Duty-Free Mail Is Over: Inside CBP’s New Postal Informal Entry Process

For more than a decade, low-value goods entering the United States through the international mail system moved with almost no customs friction. A shipment worth $800 or less could clear duty-free under the de minimis administrative exemption, with minimal paperwork and no duty collected at the door. That era has ended. Beginning July 24, 2026, covered international mail shipments must move through an entirely new postal informal entry process that requires shipment-level classification, valuation, bonding, duty calculation, and monthly payment.

For importers, customs brokers, e-commerce platforms, freight forwarders, and parcel consolidators, this is one of the most consequential structural changes to low-value import processing in years. Here is what changed, what the new process requires, and what businesses should be doing now.

How We Got Here

The new process is the product of a rapid sequence of executive and regulatory action. Executive Order 14324 (July 30, 2025) suspended duty-free de minimis treatment for goods from all countries, and Executive Order 14388 (February 20, 2026) continued that suspension. On June 24, 2026, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) codified those directives by publishing two interim final rules that indefinitely suspend the $800 de minimis administrative exemption under 19 U.S.C. 1321(a)(2)(C) — one covering merchandise arriving through the international postal network, and a companion rule covering all other modes of transportation.

Shipments valued at $800 or less that once entered duty-free must now use an appropriate entry procedure and are subject to all applicable duties, taxes, and fees.

Importantly, the change is not the finish line. The “One Big Beautiful Bill” Act eliminates the de minimis exemption entirely, effective July 1, 2027. In other words, the postal entry process CBP has now stood up functions as a bridge to a permanent statutory change in U.S. customs law.

The New Postal Informal Entry Process

Because international mail shipments can no longer claim the de minimis exemption, CBP has established a new interim informal entry process for qualifying mail, codified in 19 CFR part 145. It applies to mail shipments valued at $2,500 or less that are classifiable in Chapters 1 through 97 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS).

The mechanics represent a real departure from the old model:

• CBP officers no longer manually prepare entry forms, and duties are no longer collected upon delivery.
• The designated filer — limited to the owner, purchaser, or a licensed customs broker — must transmit a monthly data set detailing comprehensive shipment information, including a 10-digit HTSUS classification for each shipment.
• Duties are paid through Pay.gov by the seventh day of the following month.

This shifts the compliance burden squarely onto the trade. Responsibility for classification, valuation, and timely duty payment now rests with a defined filer of record rather than with CBP personnel at the point of delivery.

New Bonding Requirement

The rule also introduces a bonding obligation that did not previously exist in the postal environment. Under new 19 CFR 145.15, filers must secure a basic importation and entry bond — either a single-transaction bond or a continuous bond, carrying the terms and conditions of 19 CFR 113.62 — before a postal informal entry will be accepted or released. For businesses that have never had to bond low-value mail shipments, this is a new cost and a new operational step that should be built into planning immediately.

What Is Excluded

The interim process is deliberately narrow. It is not available for mail shipments subject to:

• Antidumping or countervailing duties (AD/CVD)
• Quotas
• Chapter 98 or Chapter 99 duties (including Section 201, 232, and 301 trade remedies)
• Partner Government Agency (PGA) data requirements

Shipments falling into these categories must generally be entered under the formal entry process instead. Recognizing that many low-value mail shipments carry PGA data obligations or trade-remedy duties, CBP set a delayed compliance date of October 22, 2026 for the PGA and Chapter 98/99 categories — giving affected filers additional runway, but not an exemption.

The Electronic Future: Entry Type 13

Alongside the interim process, CBP announced a voluntary test of a new electronic informal entry type — Entry Type 13 (Informal Mail Entry) — that filers can submit through the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE). The test commences September 22, 2026 and runs until CBP concludes it by later notice.

Entry Type 13 temporarily creates an informal entry pathway for low-value mail shipments subject to PGA data requirements or to duties outside Chapters 1–97 (such as Section 201, 232, and 301 duties) — precisely the shipments that the interim process cannot accommodate and that would otherwise require formal entry.

Shipments subject to AD/CVD or quotas stay ineligible for informal entry under the test and must be entered formally. And CBP retains its longstanding authority to require formal entry of any mail shipment, regardless of value, when necessary to protect the revenue.

Under the test, the importer of record must transmit a defined set of data elements electronically, including the filer and IOR codes, a full description, country of origin, all applicable 10-digit HTSUS classifications (primary and any secondary Chapter 98/99 classifications), duty rate, value, total duty owed, carrier name, the foreign postal tracking number, and the arrival port. A basic importation and entry bond is likewise required. Carriers transporting international mail may also elect to participate by reporting foreign postal tracking numbers on their manifests — data that lets CBP match shipments to entries and verify that entry was filed on time.

Key Timeline

• June 24, 2026 — De minimis suspension takes effect; interim final rules published
• July 24, 2026 — New postal informal entry process becomes effective
• September 22, 2026 — Entry Type 13 electronic test commences in ACE
• October 22, 2026 — Delayed compliance date for PGA and Chapter 98/99 mail shipments
• July 1, 2027 — Statutory repeal of de minimis under the “One Big Beautiful Bill” Act

What Businesses Should Do Now

The companies most affected — direct-to-consumer sellers, fulfillment platforms, consolidators, brokers, and carriers that rely on the international mail channel — should treat this as an operational and compliance priority, not a distant regulatory footnote. Practical steps include:

1. Identify who will be the filer of record. Only owners, purchasers, and licensed customs brokers can file. Businesses relying on foreign postal operators or carriers will need broker relationships in place.
2. Secure the required bond. Determine whether a single-transaction or continuous bond fits your volume, and get it in place ahead of the effective date.
3. Build classification and valuation capacity. Every covered shipment now needs an accurate 10-digit HTSUS classification and declared value. For high-volume mailers, this is a data and systems challenge as much as a legal one.
4. Map your exclusions. Determine which of your shipments fall into the AD/CVD, quota, PGA, or trade-remedy categories, and plan for formal entry or the Entry Type 13 pathway accordingly.
5. Evaluate participation in the Entry Type 13 test. Early participants can adapt their operations to the automated process before it becomes mandatory — and shape it through comments to CBP.

Frequently Asked Questions

When does CBP’s de minimis suspension for mail take effect? The suspension of the duty-free de minimis administrative exemption for international mail took effect June 24, 2026, and the new postal informal entry process becomes effective July 24, 2026.

What is the new postal informal entry process? It is the procedure, codified at 19 CFR part 145, that CBP now requires for qualifying international mail shipments valued at $2,500 or less in HTSUS Chapters 1–97. A designated filer must classify and value each shipment, transmit the required data to CBP, and pay duties through Pay.gov by the seventh of the following month.

What is CBP Entry Type 13? Entry Type 13 (Informal Mail Entry) is a new electronic informal entry type filed in ACE. CBP is running a voluntary test of it beginning September 22, 2026, as the automated successor to the interim postal entry process.

Do international mail shipments now require a customs bond? Yes. Under 19 CFR 145.15, filers must have a basic importation and entry bond — single-transaction or continuous — in place before a postal informal entry will be accepted or released.

When is de minimis eliminated permanently? The “One Big Beautiful Bill” Act repeals the de minimis exemption entirely, effective July 1, 2027.

How We Can Help

The suspension of de minimis and the new postal entry process introduce meaningful duty exposure, new bonding obligations, and real compliance risk for anyone moving low-value goods through the mail. Getting the entry structure, classification, and bonding right — and understanding which pathway applies to which shipments — will separate the companies that adapt smoothly from those that face penalties, liquidated damages, and delivery disruptions.

Our firm advises importers, brokers, platforms, and carriers on customs entry strategy, tariff classification, bonding, and trade-remedy exposure. If your business relies on the international mail channel, we can help you assess your obligations under the new process and build a compliant path forward before the deadlines arrive.

This post is provided for general informational purposes and does not constitute legal advice. For guidance on your specific circumstances, please contact our office.