The postal department on Saturday announced that it will temporarily suspend all postal services to the United States from August 25 as 50 per cent tariffs levied by the Donald Trump administration comes into effect in a few days.
The US on July 30 revoked the duty-free de minimis exemption for goods valued up to $800.
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 USD100 in value. These exempt categories will continue to be accepted and… pic.twitter.com/sRt2NnmlEn
— ANI (@ANI) August 23, 2025
The postal department pointed out that all international postal items entering the US from August 29 onwards will be subject to customs duties. This is as per the country-specific International Emergency Economic Power Act (IEEPA) tariff framework, it noted.
Is there an exemption?
The department of posts clarified that gift items worth up to $100 will not attract any duties. The Ministry of Communications said these exempt categories will continue to be accepted but it would still be subject to further clarifications from Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and United States Postal Service (USPS).
Customers, who have already booked undeliverable items, have the option to seek a refund.
The department assured customers that it is "closely monitoring the evolving situation in coordination with all stakeholders, and every effort is being made to normalize services at the earliest possible opportunity."
Though the duties will come to effect only on August 29, lack of clarity regarding the designation of "qualified parties" and the process of duty collection has prompted the air carriers bound for the US to inform Indian authorities that they could not accept consignments from August 25.
