CBP will narrow eligibility for its new postal entry process starting Oct. 22, when four categories of mail shipments lose access to the simplified track that took effect July 24. The process covers international mail merchandise valued at $2,500 or less that is eligible for informal entry.
Importers and brokers shipping goods by mail will need to check whether their shipments still qualify after Oct. 22. Excluded shipments will need to use another appropriate entry process, such as Entry Type 13 or formal entry.
The exclusions are:
Merchandise claiming duty-free treatment under HTSUS Chapter 98
Merchandise subject to duties under Chapter 98 or Chapter 99
Goods claiming duty-free treatment under a free trade agreement
Merchandise subject to Partner Government Agency requirements
CBP delayed enforcement of the exclusions when it launched the process, giving filers a grace period through Oct. 22.
Filers using the postal process must submit a monthly worksheet with shipment details, including the 10-digit HTSUS classification, country of origin and declared value. The worksheet and duty payment are due by the seventh day of the following month. Filers must also have a basic importation and entry bond, either a single-transaction or continuous bond, active in CBP’s ACE system before using the process.
The postal process followed CBP’s indefinite suspension of the $800 de minimis exemption for international mail in 2025. Mail shipments valued at $2,500 or less have operated under the interim postal entry process since July. Logistics executives have warned shippers to expect closer scrutiny of product descriptions, tariff classifications and importer identities as the Oct. 22 deadline approaches, per JOC.
Late duty payments after the deadline draw interest. CBP can also offset unpaid amounts against available refunds and suspend an importer’s immediate release privileges.
