The Department of Posts has suspended booking of most postal articles to the USA from August 25, 2025, following a US executive order withdrawing the duty-free exemption on imports below USD 800.
The Department of Posts has taken note of the Executive Order No. 14324 issued by the US Administration on July 30, 2025, which withdraws the duty-free de minimis exemption for goods valued up to USD 800. The order will take effect on August 29, 2025.
As a result, all international postal items sent to the USA, irrespective of their value, will now be subject to customs duties under the country-specific International Emergency Economic Power Act (IEEPA) tariff framework. However, gift items up to a value of USD 100 will continue to remain exempt.
According to the Executive Order, transport carriers handling international postal shipments, or other “qualified parties” approved by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), must collect and remit duties on postal consignments.
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While CBP issued guidelines on August 15, 2025, key processes regarding the designation of “qualified parties” and duty collection mechanisms remain undefined. Due to this uncertainty, US-bound air carriers have expressed their inability to accept postal consignments after August 25, 2025, citing lack of operational and technical readiness.
India Post Temporarily Suspends Most Bookings to USA
In view of these developments, the Department of Posts has announced that the booking of all types of postal articles to the USA will be temporarily suspended with effect from August 25, 2025, except for letters, documents, and gift items valued up to USD 100. These categories will continue to be accepted and delivered to the USA, pending further clarifications from CBP and USPS.
The Department stated that it is closely monitoring the situation in coordination with stakeholders and is making efforts to restore full services at the earliest.
Customers who have already booked articles that cannot be dispatched due to these restrictions may apply for a refund of postage. The Department of Posts added that it “deeply regrets the inconvenience caused to customers and assures that all possible measures are being undertaken to resume full services to the USA at the earliest.”
