Cheap parcel declarations from outside EU fall 65 percent after Belgian 3 euro tax

The number of declarations for cheap import parcels from outside the EU fell by 65 percent in July, August and September 2026 compared with the same months last year, according to Belgian customs. Customs data shows the drop was mainly caused by the Belgian parcel tax of 3 euro, introduced on 1 July 2026.

Monthly declarations fell from more than 166 million in June to 55 million in July, 39.5 million in August and 29.5 million in September. That makes September 82 percent lower than June. The average declared value of cheap goods nearly doubled, from 6 to 12 euro.

HLN, Gazet van Antwerpen and Het Nieuwsblad report that the tax has brought in about 364.4 million euro from 1 July up to and including 27 September 2026. VRT NWS says the tax has raised tens of millions of euros in a few months. VRT NWS also reports that the number of cheap parcels from countries such as China was 65 percent lower than a year earlier.

Attempts to avoid the rules

Customs have seen attempts to get around the rules. These include parcels wrongly declared just below the 150 euro limit and parcels that contain more products than were declared.

Extra European fee from 1 November

From 1 November 2026, a European handling fee of 2 euro per product category will be added on top of the Belgian parcel tax. A parcel with one product category will then cost 5 euro in total, and the amount rises with more product categories. The amounts are exclusive of VAT and any customs clearance costs.

Unizo, the Flemish employers' organisation for the self-employed and small businesses, calls the first results positive. It says the measures create fairer competition between Belgian retailers and foreign webshops and help keep unsafe products off the market. Unizo asks that the revenue be invested in extra customs staff, technology and stricter controls.