India temporarily suspends postal services to US with some exceptions

The Department of Posts has announced that postal services to the United States are being temporarily suspended barring a few exceptions.

The Department of Posts "has decided to temporarily suspend booking of all types of postal articles, destined for the USA with effect from 25th August, 2025 except letters/documents and gift items up to $100 in value", a government notification said.

"These exempt categories will continue to be accepted and conveyed to the US, subject to further clarifications from CBP and USPS," the statement said.

This comes in the wake of the US executive order under which the "duty-free de minimis exemption for goods valued up to $800 will be withdrawn with effect from August 29, 2025."

As per the Executive Order, transport carriers delivering shipments through the international postal network, or other "qualified parties" approved by the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), are required to collect and remit duties on postal shipments.

"Consequently, all international postal items destined for the USA, regardless of their value, shall be subject to customs duties as per the country-specific International Emergency Economic Power Act (IEEPA) tariff framework. However, gift items up to the value of $100 shall continue to remain exempt from duties," the notification read.

"While CBP issued certain guidelines on 15th August, 2025, several critical processes relating to the designation of "qualified parties" and mechanisms for duty collection and remittance remain undefined. Consequently, US-bound air carriers have expressed their inability to accept postal consignments after 25th August, 2025, citing lack of operational and technical readiness," a statement from the ministry said.

With PTI inputs