From 1 July 2026, the EU taxes every parcel.
So ship from inside it.

A new €3 customs duty now applies to every low-value parcel entering the EU. For UK brands selling into Ireland and Europe, that is a charge on every order. Hold your stock in Ireland with 2Flow, clear customs once on the way in, and dispatch to your Irish and EU customers from inside the EU. No per-parcel duty, no border delays, no surprise charges landing with your customers.

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Customs cleared once No per-parcel duty Ireland & EU-wide Live in weeks

A €3 charge on every low-value parcel

From 1 July 2026, the EU ends duty-free treatment for low-value imports. A fixed €3 customs duty applies to parcels valued under €150, charged per item type by tariff code. A second €2 handling fee is proposed to follow. For UK brands shipping order by order, it adds up fast.

€3
Customs duty per item type on every parcel under €150 entering the EU
EU Council, Dec 2025
€150
The parcel value threshold below which the new duty applies
European Commission
+€2
Further customs handling fee proposed to follow in Nov 2026
European Commission
Built for
UK DTC brands UK supplement brands UK beauty brands Retail/B2B distributors Marketplace sellers

The problem

What the new EU duty means for UK brands

The €3 charge looks small on paper. In practice, for a UK brand selling low-value orders into Ireland and Europe, it lands on every parcel, stacks by product type, and shows up where you least want it: with your customer.

The €3 charge stacks per product type

It's charged per item type by customs tariff (HS) code, not per parcel. A single order containing products from several tariff categories can attract multiple €3 charges. A mixed basket becomes a stack of duties.

Your customers feel it at the door

Duties owed on arrival, customs handling, delays at the border. UK brands shipping direct already see EU and Irish customers refuse delivery or ask for refunds. The new charge makes a bad delivery experience worse.

Margins on low-value orders evaporate

€3 today, and a proposed €2 handling fee on top from late 2026. On a sub-€150 DTC order that's a meaningful slice of margin gone, on every single parcel, with no benefit to the customer.

How we handle it

Take the duty out of the equation

The new charge applies to parcels entering the EU. So don't enter the EU parcel by parcel. Bring your stock in once, clear it once, and ship every order from inside the EU like a domestic operation.

One customs clearance on the way in

Your EU-bound stock arrives into Ireland on a single consolidated inbound shipment and clears EU customs once. We coordinate with your freight forwarder and broker, or recommend one.

Every outbound parcel ships from inside the EU

Once stock is held in Dublin, orders to Irish and EU customers dispatch domestically within the EU. No per-parcel €3 duty, no customs declaration, no border for the parcel to cross.

Your customers pay nothing extra

No surprise duties, no customs handling fees, no parcels held at the border. The delivery experience matches a domestic order, which is exactly what your customers expect.

Ireland for your Irish customers too

Ireland is in the EU, so shipping direct from the UK into Ireland is caught by the same charge. From a Dublin base, your Irish orders go out next-day with no duty and no friction.

IOSS and VAT, handled cleanly

Holding stock inside the EU changes where VAT and duty apply on outbound orders. We help you structure IOSS and EU VAT correctly for an Ireland-based operation so nothing slips through.

Returns handled back to Dublin

Returns from Ireland and across the EU route back to our Dublin warehouse. Inspected, graded, restocked or refurbished, with full visibility in the client portal.

What's included

Everything a UK brand needs to sell into the EU

A full Irish fulfilment operation that puts your stock inside the EU and keeps the new customs charge off your orders.

Consolidated inbound

One shipment in, one customs clearance.

EU-wide carriers

All 27 member states covered from Dublin.

No per-parcel duty

Outbound orders ship from inside the EU.

IOSS & VAT handling

Structured correctly for an EU stock base.

EU & Irish returns

Reverse logistics back to Dublin.

Real-time inventory

Live stock and dispatch visibility in the portal.

27
EU member states covered
€0
Per-parcel duty on EU outbound
1
Customs clearance on inbound
Next-day
Delivery across Ireland

Why Ireland

For a UK brand, Ireland is the obvious EU base

You need your stock inside the EU. Of all the places to put it, Ireland is the one that fits a UK brand: same language, close to home, and inside the single market.

Talk to us
Inside the EU single market

No customs between Ireland and the other 26 member states. Outbound parcels flow freely.

English-speaking operations

Work in English end to end. No translation overhead, no language barrier with your 3PL.

Close to the UK

Short, frequent freight links from Britain. Moving stock into Dublin is straightforward and quick.

Live in weeks, not months

Setting up in mainland Europe is a long project. A Dublin operation can be running quickly.

What brands say

UK brands already shipping the EU from Dublin

Post-Brexit our EU orders were getting refunded because of customs delays. We moved our EU stock to 2Flow in Dublin. Problem solved in a week.

Founder

UK Beauty Brand

We're a US brand entering Europe. Setting up in Germany would have been a six-month project. Dublin was four weeks. Same market reach.

VP Operations

US DTC Brand

20% of our orders are now EU. We didn't need to change anything except tick a box on shipping. Same 2Flow operation, bigger customer base.

eCommerce Director

Irish Wellness Brand

Common questions

The new EU duty, and your options, explained

Everything UK brands are asking about the €3 customs duty from 1 July 2026, and how holding stock in Ireland changes the picture.

What is the new EU €3 customs duty on low-value parcels?
From 1 July 2026, a fixed €3 customs duty applies to goods entering the EU in parcels valued under €150. It ends the duty-free treatment that previously applied to low-value imports, which means UK brands selling into the EU and Ireland are now charged on shipments that used to cross the border free.
When does the €3 charge take effect?
1 July 2026. UK brands shipping into the EU or Ireland should factor it into landed-cost and pricing calculations now rather than waiting for the first invoices to land.
Is the €3 charge per parcel or per item?
It is charged per item type, based on the customs tariff (HS) code, not per parcel. A single parcel containing products across several tariff categories can therefore attract multiple €3 charges.
What is the €2 customs handling fee?
Separately from the €3 duty, the European Commission is proposing a €2 customs handling fee, likely to be introduced in November 2026, to cover the administrative and processing costs of customs authorities. The exact amount and start date are expected to be confirmed in autumn 2026.
How long will the €3 rate last?
The €3 rate is an interim measure running from 1 July 2026 to 1 July 2028. At that point it is due to be replaced by standard customs tariffs once the EU's new customs data hub is fully operational.
Does this affect UK brands shipping into Ireland?
Yes. Ireland is an EU member state, so parcels arriving from the UK into Ireland are treated as imports into the EU and are affected, as is stock routed through an EU fulfilment partner for onward distribution.
Who does the charge affect?
Any UK brand shipping directly to EU consumers or routing stock through an EU fulfilment partner, including brands using cross-dock or consolidated pallet solutions to distribute into Ireland and onward across the EU. It primarily targets non-EU sellers registered under the EU's Import One-Stop Shop (IOSS) for VAT, which covers roughly 93% of all e-commerce flows into the EU.
How does storing stock in Ireland avoid the per-parcel duty?
You import your stock into Ireland once, on a single consolidated inbound shipment that clears EU customs a single time. Every outbound parcel to your Irish and EU customers is then dispatched from inside the EU, so the per-parcel €3 customs duty on low-value goods does not apply, there are no border delays, and no unexpected charges land with your customers.
Do I still need IOSS if I store stock in Ireland?
IOSS handles import VAT on low-value consignments and remains relevant, and we will guide you on it. Holding stock inside the EU changes where and how duty applies on outbound orders, because parcels ship domestically within the EU rather than crossing a border each time. We help you structure VAT and IOSS correctly for an Ireland-based operation.
Will my EU and Irish customers see surprise charges at the door?
No. When parcels ship from inside the EU there is no customs event at the customer's door, so there are no surprise duties, no customs handling fees and no border delays. The delivery experience matches a domestic order.
How quickly can 2Flow set up an Irish operation for a UK brand?
Typically within weeks, not months. Once stock arrives and your store is integrated, orders flow automatically. Setting up a fulfilment operation in mainland Europe is usually a multi-month project, whereas an English-speaking Dublin operation can be live quickly.
How does my stock get from the UK to Ireland?
As a consolidated inbound shipment that clears customs once on arrival into Ireland. We coordinate with your freight forwarder and customs broker, or recommend one, so the inbound leg is handled cleanly and your stock is put away ready to dispatch.
Which EU countries can you ship to from Ireland?
All 27 EU member states are covered through our carrier network. Germany, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Italy, Austria, Portugal, Poland and every other member state are served from Dublin, alongside next-day delivery across Ireland.
What about returns from EU and Irish customers?
Returns from across the EU and Ireland route back to our Dublin warehouse, where they are inspected, graded and restocked or refurbished. Returns are visible in the client portal in real time, the same as outbound orders.
How is this different from shipping direct from the UK?
Shipping direct from the UK means every EU-bound parcel faces the new €3 duty (and the proposed €2 handling fee), plus customs declarations and potential delays. Routing through Ireland means customs is handled once on the inbound shipment, and every outbound parcel ships duty-free from within the EU.

Figures and dates reflect EU guidance available as of June 2026 and may be updated by the European Commission. This page is general information, not tax, customs or legal advice. We will help you map your specific setup.

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Get ahead of 1 July 2026

Tell us where you're based, where your EU and Irish customers are, and what you ship. We'll map out what an Ireland-based operation would look like for your brand, and what it saves you per order under the new rules.

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Customs cleared once. No per-parcel duty. Ireland and EU-wide from Dublin.