Announcements

Following the July EU customs duty changes, two further changes affect EU shipping: a new Union Handling Fee and additional product identifiers for customs clearance.

1. Union Handling Fee

From 1 November 2026, the EU introduces a Union Handling Fee of €2 per customs declaration line for qualifying online sales sent directly to EU consumers. It applies at any goods value, including shipments above €150, and is added on top of customs duty and VAT. This is an EU charge, separate from JustShip's own duty handling charge.

We calculate this charge using the same grouping as the €3 duty described in our July announcement: €2 for each unique HS code and country-of-origin combination. The HS code identifies the type of goods; origin is where they were made. Multiple units sharing both count once. A different HS code or origin adds another €2.

VAT, shipping and other applicable charges are separate. For example, a €120 order with two customs lines carries €6 in flat duty plus €4 in Union Handling Fees: €10 before those other charges.

Who pays

• Express EU: choose Pre-paid, Sender to cover the fee yourself, or Post-paid, Receiver for the carrier to collect it from your recipient. When you prepay, it will appear under Duties in your quote, converted to Singapore dollars.
• Postal EU: your recipient pays the fee on delivery, along with applicable duty and VAT. We do not add it at booking. EU Postal remains recipient-paid; prepaid VAT through IOSS is not available.

2. Additional product identifiers

EU customs is introducing new product identifier requirements. These codes identify the exact product and its maker. Prepare the following for each product you ship:

Your SKU (merchant product ID)

Your code for the product or variant, such as TOTE-NATURAL-M. Find it in your shop listing or stock records and reuse it for the same product. Don't use an order number.

Manufacturer product code (NS-PID)

The product code assigned by its maker, such as a model, part or style number. Check the packaging, supplier catalogue or invoice, or ask your supplier for the manufacturer's code. Enter the product code, not the manufacturer's or shop's name.

Standard barcode number, if one exists (S-PID)

A GTIN, EAN, UPC or ISBN, usually printed with the product's barcode. Keep any leading zeros. Required if your product has one. In JustShip, leave this field blank if no standard barcode number exists. You do not need to buy one to meet this requirement.

For products you make yourself, such as jewellery or sewn goods, use a stable code you assign as the maker; this can be your SKU. For resale or printing on a bought-in shirt or mug, use the underlying manufacturer's product code and any existing barcode. A design name or order reference does not replace them. Handmade or Etsy status alone is not an exemption.

What to do now

Gather the codes from your product records or suppliers now, so they are ready when the fields become available. If you use Shopify, your SKUs are already imported. We'll also import manufacturer codes and standard barcode numbers where available in your store. Review the imported details and add any missing codes before booking.

Further reading: European Commission customs guidance and FedEx's product identifier guide.

The temporary 10% US import surcharge that applied to every shipment expired on 24 July 2026. In its place, the US now charges Section 301 tariffs that vary by the country where the goods were manufactured, across 60 economies.

For goods made in Singapore the rate is 12.5%, on top of the item's normal import duty. That is 2.5 points more than the surcharge it replaces: on a S$200 item with a 5% duty rate, duty goes from S$30 to S$35. Rates differ for goods made elsewhere, and the US exempts certain products from the tariff.

We apply this to US shipments booked from 27 July 2026, 12pm SGT. As always, declare each item's country of origin accurately: where it was manufactured, not where it ships from. It decides which of these rates applies.

Full details, including the rate for each economy and the exempt product list, are published by the Office of the US Trade Representative, with a plain-language summary from Zonos.

If you sell to customers in the EU, the rules for low-value parcels are changing. For years, orders under €150 entered the EU duty free. From 1 July 2026, that exemption ends and a new customs duty applies. Because parcels shipped before 1 July may only clear customs after it, JustShip starts applying this to every EU shipment you create from 22 June 2026.

VAT and customs duty are separate

Two different charges apply when your goods enter the EU:

How the new duty is calculated

For orders up to €150, the duty is €3 for each unique HS code and country-of-origin combination in the parcel, not per parcel. JustShip automatically groups items that share the same HS code and origin onto one customs line, charged €3 once. Each different HS code or origin is a separate line, with another €3.

Above €150, standard percentage duty rates apply instead of the flat €3, IOSS no longer applies, and the order must go by Express EU.

Who pays: Postal EU vs Express EU

You decide who covers the charges, and when:

• Postal EU (goods up to €150): duty can't be prepaid, so your buyer always pays it on delivery. For the VAT, choose Pre-paid, Sender to prepay it yourself, or Post-paid, Receiver to leave it to the buyer.
• Express EU (any value, and the only option above €150): choose Pre-paid, Sender to prepay VAT and duty so your buyer pays nothing on delivery, or Post-paid, Receiver to leave both to the buyer.

Which service to choose

Postal EU works well when:

• the goods value is up to €150;
• a lower-cost option is preferred;
• your buyer is fine paying the EU customs duty on delivery.

Postal EU prepays VAT where eligible through IOSS, but it is not a fully duties-paid service.

Express EU works well when:

• you want to prepay taxes and duties for your buyer;
• a smoother delivery experience is preferred;
• the goods value is above €150.

New details you need to enter

To clear customs, every EU shipment now needs two product details: a merchant product identifier (your SKU) and a manufacturer product identifier (a unique customs reference).

Connected your Shopify store? We prefill both for you, the merchant ID from your product SKU and the manufacturer ID from your store name plus SKU. You can review or bulk-edit any item before you ship.

In short

• From 22 June 2026, EU orders up to €150 carry a new customs duty.
• It's €3 for each unique HS code and country-of-origin combination, not per parcel.
• VAT and duty are separate. IOSS covers VAT only.
• Postal EU (up to €150): your buyer pays the duty on delivery.
• Express EU (any value, required above €150): prepay everything so your buyer pays nothing, or leave it to them.
• The shipment form now needs two new product details: merchant and manufacturer identifiers.

EU customs rules keep evolving, and more changes are expected. We'll keep you posted here on our announcements as they land.

Since March, we have been applying a market-indexed fuel surcharge to Express shipments. Effective 20 April 2026, the same surcharge will also apply to Standard shipments.

Two things are driving this. First, domestic carriers in the US like USPS are raising prices by 8%. Second, global jet fuel prices remain elevated, keeping carrier fuel surcharges high across the board.

The mechanics are identical to Express: the rate is pegged to the USGC jet fuel index, updates every Monday, and drops automatically when fuel costs come down. For full details on how the surcharge works, see our earlier announcement or the rate table.

Global jet fuel prices have been volatile over the past several weeks, and carrier fuel surcharges have increased significantly. Since introducing a temporary 6% fuel surcharge on 22 March, fuel costs have continued to shift week to week.

To keep things fair and transparent, we are now pegging our fuel surcharge to the US DOE jet fuel index (USGC), the same index that FedEx and UPS use. This means our surcharge moves with the market rather than being set by us.

Based on the latest released USGC jet fuel price, the fuel surcharge will be adjusted to 8.00% from 6 April 2026.

How does it work?

Each Wednesday (US time), the US Department of Energy publishes an updated jet fuel price. We use that price to set the surcharge for the following week. The new rate takes effect every Monday at 00:00 SGT.

The surcharge is applied as a percentage of your shipping cost, rounded down to the nearest S$0.10.

See the full rate table and weekly history →

Will this be permanent?

The surcharge tracks the jet fuel index and adjusts automatically. When fuel prices drop, the surcharge decreases through the same bands. If jet fuel returns to normal levels, the surcharge goes to 0%. We hope the global situation eases soon, and we are monitoring it closely. In the meantime, we would rather be upfront with a visible, market-indexed surcharge than quietly raise base rates.

Effective 22 March 2026, a temporary 6% fuel surcharge applies to all Express shipments. The surcharge is calculated on the shipping cost and rounded down to the nearest S$0.10.

Why is this happening?

Global fuel costs have risen significantly in recent weeks, and our Express carriers have all increased their fuel surcharges to us. To keep offering reliable Express delivery, we're passing through a portion of this increase.

This is an industry-wide adjustment. If you've shipped with other logistics providers recently, you'll likely have seen similar changes on their end too.

What's affected?

How is it calculated?

The surcharge is 6% of your Express shipping cost, rounded down to the nearest S$0.10. For example, if your Express shipping cost is S$45.00, the fuel surcharge would be S$2.70.

Is this permanent?

No. This is a temporary surcharge tied to current fuel prices. We review carrier costs regularly and will remove or reduce the surcharge when fuel prices come down. We'd rather be transparent with a visible surcharge than quietly raise base rates.

Questions?

Reach out to us via WhatsApp, we're happy to walk through how this affects your shipments.

Due to airspace closures in the Middle East, our shipping carriers have suspended all flights to and from the affected region. We are temporarily unable to accept new shipments to or from these destinations.

Affected countries: Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and UAE. Shipments to all other countries continue to operate normally. Read full details →