Govt temporarily suspends booking of postal services destined for US from Aug 25

New Delhi, Aug 23 (IANS) The Department of Posts (DoP) on Saturday said it has decided to temporarily suspend booking of all types of postal articles, destined for the US, with effect from August 25.

The suspension, however, exempts letters, documents and gift items up to $100 in value. These exempt categories will continue to be accepted and conveyed to the US, subject to further clarifications from CBP and USPS, the Ministry of Communications said in a statement.

“The Department is closely monitoring the evolving situation in coordination with all stakeholders, and every effort is being made to normalize services at the earliest possible opportunity,” it added.

The Department of Posts has taken note of the Executive Order issued by the US Administration on July 30, 2025, under which the “duty-free de minimis exemption for goods valued up to $800 will be withdrawn with effect from August 29, 2025.

Consequently, all international postal items destined for the US, regardless of their value, shall be subject to customs duties as per the country-specific International Emergency Economic Power Act (IEEPA) tariff framework.

However, gift items up to the value of $100 will continue to remain exempt from duties.

As per the Executive Order, transport carriers delivering shipments through the international postal network, or other “qualified parties” approved by the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), are required to collect and remit duties on postal shipments.

While CBP issued certain guidelines on August 15, 2025, several critical processes relating to the designation of “qualified parties” and mechanisms for duty collection and remittance remain undefined.

Consequently, US-bound air carriers have expressed their inability to accept postal consignments after August 25, 2025, citing lack of operational and technical readiness.

“Customers who have already booked articles that cannot be dispatched to the US due to these circumstances may seek a refund of postage. The Department of Posts deeply regrets the inconvenience caused to customers and assures that all possible measures are being undertaken to resume full services to the US at the earliest,” said the Ministry.

--IANS

na/