EU Customs Changes 2026: What They Mean for Your Slickboys Orders

From 1st July 2026, the European Union introduced changes to the way low-value imports are handled. If you're ordering from the UK to the EU, here's what you need to know.

What's Changed?

Previously, orders with an intrinsic value of €150 or less could enter the EU without customs duty. VAT was still payable, but thanks to the Import One Stop Shop (IOSS) scheme, we could collect this at checkout so there were no unexpected VAT charges on arrival.

From 1st July 2026, the EU introduced a temporary €3 import duty per line item on eligible low-value imports from outside the EU.

What This Means for You

The good news is that, for most EU destinations, we have updated our checkout and shipping process so there should still be nothing extra to pay when your parcel arrives.

Orders up to €150

For eligible orders below the €150 threshold:

• We collect your local VAT at checkout through the IOSS scheme.
• We also collect the new €3 EU import duty for each applicable line item.
• Your order is delivered with nothing further to pay.

Orders over €150

For orders above the €150 threshold:

• We calculate and collect the applicable import taxes and customs duties during checkout.
• Your parcel is shipped Delivered Duty Paid (DDP).
• There are no import taxes, customs duties or courier handling charges to pay when your order arrives.

Why We've Made These Changes

Nobody enjoys unexpected customs bills or courier handling fees.

Rather than leaving customers to deal with import charges after dispatch, we've chosen to make everything as transparent as possible by collecting the applicable charges during checkout wherever possible. That means the total you see before placing your order is the total you'll pay.

A Small Number of Exceptions

Unfortunately, Royal Mail does not currently offer Delivered Duty Paid (DDP) services to the following EU countries:

• Bulgaria
• Croatia
• Czechia
• Greece
• Hungary
• Latvia
• Lithuania
• Poland
• Romania
• Slovenia

As a result, orders to these destinations are handled slightly differently.

Orders up to €150

Orders below the €150 threshold will continue to be shipped using the Import One Stop Shop (IOSS) scheme, meaning we will collect and pay your local VAT at checkout as normal.

However, Royal Mail is currently unable to prepay the new €3 EU import duty per line item for these destinations. This charge will therefore be collected by the local postal or courier partner before your parcel is delivered.

No additional VAT should be due on orders below €150 where VAT has already been collected through IOSS. The only expected import charge should be the new €3 per line item duty introduced by the EU.

Orders over €150

For orders above the €150 threshold, Royal Mail does not currently support DDP services to these countries. These shipments will therefore continue to be sent Delivered Duty Unpaid (DDU), as they have been previously.

This means any applicable import VAT, customs duties and customs clearance charges will be collected by the local customs authority or delivery partner before your parcel is delivered.

We're Here to Help

International shipping rules continue to evolve, but our commitment remains the same: making it as easy as possible for our EU customers to shop with confidence.

If you have any questions about shipping to your country, please don't hesitate to get in touch. We're always happy to help.