Netherlands Plans €2 Fee on Cross-Border Parcels

Starting as early as January next year, the Dutch government is preparing to introduce a new €2 handling fee on e-commerce parcels arriving from outside the European Union. For many low-value cross-border parcels from China, this measure could add around €6 to the final cost of each shipment and reshape the economics of Netherlands cross-border e-commerce into the wider EU market.

Under the current rules, parcels valued at up to €150 are exempt from customs duties. These low-value consignments have become the backbone of the business model for Chinese platforms such as AliExpress, Temu and Shein. The new handling fee would apply precisely to these shipments, directly increasing cross-border delivery costs for sellers and platforms serving European consumers.

At present, the Netherlands receives around one million parcels per day with a value below €150. According to official data, 80% to 90% of these parcels originate from Chinese e-commerce platforms. Dutch customs officials note that this continuous influx of small parcels absorbs a significant amount of manpower and resources, leaving limited capacity for their core tasks such as safety checks and the collection of import taxes.

Because customs officers are required to clear these parcels individually, current workloads are already running close to the system’s maximum capacity. The proposed reform is therefore being presented not only as a revenue measure, but also as a response to operational pressure on customs and the need to protect the integrity of border controls.

According to the draft proposal, the €2 handling fee will be levied on each “product line” within an order. In practice, that means €2 per distinct product listed on the customs declaration. Since the average cross-border parcel entering the Netherlands contains three different products, the average consumer will end up paying an additional €6 per parcel.

Based on the current volume of inbound parcels, the Dutch government estimates that the handling fee could generate around €2 billion in annual revenue. Part of this income would be earmarked to strengthen customs capabilities, including staffing and technology. The remainder is expected to help relieve competitive pressure on Dutch online and offline retailers, who have long argued that they face an uneven playing field versus Chinese e-commerce platforms benefitting from lower compliance and logistics costs.

The handling fee will be paid in the first instance by express and parcel operators such as PostNL, DHL and FedEx. However, these carriers are widely expected to pass the cost on to shippers and, ultimately, to end consumers, either through higher shipping charges or increased product prices.

A large share of these cross-border parcels from China enters the EU via Dutch ports and airports and is then re-routed to other member states. Rotterdam and Amsterdam Schiphol have effectively become major transit hubs for low-value e-commerce traffic destined for the wider EU market. At the same time, France, Belgium and Luxembourg are reportedly planning to introduce similar handling fees of €2 per product for incoming parcels.

The Dutch government is concerned that, if neighbouring countries move more quickly on these measures, parcel flows could become even more concentrated in the Netherlands as platforms and logistics providers seek to avoid higher costs elsewhere. Internal assessments suggest that, in such a scenario, daily parcel volumes could rise from the current one million items to more than three million per day, risking container congestion in the Port of Rotterdam and bottlenecks in air cargo operations at Schiphol Airport.

At the moment, the draft law is under review by the Dutch Council of State. If the Council issues a favourable opinion, the proposal will move to cabinet level for further consideration and final approval. According to internal sources, the political resistance to the bill is limited, and the measure is widely expected to pass without major amendments.

In parallel, the European Union is preparing a harmonised tax and customs framework for cross-border e-commerce, with the earliest implementation date currently projected for November next year. The Netherlands, France and Belgium, however, intend to move ahead with national measures in advance of the EU-wide regime, in an effort to avoid a build-up of cross-border parcels at key gateways and to stabilise operations in their ports and airports.

What This Means for Cross-Border E-Commerce and Logistics

For Chinese sellers and platforms, the Netherlands' proposed €2 handling fee is more than a minor surcharge. It signals a broader regulatory shift in Europe aimed at rebalancing competition and tightening control over cross-border parcels from China and other non-EU markets. Higher per-parcel costs will force many merchants to revisit their pricing, consolidation strategies and choice of entry points into the EU, especially those relying heavily on low-margin, small-ticket items.

In this changing environment, working with an experienced logistics partner becomes critical. As an international freight forwarder, Forest Shipping helps e-commerce businesses ship their goods from China to the Netherlands and onward across Europe with a focus on compliance, cost transparency and route optimisation. By combining reliable customs handling with tailored shipping solutions, Forest Shipping supports sellers in navigating new rules on Netherlands cross-border e-commerce, managing rising fees and keeping their parcels moving smoothly from Chinese warehouses to Dutch and EU customers.