India Post to temporarily suspend parcel services to US from Aug 25

Letters, documents, gift items up to $100 to continue

The Department of Posts will temporarily suspend booking of all types of postal articles to the US with effect from 25 August, due to lack of clarity on collection and remittance of duties following the change in import tariffs set to take effect from 29 August.

 

The department, under the Ministry of Communications, said on Saturday that letters or documents and gift items up to $100 in value will continue to be sent.

 

It noted that the exempt categories will continue to be accepted and conveyed to the US, subject to further clarifications from US Customs and Border Protection and US Postal Service.

 

It added that customers who have already booked articles that cannot be dispatched to the US due to these circumstances can seek a refund of postage, and that measures are being undertaken to resume full services to the US at the earliest.

 

“The department is closely monitoring the evolving situation in coordination with all stakeholders, and every effort is being made to normalise services at the earliest possible opportunity,” the department stated.

 

India Post is the latest among several postal service providers to have halted services following import tariff changes brought into effect by US President Donald Trump.

 

The US government issued an executive order on 30 July 2025, under which the duty-free de minimis exemption for goods valued up to $800 will be withdrawn with effect from 29 August 2025. Following this, all international postal items destined for the US, regardless of their value, shall be subject to customs duties as per the country-specific International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) tariff framework. However, gift items up to the value of $100 shall continue to remain exempt from duties.

 

The order states that 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.

 

“While CBP issued certain guidelines on 15 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 25 August 2025, citing lack of operational and technical readiness,” the department said.