Customs Regulatory Updates
February 9, 2026
New Legal Requirements for Shipments to EU27
As of 1st January 2026, only authorised Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) declarants will be permitted to import CBAM goods into EU27* countries, if the threshold of 50 tonnes is exceeded. This requires importers to obtain authorization and submit an annual CBAM declaration, increasing their compliance obligations.
What you need to know:
- CBAM is the European Union (EU)’s first-of-its-kind border adjustment mechanism for carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, which aims to ensure that the cost of those emissions is adequately reflected in the price of certain products imported into the EU27*.
- CBAM applies to imports of certain goods, from all non-EU countries and territories into EU27* countries, whose production is carbon intensive and at most significant risk of carbon leakage: cement, iron and steel, aluminium, fertilizers, electricity and hydrogen
* European Union Member States: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden
February 9, 2026
New Legal Requirements for Shipments to Portugal
Effective 1st January 2026, the Portuguese Customs Authorities have updated the values of the existing “Optative Regulatory Charge” (which is a mandatory regulatory charge by Portuguese Customs Authorities, and is not a DHL charge).
In Portugal, the VAT (Value Added Tax) calculation on imported goods includes also certain accessory regulatory costs (by Portuguese Customs), up to the first destination in Portugal.
* The “Optative Regulatory Charge” is only applied when goods remain in a Portuguese Customs bonded warehouse longer than 3 days during the import clearance process.
February 4, 2026
New Legal Requirements for Shipments to Israel
Effective 24th December 2025, the VAT (Value Added Tax), customs duties and purchase tax* exemption threshold for B2C imports has been increased from 75 USD to 150 USD**
* The Israeli Purchase tax is a tax applied to specific categories of goods based on their Harmonized System (HS) codes.
** The threshold refers to the value of the goods excluding insurance/shipping and other applicable costs.
January 29, 2026
New Legal Requirements for Shipments to Turkiye
Effective 6th February 2026, the Turkish government will change the threshold for Business to Consumer (B2C) shipments cleared under the simplified customs declaration regime, from 30 EUR to 0 EUR.
All B2C shipments, irrespective of their country of origin will require a formal customs declaration. Consequently, DHL Express (and other Air Cargo carriers) is not allowed by Turkish law* to perform simplified customs declarations for B2C shipments.
* Turkish 2009/15481 “Decision on the Implementation of Certain Articles of the Customs Law No. 4458” article 126
Receivers of B2C shipments will receive an e-mail notification from DHL Express whereby they are asked to provide an alternative broker.
IMPORTANT: Please note that there have been no changes to the current rules for B2B (Business to Business) shipments.
January 28, 2026
New Legal Requirements for Shipments to Egypt
Effective 1st January 2026, the Egyptian Customs Authorities require Receivers/Importers of shipments into Egypt to obtain an Advance Cargo Information Approval Number (known as ‘ACID’) for each shipment prior to departure from the origin/export country.
This requirement applies ONLY for shipments from Rest of World to Egypt where the Shipment actual weight exceeds 50 kilos.
January 23, 2026
New Legal Requirements for Parcels to Italy
Effective 1st January 2026, Law 30 December 2025, n. 199/Art. 1 paragraph 126 to 129) introduces a 2 EUR fee for parcels delivered in Italy that:
- Originate outside the European Union
- Have a declared customs value under 150 EUR
What you need to know
- The fee may be paid by the sender, recipient, or other parties involved in the shipment.
- Accurate declaration of origin and value is mandatory. Missing or incorrect information can cause delays, returns, or additional costs.
- Recipients may need to provide information and pay the fee if the sender has not done so.
DHL will identify eligible parcels, collect the fee, and comply with reporting obligations. Non-payment will result in the parcel being returned to the sender.
January 23, 2026
New Legal Requirements for Parcels to Romania
Effective 1st January 2026, Law no. 239/2025 introduces a 25 RON fee for parcels delivered in Romania that:
- Originate outside the European Union
- Have a declared customs value under 150 EUR
What you need to know
- The fee may be paid by the sender, recipient, or other parties involved in the shipment.
- Accurate declaration of origin and value is mandatory. Missing or incorrect information can cause delays, returns, or additional costs.
- Recipients may need to provide information and pay the fee if the sender has not done so.
DHL will identify eligible parcels, collect the fee, and comply with reporting obligations. Non-payment will result in the parcel being returned to the sender.
January 7, 2026
Thailand – Imports: Removal of Duty De Minimis for all Imports
For: Shippers, Receivers
Shipping: Packages
Effective: 1 January 2026
What you need to know
- Goods from the Rest of World to Thailand with a value equal to or above THB 1 will be subject to full duties as per the Thai Customs tariff upon import into Thailand.
- This effectively removes the current De Minimis of THB 1500 down to THB 1 which was known as Category 2 clearances.
- Applies to all imports including Commercial (B2B) and Private (B2C)