Shipping to the USA From Abroad
Who pays duty now, how post and courier differ, what foreign posts have changed, and how long parcels take
The short version
Since August 29, 2025, parcels entering the U.S. no longer get the $800 duty-free exemption, whatever the origin or carrier. Almost every goods parcel owes duty, and on most postal shipments that duty must be paid before the parcel leaves the origin country. Genuine person-to-person gifts up to $100 and documents are the main exceptions. By courier, the recipient is usually billed unless the sender chose duty-paid service.
Rules here have changed repeatedly. This reflects what we could find as of October 31, 2026. Check your carrier's current notice before you post, along with CBP's e-commerce FAQ. This page is general information, not legal or customs advice.
What Happened to De Minimis
| Date | Change |
|---|---|
| Aug 29, 2025 | $800 exemption suspended for all countries. Many posts paused U.S. parcels while they built ways to prepay duty. |
| Jun 24, 2026 | CBP interim final rules made the suspension indefinite, covering mail and non-mail shipments (Federal Register). |
| Jul 24, 2026 | New postal entry process began. The earlier flat rates ended, and regular duty rates now apply by HS code and origin. |
| Aug 2026 | The Court of International Trade upheld the suspension. |
| Jan 20, 2027 | Compliance date for Entry Type 13 mail filing, pushed back from Oct 22, 2026. |
| 2027 | Statutory repeal of the exemption is due to take effect. A further CBP proposal on low-value shipments is open for comment until Dec 7, 2026. |
Who Pays Duty, and How
| Post (mail) | Courier (DHL, FedEx, UPS) | |
|---|---|---|
| When is duty paid? | Normally by the sender, before mailing, through the post's prepaid (DDP) service | Usually billed to the recipient after clearance, unless the sender chose duty-paid service |
| Collected at the door? | CBP says duties will not be collected on delivery for mail under the new process | The carrier may ask for payment before delivery or send an invoice afterwards |
| Who files the entry? | The owner, purchaser or a licensed broker, in practice a partner of the post. A bond is needed. | The courier's brokerage, typically |
| Extra fees | The post or its partner adds a service fee. Mail is exempt from the Merchandise Processing Fee, except Inbound EMS. | Brokerage and disbursement fees; customs processing fees may also apply |
| Over $2,500 | Formal entry; the addressee is notified and usually handles it, often through a broker | Formal entry through a broker |
Some posts' pages still use older wording, such as an $800 boundary, for when prepayment applies. Royal Mail and Japan Post both show the limit rising to $2,500 from July 24, 2026, so go by your own post's latest notice.
How Much Duty?
The rate now depends on the item's 10-digit HTS code and its country of origin, meaning where it was made, not where you posted it. A Chinese-made toy posted from Germany is taxed as Chinese. As of late October 2026 a typical bill can combine:
- The normal tariff rate for that product, which can be zero or a few percent or much more for some apparel and footwear.
- Section 301 tariffs. Zonos, the duty platform many posts use, reports that since July 24, 2026 most economies face 10% or 12.5%, with capped treatment for some partners such as the EU, Japan and South Korea, plus older tariffs on China.
- Section 232 tariffs on metals and some other sectors.
- Country-specific actions. The same source reports extra tariffs on Brazilian goods and on specified Canadian-origin goods.
Treat 10 to 25% of the goods value as a rough starting point for planning, then get the actual figure from your post's checkout or duty tool. Trade agreement preferences such as USMCA reportedly can't currently be claimed on postal shipments, so a qualifying item may go cheaper by courier.
What Is Still Duty-Free?
- Bona fide gifts up to $100. CBP says the gift exemption is unchanged. It means given outright for nothing. Anything bought, including items sent by a business or sent to yourself, doesn't count. Posts still need a full declaration, and Canada Post requires a Declaration ID even so.
- Documents and letters with no commercial value.
- Mail from U.S. military addresses (APO, FPO, DPO), which stays in the domestic mail stream.
- Returns are not automatically free. Canada Post warns that U.S. postal returns are not duty-free. Duties prepaid on a parcel that comes back are generally not refunded.
What Foreign Posts Have Done
Many posts suspended U.S. parcels in August 2025, then resumed with prepaid services, often through Zonos or similar partners. Current details as best we could confirm them:
| Post | What we found |
|---|---|
| Royal Mail (UK) | Moved to Postal Delivered Duties Paid services after a short pause in 2025. Gifts up to $100 exempt but must be declared. Standard duty rates and a $2,500 limit from July 24, 2026. |
| Canada Post | Needs a Zonos Declaration ID. The Prepay app adds C$3.99 plus 10% in fees (check for changes). Gifts must be person to person and marked "Unsolicited Gift." Letter-post under 500 g without commercial value is exempt from the ID. |
| Australia Post | Duty and a handling fee paid with postage at the counter. 10-digit HS codes required since July 24, 2026; incomplete declarations are returned. Food needs FDA prior notice. |
| Japan Post | Stopped most U.S. items from Aug 27, 2025; acceptance resumed Apr 14, 2026. Documents and gifts up to $100 at any office. Other goods up to $2,500 need DDP prepayment through Zonos at designated offices. One October 2026 blog says only EMS DDP is available for parcels, so check service options. |
| India Post | Suspended August 2025, resumed October 15, 2025. We found no later update on terms. |
| Deutsche Post / DHL | Resumed in 2025 with DDP for business customers. Check current options for private senders. |
| PostNL | Resumed in September 2025. |
| PHLPost (Philippines) | Reported resuming from April 13, 2026. |
If your post isn't listed, ask it directly. Some smaller posts have stayed suspended or limit service, so a courier or forwarder may be the only option.
Typical Transit Times Into the U.S.
These are our planning ranges in business days, door to door, from major cities. They are not carrier commitments. Postal figures assume a tracked service, and customs adds variable time.
| From | Post, tracked | Express courier |
|---|---|---|
| Canada | 4 to 9 | 1 to 3 |
| Mexico | 7 to 15 | 1 to 3 |
| United Kingdom | 5 to 10 | 1 to 3 |
| Germany and Western Europe | 5 to 12 | 1 to 3 |
| Japan | 3 to 10 (EMS at the fast end) | 2 to 4 |
| China | 7 to 15 | 2 to 5 |
| India | 7 to 18 | 2 to 5 |
| Philippines | 8 to 20 | 3 to 6 |
| Australia | 6 to 12 | 2 to 5 |
Economy untracked services and surface mail, where offered, can take several weeks. After arrival, USPS usually handles postal items, so tracking may switch to USPS. Letters and postcards usually move on the slower side of the postal column. For more, see how long international shipping takes, or the DHL and FedEx time guides.
Post or Courier?
Post usually suits
- Gifts and documents
- Small, low-value items
- Senders happy to prepay and wait
Courier usually suits
- Items worth over about $200, or urgent
- USMCA-qualifying goods
- Items a buyer has agreed to pay duty on
- Origins with limited postal service
Practical Steps for Senders
- Check your post's current U.S. notice, including any restrictions on the service you want.
- Decide what the parcel really is. A real gift, documents, or goods.
- Check the item is allowed. Alcohol, tobacco and pharmaceuticals can't generally go as gifts, and food usually needs an FDA prior notice unless it is a non-commercial home-prepared gift.
- Find the 10-digit HTS code using the U.S. tariff schedule or your post's duty tool.
- Work out the origin of each item, not just where you bought it.
- Declare true value and contents. On a postal item this goes on your CN23 or CN22; on a courier shipment, a commercial invoice.
- Prepay duty through your post, or choose who pays with the courier and tell the recipient.
- Keep your receipt and tracking, and give the recipient the number.
If You Are the U.S. Recipient
- Ask a foreign seller whether the price includes duty, and who the importer is. "Duty paid" at checkout is what you want.
- A courier may bill you after delivery, so keep any invoice. Pay only through the carrier's official site: texts demanding a small "customs fee" are a common scam.
- You can refuse a parcel before accepting it, but it may be returned and the seller may not refund postage.
- If tracking stops, see package stuck in customs. You can get a broad duty estimate from our duty calculator.
Related guides
For how charges work worldwide, see duties, taxes & landed cost. For paperwork, start with customs forms. Sending the other way? Use the country guides and international shipping rates.