The group announced today that it will only be able to send parcels to the U.S. from individuals if they can be declared as “gifts” and contain items valued at up to 100 dollars (approximately 86 euros at the current exchange rate).
Parcels from individuals exceeding this value can only be sent to the U.S. via express shipping, which is more expensive, starting Saturday. The same will apply to packages from companies starting next Tuesday.
As most parcels sent by individuals to the U.S. are valued below 100 dollars, DHL’s private customers will not be significantly impacted by the new tariffs in the U.S. and Puerto Rico.
Postal services from Austria (Österreichische Post), Belgium (bpost), Norway (Bring), and the Swedish-Danish service (Postnord) have also announced that they will limit parcel shipments due to these tariffs.
Previously, the U.S. did not impose tariffs on imported goods valued below 800 dollars (690 euros), but starting August 29, tariffs ranging from 80 to 200 dollars per item (69 to 172 euros) will be implemented.
On July 31, the White House announced that President Donald Trump intends to revoke, via executive order, the customs duty exemption for small parcels entering the United States, a mechanism commonly used to circumvent tariffs and drug trafficking.
The U.S. government justified this measure, effective August 29, citing the exponential growth of postal parcel shipments, which reportedly increased from 134 million units in 2015 to over 1.36 billion in 2024.
Trump stated the goal is “to close a catastrophic loophole used, among other things, to evade customs duties and send synthetic opioids and other dangerous products.”
These small packages accounted for 98% of narcotics, 97% of counterfeit products, and 70% of health-threatening products seized in 2024, according to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency (CBP).
The “de minimis” exemptions previously allowed goods valued under 800 dollars to be sent by mail without the need for a surcharge upon entry into the country.
