What changes for mail on October 22, 2026

What changes

On June 24, 2026, CBP published an interim final rule (IFR): "Indefinite Suspension of the De Minimis Exemption for Mail Shipments and New Postal Informal Entry Process" (docket USCBP-2026-0761). The IFR amended 19 CFR 145.12, which lists the mail that needs formal entry. Two items on that list have a later compliance date, October 22, 2026:

• 145.12(a)(2)(v): any mail shipment subject to the requirements of another government agency.
• 145.12(a)(2)(vi): goods subject to duties under HTSUS chapter 98 or 99, or goods for which duty-free treatment is claimed under chapter 98 or a free trade agreement.

Until October 22, CBP permits these shipments of $2,500 or less to use the postal informal entry process. From October 22, they need a formal entry, or an entry type 13 while the test runs.

Who is affected

The change affects mail of $2,500 or less in three groups:

• Mail subject to the requirements of a partner government agency (PGA).
• Goods subject to chapter 98 or 99 duties, for example Section 232, 201 or 301 duties.
• Goods with a duty-free claim under chapter 98 or a free trade agreement (FTA).

The change applies to the senders and platforms that ship these goods, the postal operators that carry them, and the U.S. buyers that receive them.

Other mail already needs formal entry: mail over $2,500, quota goods, goods subject to antidumping or countervailing duties (AD/CVD) or otherwise precluded from informal entry, and the alcoholic beverages and tobacco products that the rule lists.

Your options

Formal entry (type 01)

Formal entry has no value limit. For a parcel, it is an electronic entry in ACE with mode of transport 50 (mail). A postal parcel has no AMS air waybill, so the entry is a non-AMS entry. The entry pays the duty, the merchandise processing fee (MPF) and any other fees. It needs a single transaction or continuous bond.

When mail needs formal entry, CBP notifies the addressee with a CBP Form 3509, Notice to Addressee of Arrival of Mail Shipment. The addressee has 30 days from the date of the notice (19 CFR 132.25). After release, CBP gives the parcel back to USPS for delivery.

Entry type 13 while the test runs

Entry type 13 (Informal Mail Entry) is an ACE test. It went into ACE production on September 22, 2026. It runs until CBP ends it with a Federal Register notice. The test is voluntary and needs no separate application.

• It covers international mail of $2,500 or less, including PGA goods and goods with chapter 98 or 99 duties. For participants, the test waives 145.12(a)(2)(v) and (vi).
• AD/CVD goods and quota goods are not eligible. They need formal entry.
• The owner or purchaser can file, or a licensed customs broker that the owner, purchaser or consignee appoints.
• A consignee that is not the owner or purchaser must use a licensed broker. The broker acts as importer of record, and the broker's bond is obligated.
• The entry needs 12 data elements, including the foreign postal tracking number (ACE record SE15), plus the sender name (SE30) and address (SE35).

CBP can still require formal entry of any mail shipment (19 CFR 145.12(a)(1)). For the data and the set-up, see entry type 13 for postal operators and shippers.

What to do now

Senders and e-commerce shippers

• Check each product for chapter 98 or 99 lines and for PGA requirements.
• Send complete data with each item: a specific description, the country of origin, the value, and the sender name and address.
• For affected goods, choose a route: formal entry, or entry type 13 through a licensed broker.

Postal operators, forwarders and carriers

• A consignee that is not the owner or purchaser cannot file entry type 13 or the postal informal entry. Appoint a licensed customs broker.
• Non-broker qualified parties lost the right to file postal informal entries on July 24, 2026.
• Carriers can report the foreign postal tracking number on their manifest, so CBP can match each parcel to its entry.

U.S. buyers

• If a parcel needs formal entry, CBP sends you a CBP Form 3509.
• Act within 30 days from the date of the notice. After that, CBP treats the parcel as refused and returns it to the sender. Extensions are case by case.
• A licensed customs broker can file the formal entry for you. See detained mail and CBP Form 3509.

What does not change

• Eligible mail of $2,500 or less, classifiable only in HTSUS chapters 1 to 97, stays on the monthly postal informal entry. The filer emails the worksheet to CBPDM@cbp.dhs.gov and pays through Pay.gov no later than the 7th day of the month after arrival.
• CBP can still require formal entry of any mail shipment, at any value, to protect the revenue.
• CBP does not combine separate shipments of $2,500 or less, mailed at different times, to require formal entry. The exception is a shipment split to avoid duty (19 CFR 145.12(a)(3)).
• The de minimis suspension stays in place. Executive Order 14324 suspended de minimis from August 29, 2025, and Executive Order 14388 continued the suspension. The statutory repeal takes effect on July 1, 2027 (Pub. L. 119-21).
• The de minimis suspension does not affect the bona fide gift exemption (19 U.S.C. 1321(a)(2)(A), 19 CFR 10.152).