They’ve been coming in thick and fast: the number of European postal services that have announced a stop or temporary suspension on parcels and commercial postal items destined for the U.S. Why? Because of the White House’s decision on 30JUL25, to delete the de minimis exemption from customs duties on parcels worth less than USD 800 for all countries, with effect 29AUG25.
So far, 22 European postal services have already or are planning to suspend parcel shipments to the United States due to confusion over new U.S. import tariffs scheduled to take effect on 29AUG25. They are:
- Austria (Österreichische Post, starting 25AUG25)
- Belgium (bpost, suspended 23AUG25)
- Czechia (Česká pošta, suspended 22AUG25)
- Denmark (suspended 22AUG25)
- Estonia (Omniva, suspended 22AUG25)
- Finland (Posti, suspended 22AUG25)
- France (La Poste, starting 25AUG25)
- Germany (Deutsche Post, DHL Parcel Germany, suspended 22AUG25)
- Greece (Hellenic Post – date not specified)
- Italy (Poste Italiane, suspended 23AUG25)
- Latvia (Latvia Pasts, suspended 23AUG25)
- Liechtenstein (Liechtensteinische Post, suspended 22AUG25)
- Lithuania (Lietuvos paštas, suspended 22AUG25)
- Malta (Malta Post, suspended 23AUG25)
- Norway (Posten Bring, suspended 23AUG25)
- Netherlands (PostNL, suspended 23AUG25)
- Poland (starting 25AUG25)
- Portugal (Correos Portugal, starting 25AUG25)
- Slovenia (Pošta Slovenije, suspended 22AUG25)
- Spain (Correos, starting 25AUG25)
- Sweden (PostNord, suspended 23AUG25) – United Kingdom (Royal Mail, starting 26AUG25)
And not just the European continent. According to Value Added Resource (https://www.valueaddedresource.net/international-postal-services-de-minimis-pause-us-shipments/), other countries have also announced their temporary freeze on U.S.-bound parcels of a certain value. For example, NZ Post New Zealand declared: “There are some restrictions when sending to the United States and U.S. territories…while formal processes around the new U.S. tariffs, duties and taxes are being finalised…Our online labelling tools will be disabled for impacted services from 5 p.m., 22AUG25. We expect that this suspension will be short term.” Thailand Post (suspended 21AUG25), Korea Post (25AUG25), Singapore Post (25AUG25), India Post (25AUG25), and Canada (25AUG25) are also listed. At time of writing Australia has not yet issued its verdict.
Not the first time…
DHL’s press release sent out on 22AUG25, announcing its temporary restrictions on German postal goods destined for the U.S., is an expansion of a situation that already began earlier this year, in APR25. CFG reported: https://cargoforwarder.eu/2025/04/21/dhl-stops-package-delivery-in-the-usa/ , when U.S.-bound goods from Hong Kong and China were affected. “After 22AUG25, Deutsche Post and DHL Parcel Germany will no longer be able to accept and transport parcels and postal items containing goods from business customers destined for the U.S.,” the press release states, giving the reason that “the U.S. Executive Order ‘Suspending Duty-Free De Minimis Treatment for all Countries’ changes the basis for postal goods shipping to the U.S. for all postal and parcel service providers”. The service is therefore temporarily suspended, though DHL Express shipments are still possible. “Packages and parcels that contain only gifts from individuals to individuals with a value of up to USD100 and are declared as a ‘gift’, as well as documents, can continue to be sent as usual,” it specifies. Business customers suffer temporary restrictions. Documents sent as letters are not affected, but overall, much stricter scrutiny will be in place to uncover fraudulent abuse of the new regulations.
As clear as mud
Despite the decision having been made a while back, there are still unclarities regarding the handling process, as DHL details: “the reason for these anticipated temporary restrictions is new processes required by U.S. authorities for postal shipping, which differ from the previously applicable regulations. Key questions remain unresolved, particularly regarding how and by whom customs duties will be collected in the future, what additional data will be required, and how the data transmission to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection will be carried out.” It goes on to explain the difference between postal and commercial customs clearance – both of which are negatively affected by the 30JUL25 Executive Order, but in different ways. At the end of the day, processes are becoming more time-consuming, subject to stricter regulations, and the new regulations are adding costs to the existing supply chain: “All commercially cleared shipments, including those with a value under USD 100, are subject to customs clearance. For goods from Germany respectively the European Union, the customs rate is expected to be 15% of the goods’ value – some product categories may be subject to higher duties.” DHL assures that it, along with its European partners, is in contact with U.S. authorities, to come to solutions so as “to resume postal goods shipping to the U.S. as quickly as possible”.
A dip in traffic and profit
Quick solutions are in the interests of everyone. In a discussion regarding financial results earlier this month, DHL’s CFO stated that the end of the de minimis exemption could reduce its potential full-year operating profit by up to USD 231 million – in other words a 3.3% hit on its operating profit. Following the APR25 introduction of tariffs on previously duty-free low-value parcels from China and Hong Kong to the U.S., express shipments – particularly business-to-consumer parcels from those countries – fell by 20%. With the next chapter starting up on 29AUG25, further challenges and volume dips can be expected. And that is just one integrator in a very large air cargo industry. Not to mention the knock-on effect these changes will have on consumer behavior and the survival of small and medium-sized businesses who will suffer the brunt of the price increases and delays. What was once de minimis will cause misery for a while yet.
