Overview
- India Post suspended booking and transmission of every category of mail to the United States until further notice and will refund postage for items already booked but not dispatched.
- The action follows U.S. Executive Order No. 14324 ending the $800 de minimis on August 29 and moving postal imports into a duty-collection system that requires carriers or other approved parties to remit duties.
- CBP guidance issued on August 15 left key elements such as designation of qualified parties, payment workflows, and required data transmission undefined, leading airlines to stop accepting consignments from August 25.
- India extended an initial August 22 partial pause to a complete halt that now includes letters, documents, and gift items valued up to $100.
- Postal operators in roughly 30 countries have also paused or limited U.S. shipments, and industry groups warn of short-term disruption to e-commerce exporters in categories like apparel, handicrafts, electronics, footwear, and gems and jewellery.