The Department of Posts has announced that it will temporarily stop accepting most postal consignments to the United States from August 25, following changes to US duty rules that come into effect later this month.
The US issued an order on July 30, withdrawing the duty-free exemption for goods valued up to USD 800. From August 29, all postal items sent to the US, regardless of their value, will attract customs duties under the International Emergency Economic Power Act (IEEPA) tariff framework. Only gift items up to USD 100 will remain duty-free.
According to the order, only international carriers and other “qualified parties” approved by US Customs can collect and pay duties on postal shipments. But since the process for approving these parties and setting up duty collection isn’t clear yet, airlines have said they won’t be able to carry US-bound postal parcels after August 25.
In line with this, India Post will suspend the booking of all types of articles for the US from August 25, except for letters, documents, and gift items valued up to USD 100.
The Department of Posts said customers who have already booked parcels that cannot be dispatched may claim 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 USA at the earliest,” the statement said.