast, is a trade policy measure.

Customs has recently interpreted online flea-market-style platforms, such as eBay, as sellers because they enable the transactions. That interpretation is consistent with its treatment of major online retailers such as Temu and Shein, even when another seller supplies the goods.

Hästbacka said Customs would review how the law applies to these platforms and provide further guidance. It is not yet clear whether the new fee will apply to them.

The three-euro charge introduced in July was followed by a 66 per cent drop in parcels in August, according to Customs. The agency does not yet have precise figures for the autumn, but says parcel volumes remain clearly below their pre-change level. Some of the decline reflects online retailers grouping similar goods together, though Customs says the value of trade has also fallen.

Finland still receives a large number of parcels. In 2025, 54.5 million were brought into the country, compared with 0.9 million in 2022, Customs says.