Package delivery from Europe to the US stops: “It is no longer clear whether, how much and how duties are paid”

Brussels – European postal companies are halting package delivery to the US because of uncertainty over customs duties resulting from President Donald Trump’s decision to impose a duty on any goods entering the US, whatever their origin. 

Until now, or rather, until 29 August, when the new rules come into force, business parcels containing goods with a value of less than $800 benefit from a ‘de minimis’ regime, for which no duties are paid. This also applies, of course, to parcels sent by private individuals. As of 29 August, however, it is not known what will happen; the US has not yet established new procedures, and uncertainty reigns supreme. This is why many companies, such as Poste Italiane, have suspended shipments, and a whole European world of small trade is in danger of entering a crisis. 

The European association of postal companies, PostEurop, says it is following “closely the developments regarding the US executive order ‘Suspending duty-free de minimis treatment for all countries’ on postal goods shipped to the USA.” The members of PostEurop are therefore working to find solutions “to ensure that postal goods shipping to the USA can continue for both business and private customers, considering also the importance of guaranteeing the Universal Postal Service.”  

The Association explains that “this measure will significantly affect all postal companies worldwide and their customers sending shipments through postal networks to the United States Postal Service (USPS).
Currently, low-value goods and gifts can be imported into the USA duty-free from other countries due to a de minimis customs threshold of $800. However, the changes mean that on all goods imported into the USA, duties should be paid to U.S. Customs, regardless of their country of origin.” 

The problem, apart from economic and commercial, is related to procedures, such as the collection of customs duties, the data to be collected and the interaction with the US Customs and Border Protection, which “have not yet been clearly defined.
Select technical details were only released on 15 August, leaving an extremely short timeframe to prepare,” PostEurop complains. 

The Association denounces that, at the moment, “if critical issues and processes are not defined and, thus, compliant solutions cannot be found before the regulations take effect on 29 August 2025, PostEurop Members, in alignment with the competent National Authorities, may be constrained to temporarily restrict or suspend the shipping of goods via the postal networks to the USA.” 

This has already been done in recent days by the French La Poste, Germany’s Deutsche Post, Spain’s Correos, Poste Italiane and the Belgian, Swedish and Danish postal services. Austria’s Österreichische Post and Britain’s Royal Mail announced that, as of Tuesday, the 26th, they will no longer accept parcels, so that parcels shipped before that date can arrive in the US before the duties take effect. 

Poste Italiane said it was “forced to temporarily suspend acceptance of all shipments containing goods destined for the United States.”