Executive Order Amending the Suspension of Duty-Free De Minimis Treatment
The White House
This Executive Order amends and formalizes the ongoing suspension of duty-free de minimis treatment for imports, specifically establishing the collection mechanisms for shipments entering the United States through the international postal network.
Acting under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and related trade statutes, the directive mandates that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) begin assessing and collecting duties on small postal parcels that previously qualified for duty-free entry under 19 U.S.C. 1321(a)(2)(C).
The core mechanical shift requires transportation carriers, or other CBP-approved qualified parties delivering international postal shipments, to directly collect and remit duties to the federal government.
For standard commercial shipments arriving outside the postal network, importers must continue to file formal entries using the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) system, subjecting them to all applicable duties, taxes, and fees.
Postal shipments subject to antidumping duties, countervailing duties, or strict import quotas are not exempt from this requirement and must also be processed formally through ACE regardless of their value.
Financially, the order links the newly applied postal duty rate directly to the temporary import surcharge established by a concurrent Presidential Proclamation dated February 20, 2026.
This specific duty rate will remain in effect until the temporary surcharge expires or until CBP finalizes and publishes a new, permanent entry process for postal shipments in the Federal Register.
To facilitate this collection, carriers must now declare the country of origin and the exact value of the articles contained within all dutiable postal items.
