January 2026: 25 Lei (€5) Customs levy on low-value consignments Nov 2025
The Romania Parliament on 18 November 2025 adopted a measure that will introduce a fixed charge on certain low-value parcels entering the country from outside the European Union. The fee, set at 25 Lei per package (approximately €4.90) , would apply to distance sales consignments valued below €150.
The EU €2 customs levy may come into effect from July 2026.
Liability split across seller, marketplace and courier
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Responsibility for the levy may fall on several parties: the supplier of the goods, the parcel sender, or an online marketplace that enables the sale.
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Romanian postal and courier operators would act as intermediaries, required to calculate the amount due, report it, and forward payments to the authorities every month. Submissions would be due by the 25th day of the month after the delivery date.
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The rule introduces additional compliance steps for businesses involved in non-EU shipments to Romania.
Limitations
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Transit consignments: Packages merely passing through Romania to reach another destination would not be charged.
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Returned shipments: Goods sent back to the original seller would remain subject to the fee, which would not be reimbursed.
EU Member States moving ahead of a potential EU-wide customs feee
Some EU countries are signaling or preparing national measures ahead of a likely €2 per-parcel EU customs processing fee being discussed in the context of the EU Customs Reform (with some reporting indicating €0.50when orders are fulfilled from an EU warehouse). This could be part of the 2028 EU Customs Reforms.
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Netherlands: Dutch authorities have floated a national B2C e-commerce handling fee (around €2 per product/declaration line) for parcels entering via the Netherlands, positioned as cost-recovery and potentially settled monthly to the declarant.
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France: A €2 national fee has been agreed in the 2026 budget and is likely to come into effect on 1 March 2026.
- Italy €2 customs fee is likely to be delayed until July 2026.
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Germany & Poland: Germany has urged the Commission to accelerate an EU-level solution to avoid fragmentation, while Poland has indicated it is exploring options but prefers EU-level alignment for effectiveness.
Romania’s draft charge would align with a broader EU trend of national “early moves,” and businesses should anticipate potential convergence with an EU-level fee in due course, while tracking differences in scope, rate, and collection mechanics across member states.
2028 EU Customs Reforms
The now agreed reforms are:
- Creation of a single Customs authority from March 2028 to strengthen policing of the goods border. The remains the more controversial strand with key member states challenging the centralisation of obligations, roles and funding;
- Establish Customs Data Hub by December 2037 which appears to enjoy support across the board, but needs further definition.
- Trusted Trader, the introduction of enhanced customs simplifications for the most trusted traders, saving them time and money. This includes be able to release their goods into circulation in the EU without any active customs intervention at all.
- Platforms take on Customs Deemed Importer obligations: becoming responsible for: Duties, excise and VAT collections; import reporting; and product liabilities To facilitate this, creating the concept of a deemed importer for customs.
- Eliminating the €150 customs duties and VAT threshold on low-value consignments, which has strong support. But some states would like to bring the go-live date forward from 2028. The includes incentives to encourage non-EU digital platforms adopt IOSS returns.
