ReviewHomeland Security Department, U.S. Customs and Border Protection · Tariffs & customsEffective Jan 20, in 69 days5/5 quoted sentences found in the source

CBP gives postal parcels that carry tariff surcharges or agency requirements until January 20 before formal entry is required

Since the de minimis exemption ended for mail on June 24, 2026, postal shipments of $2,500 or less clear through a new informal process. Parcels subject to another agency's requirements, to Chapter 98 or 99 duties, or claiming free-trade-agreement treatment are shut out of that process and were to need formal entry from October 22, 2026. CBP has moved that date to January 20, 2027, saying importers, brokers, and logistics providers need more time. After that date, filers choose between formal entry and the Entry Type 13 test.

New compliance dateJanuary 20, 2027
Previous dateOctober 22, 2026
Parcel value$2,500 or less

What the document says

Matched to source. The compliance date is now January 20, 2027.
Matched to source. De minimis has been suspended for mail since June 24, 2026.
Matched to source. These categories of parcel cannot use the postal informal entry process.
Matched to source. After the window, the choice is formal entry or the Entry Type 13 test.
Matched to source. CBP's reason is system readiness across the postal supply chain.

Who does this affect?: Foreign brands and marketplaces that send orders to U.S. customers through the international postal network (Canada Post, Royal Mail, and other posts) where the goods carry additional tariffs or need agency data.
What it costs: No new charge. The formal-entry requirement for mail parcels valued at $2,500 or less that carry Chapter 98 or Chapter 99 duties or agency requirements moves from October 22, 2026 to January 20, 2027.
What to check: If you ship to U.S. customers by international mail and your goods carry additional tariffs or need another agency's data, ask your postal consolidator or broker how those parcels will be entered after January 20, 2027: by formal entry, or through the Entry Type 13 test.

The headline, summary, who, cost, and what-to-check lines are our reading of the document, not the document’s words and not advice.

Primary source

Indefinite Suspension of the De Minimis Exemption for Mail Shipments and New Postal Informal Entry Process; Delayed Compliance Extension