With the US ending its "de minimis" exemption for postal parcels from August 29, 2025, postal companies in several countries, including France, Germany, UK, and India are suspending package deliveries to America.
The new rules remove the previous duty-free exemption for packages valued under US$800, creating operational challenges for postal services in other countries.
Parcels and packages from individuals to individuals with a value of up to US$100, which are declared as 'gift,' are still not affected by the Executive Order.
However, these shipments will be subject to even stricter controls than before to prevent the misuse of private gift shipments for sending commercial goods. There are no changes for the shipping of documents and letters.
DHL has also announced that after August 22, Deutsche Post and DHL Parcel Germany will no longer be able to accept and transport parcels and postal items containing goods from business customers destined for the US.
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Lack of clarity on which agency will collecting the customs duty and the precise documentation required to clear goods are cited to be among the reasons for the suspension of sevices from global players.
According to data from the US Customs and Border Patrol Agency, a total of 1.36 billion packages, for goods worth US$64.6 billion, were sent into the US in 2024 under this exemption,
The transport and import of postal shipments are handled by national postal companies that have special agreements with customs authorities and the United States Postal Service (USPS).
The postal customs clearance process is generally simpler and more cost-effective. The basis for postal customs clearance is the Universal Postal Convention.
This method of importing shipments is no longer available for commercial shipments and any shipments with a value over $100 for the time being.
The number of de minimis parcels coming into the country have jumped from 136 million in 2015 to over 1.36 billion in 2024.
Most packages coming into the US are e-commerce purchases sourced from China and Hong Kong. In statement, the US government said that a lot of illegal and falsely declared goods coming into the country via the de minimis channel over the last few years and it wants to discourage this growing trend.
The move also encourages US online shoppers to purchase more goods made in the USA.
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