Sending a package to the United States (US) is becoming increasingly difficult due to a new rule on import duties imposed by President Donald Trump’s administration.
The US’s “de minimis” rule, which allowed packages with a value under $800 to enter the US duty-free, is coming to an end on Friday, August 29.
As a result, many postal services in Europe, Asia, and the Asia-Pacific region are suspending shipments of packages to the US over confusion about how the new duties will be collected.
Under the new rules, packages valued between $100 and $800 will face duties equal to the tariff rate the US has set on the origin country.
For instance, the US has a deal in place with the European Union for a 15% tariff rate, so packages from EU countries will face a duty of 15%.
Packages from India will face a duty of 50%, as that’s the tariff rate the US is placing on Indian imports as of Aug. 27.
Earlier this year, the Trump administration announced an end to the de minimis rule for packages coming from China, the source of 65% of these types of packages going to the United States.
It was widely seen as an attempt to stem the flow of goods from upstart China-based online retailers like Temu and Shein.
But now the de minimis rule is ending for all countries, creating uncertainty for businesses around the world.
In 2024, 1.36 billion packages entered the US under the de minimis rule with a total trade value of $64.6 billion, according to numbers from US Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
Now this trade will be taxed, potentially reducing direct-to-consumer exports to the US and raising prices for American consumers.
In the shorter term, however, this trade might not be possible at all because postal services are suspending package shipments to the US over confusion about how the new duties will be paid.
And it’s not only postal services: Shipping company DHL, the largest private parcel delivery company in Europe, has announced it’s temporarily suspending parcel delivery to the US for business customers.
“Key questions remain unresolved, particularly regarding how and by whom customs duties will be collected in the future, what additional data will be required, and how the data transmission to the US Customs and Border Protection will be carried out,” DHL said in an announcement.
Under the new rules, packages worth $100 or less, along with letters and gifts, are still exempt from duties, and most of the postal services that are suspending services will continue to deliver these types of packages. But for non-gifts and goods above $100, things are suddenly very different.
Below is a list of the countries that have so far announced suspensions of packages under $800 to the US.
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Europe Suspends Postal Deliveries to the US
France – La Poste suspended delivery of parcels to the US on August 25, except for gifts between individuals worth less than E100.
Germany – Deutsche Post suspended delivery of business customer parcels to the US on August 23, but gifts under $100 and letters and documents will still be delivered.
Italy – According to news reports, Poste Italiane has joined other postal services in Europe in temporarily suspending parcel shipments to the US.
Netherlands – PostNL suspended parcel shipments to the US on August 23.
Norway – Posten Bring announced on August 23 that it is suspending parcel shipments under $800 to the US and Puerto Rico.
Portugal – The country’s postal service has announced it will no longer accept transit packages (those originating from another country) for shipment to the US.
Spain – According to news reports, Spain’s postal service has joined others in suspending parcel deliveries to the US.
Sweden – According to news reports, Sweden’s postal services suspended delivery of a majority of packages to the US this past weekend.
Switzerland – Swiss Post suspended package delivery to the US as of August 26.
United Kingdom – The UK’s postal service has suspended delivery of packages to the US, but only for a few days while it starts up a new process to account for the new duties. It’s expected that package deliveries to the US will resume by August 28.
Other European countries: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Malta and Slovenia have all announced suspensions of package deliveries to the US.
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Asia / Asia-Pacific
Australia – Australia announced on August 26 that it’s suspending delivery of packages under $800 to the US due to complex and unclear rules.
Hong Kong – Although mainland China’s postal service has not suspended delivery of packages to the US, Hongkong Post did so following the US’s decision to end the de minimis rule for packages from China earlier this year.
India – India’s postal service suspended delivery of packages to the US as of August 25, with an exemption for letters and small gifts.
Japan – Japan Post announced on Monday that it will be necessary to suspend package deliveries over $100 due to the US’s new rules, “in line with other postal services.”
New Zealand – NZ Post temporarily suspended package deliveries to the US on August 22 while it updates its systems to adapt to the US’s new rules. It expects the suspension to be short-term.
Singapore – Singapore suspended package deliveries to the US as of August 25.
Thailand – Thailand Post announced on August 21 that it’s suspending all parcel postal services to the US, though local news sources report that parcels can still be shipped by Courier Post and via Amazon.
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