The Department of Posts has announced a temporary suspension of all postal services to the United States, effective August 25, following changes in US customs regulations.
The suspension comes after the US administration’s Executive Order No. 14324, which ends the duty-free exemption for goods valued up to USD 800. Under the new rules, starting August 29, all international postal items to the US will be subject to customs duties as per the US International Emergency Economic Powers Act tariff framework.
However, gift items valued up to USD 100 will remain exempt from duties. The suspension is linked to rising trade tensions between India and the US, where the Trump administration recently imposed a 25% tariff on Indian goods, along with a 25% penalty on imports of Russian oil, bringing the total tariff burden to 50%.
As part of the changes, US-bound air carriers have informed Indian authorities that they will not be able to accept consignments from August 25 due to operational delays in customs processing. In response, the Department of Posts will continue to accept letters, documents, and gift items under the $100 limit, while suspending other postal services to the US. Customers who have already booked items that cannot be delivered are eligible for a postage refund.
The Department assured that it is closely monitoring the evolving situation and is working with stakeholders to restore normal services as soon as possible.
