The end of the tariff exemption for low-value packages entering the United States led several international postal services to order the suspension of their shipments, both to the country and to Puerto Rico, while awaiting further clarity on the new rule’s conditions.
The measure, known as the ‘de minimis exemption,’ allowed packages valued under $800 to enter the U.S. duty-free. In 2024, 1.36 billion packages were shipped under this exemption, for goods worth $64.6 billion, according to data from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency.
This exemption expired on Friday, so starting this Saturday, postal services across Europe announced the suspension of numerous package shipments to the U.S. and Puerto Rico due to confusion over the rules applying to the new import tariffs.
Postal services in Germany, Denmark, Sweden, and Italy announced they will suspend shipments of most goods to the United States effective immediately. Meanwhile, France and Austria will do so on Monday.
The UK’s Royal Mail said it would halt shipments to the U.S. on Tuesday to allow time for those packages to arrive before the tariffs take effect. Items originating from the UK valued over $100, including gifts to friends and family, will incur a 10% tariff, the agency detailed.
“Key questions remain unresolved: how and who will collect customs duties in the future, what additional data will be required, and how data transmission to U.S. Customs and Border Protection will be handled,” said DHL, Europe’s largest shipping provider, in a statement.
The shipping company said that starting Saturday, “it will no longer accept or transport packages and postal items containing goods from commercial customers destined for the United States.”
The U.S.-EU Trade Agreement Has Significant Gaps
The trade agreement the U.S. reached with the European Union last month imposes a 15% tariff on the vast majority of products shipped from the EU, including packages priced under $800.
European postal services reported they will suspend deliveries because they cannot guarantee goods will enter the United States before August 29, due to ambiguities over which types of goods are covered by the new rules and insufficient time to process their implications.
Additionally, the U.S. tariff exemption for products originating from China ended in May as part of the Trump administration’s efforts to prevent U.S. buyers from purchasing low-value Chinese goods. This exemption was extended to shipments worldwide.
Postnord, the Nordic logistics company, and the Italian postal service announced similar suspensions that will take effect on Saturday.
“In the absence of different instructions from U.S. authorities, Poste Italiane will be forced, like other European postal operators, to temporarily suspend the acceptance of all shipments containing goods destined for the United States starting August 23. Mail shipments that do not contain goods will continue to be accepted,” the company stated on Friday.
In the Netherlands, PostNL spokesperson Wout Witteveen said the Trump administration is pushing forward with the new tariffs despite U.S. authorities lacking a system to collect them. He added that PostNL is working closely with its U.S. counterparts to find a solution.
“If you have something to send to the United States, you should do it today.”
Austria’s postal service announced that the last commercial shipment run to the U.S. and Puerto Rico will take place on Tuesday. France’s national postal service, La Poste, said the U.S. did not provide complete details or allow enough time for the French postal service to prepare for the new customs procedures.
“Despite discussions with U.S. customs services, postal operators were not given time to reorganize and ensure the necessary IT updates to comply with the new rules,” it stated in a release.
PostEurop, an association of 51 European public postal operators, said that if no solution is found before August 29, all its members will likely follow suit and reject shipping packages to the U.S.
Image: DiarioNY
