Mail meltdown: 25 countries halt postal services to US over tariff fight - is yours on the list?

At least 25 countries have stopped sending packages to the United States, a UN postal body said Tuesday. This happened because President Donald Trump’s administration announced it will end a tax exemption on small packages entering the U.S. from August 29.

Postal services in France, Britain, Germany, Italy, India, Australia, Japan and others said they will not accept most U.S.-bound packages anymore. The Universal Postal Union (UPU) confirmed it was already informed by 25 countries that their postal operators suspended U.S. deliveries because of “uncertainties in transit services”, as reported by CTV News.

Why countries stopped postal services to USA

The UPU said the suspensions will stay until U.S. authorities give clear details on how they will implement the new rules. The organization, founded in 1874 with 192 member states, warned these new U.S. measures will cause “big operational changes for postal operators worldwide”.

From Friday, postal carriers must collect customs duties from senders in advance, on behalf of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection. India’s communications ministry said the order requires transport carriers or other “qualified parties” approved by U.S. authorities to handle the duty collection. But India added that many key processes are still unclear, as stated by CTV News report.

New U.S. tariffs and rules on packages

Under the new rules, documents and gifts up to $100 can still be sent tax-free to the U.S., but anything above $100 will face tariffs. Tariffs mean 15% for EU countries and 50% for India. Germany’s DHL warned that even items allowed tax-free will face extra checks to make sure people don’t sneak in commercial goods.

The UPU said it is working with U.S. authorities to share details quickly and help postal operators adjust. UPU chief Masahiko Metoki wrote a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday, expressing concern about disruptions and the short timeline. The UPU is also trying to find “sustainable solutions” by developing a new system for duty collection and remittance worldwide, according to the report by CTV News.

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Full list of countries that suspended parcels to U.S.:

• Australia
  
• Austria
  
• Belgium
  
• China
  
• Czechia
  
• Denmark
  
• Finland
  
• France
  
• Germany
  
• India
  
• Italy
  
• Japan
  
• Netherlands
  
• New Zealand
  
• Norway
  
• Russia
  
• Singapore
  
• South Korea
  
• Spain
  
• Sweden
  
• Switzerland
  
• Taiwan
  
• Thailand
  
• United Kingdom
  

FAQs

Q1. Why did 25 countries stop sending parcels to the US?
They stopped because the US ended a tax exemption on small packages, and postal services are unsure how the new tariff rules will work.

Q2. Which countries have suspended parcel deliveries to the US?
Countries like France, Germany, India, Australia, Japan, UK and 19 more have paused U.S.-bound parcels after the new rules.