Cyprus to introduce €2 fee for online goods from China from November 1 — Cyprus Mail
In Cyprus, from November 1, buyers of goods on Temu, Shein and AliExpress platforms will pay an additional €2 for each category of goods in a single order. The fee will be charged in addition to the existing €3 levy on goods ordered from China, Cyprus Mail reports.
Customs clearance fee
Cyprus’ customs department explained that the additional €2 is intended to cover customs services’ costs for processing and monitoring shipments, working with data, risk assessment and inspections of goods sent directly to consumers.
The platform, seller, carrier or representative submitting the customs declaration will be responsible for collecting the fee. According to the publication, the change is linked to the European Commission’s decision to revise the previous duty exemption for low-value parcels. The relevant regulation was published in the official journal on September 19, and most of its provisions entered into force on September 21.
Impact of the previous levy
The €3 levy, which entered into force in the EU on July 1, reduced the number of orders to 40%, while the average declared value of shipments increased by around 30%, from €8.82 to €11.47. The French Ministry of Finance released these figures.
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According to these data, the number of parcels declined, but demand did not decrease proportionally. This may indicate that the payment affected the way purchases are made rather than the volume of goods purchased.
At the same time, Chinese e-commerce platforms use warehouses in Europe and fulfill orders from within the EU, enabling them to avoid this payment. The companies still pay VAT, import duties, as well as storage and delivery costs.
Product safety control
Earlier this year, it was reported that 5.9 billion low-value goods arrived in the EU in 2025, amounting to more than 16 million parcels every day. The European Commission also drew attention to product safety: according to the results of a study conducted in the EU in 2025, more than 60% of the low-cost goods inspected did not comply with European requirements or safety standards.
The new rules are intended to help customs authorities better identify goods that may pose a risk.
