Italy has postponed the EUR 2 administrative handling fee on imports valued below EUR 150 by three months. The charge, originally scheduled to take effect on July 1, 2026, will now apply from October 1, 2026, following a decision by the Council of Ministers on June 22, 2026, to extend the delay.

Handling Fee Implementation Date

On August 20, 2026, Italy formally published Law No. 152 of August 7, 2026, thereby officially enacting the postponement of the EUR 2 administrative handling fee on low-value imports. The newly enacted law converts Decree-Law No. 107 of June 26, 2026, into permanent legislation and confirms the amendments included in the decree. Accordingly, the law entered into force on August 21, 2026. It confirms that the new administrative charge will apply to qualifying low-value imports from October 1, 2026.

EUR 2 Handling Fee vs. EUR 3 Customs Duty

Notably, the EUR 2 handling fee per parcel should not be confused with the separate new EU EUR 3 customs duty per item, which is in effect since July 2026. The EUR 3 duty on low-value e-commerce parcels is a customs duty applied to individual items in certain low-value consignments. In contrast, the handling fee is intended to cover the administrative and compliance costs of processing and inspecting these shipments.

Impact on Businesses

Overall, businesses operating in Italy need to update their customs systems, landed-cost calculations, marketplace checkout processes, and reconciliation procedures. For businesses handling large volumes of low-value shipments, the cumulative financial impact could be significant despite the relatively small fee per consignment.

Finance and customs teams should also confirm how carriers and other service providers will present the charge, particularly whether it will appear as a separate line item or be included within broader clearance fees. This could affect accounting, customer communications, contract terms, and the reconciliation of import costs.