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Postal services in multiple countries are halting shipments to the United States this week as governments and couriers scramble to adapt to new U.S. import duties that take effect Friday.
President Donald Trump last month signed an executive order abolishing the longstanding “de minimis” trade rule, which since 2016 had allowed goods valued under $800 to enter the U.S. duty-free. While parcels from China and Hong Kong lost the exemption in May, the change is now being extended worldwide.
Under the revised rules, personal gifts valued under $100 will still qualify for duty-free entry, but all other shipments will be treated as standard imports, subject to tariffs based on their country of origin.
Postal providers in Belgium, Denmark and New Zealand were among the first to suspend package deliveries to the U.S. this week, citing unclear customs procedures. Services in Germany, France, Britain and India are expected to follow. France’s La Poste said the U.S. failed to provide “full details or adequate preparation time,” while New Zealand Post said parcel services would be “temporarily unavailable until further notice.” Letters and documents are not affected.
DHL, one of the world’s largest courier companies, said Friday it will stop accepting parcels containing goods from business customers destined for the U.S. starting Monday, pointing to unresolved “key questions” over how duties will be collected and how data will be transmitted to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. DHL said it will continue to ship private gifts valued under $100.
The White House defended the policy, arguing it will curb “escalating deceptive shipping practices, illegal material, and duty circumvention.” Officials said the de minimis rule had been exploited by shippers to send illicit drugs, including fentanyl, into the U.S.
The administration noted that the number of duty-free parcels skyrocketed from 134 million in 2015 to more than 1.36 billion in 2024. Most of the growth came from mainland China and Hong Kong, fueling the rise of fast-fashion platforms like Temu and Shein.
The Trump administration initially closed the loophole for Chinese shipments in February but extended the deadline to May 2 after confusion among carriers. The global rollout, postal authorities warn, could result in significant backlogs and higher costs for international shoppers.
