US customs tightens low-value import filing and moves postal rule to 20 January

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is tightening the way importers file low-value shipments, and it has given the postal side of the new regime three more months to comply¹.

The rules cover goods valued at $2,500 or less. These shipments have moved through informal entry channels since the $800 de minimis exemption was closed, first for China and then for all countries on 29 August 2025^1, 3. CBP has treated informal entry as a temporary route until the statutory de minimis sunset on 1 July 2027^1, 3.

On 14 October, CBP announced an extension of the compliance date for the new informal entry procedures for international mail². The Loadstar reported that the postal date moved to 20 January 2027 from 22 October 2026¹.

CBP registered about 52.4 million entry type 11 imports between 1 September last year and 31 May this year, and 24.4 million postal entries¹.

What changes for cargo now

Low-value cargo will keep moving under entry type 11. The difference is timing and data. Entry type 11 filings must now be made electronically on or before the shipment arrives in the United States, replacing the current allowance to file within 15 days of arrival¹.

Filings must also add the final deliver-to party as a required data element where that party differs from the consignee¹.

Meeting the new deadline will be hard. CBP sampled entries from September to November last year and found that more than half of type 11 imports would have missed it¹. The report gave no start date for the cargo change, so importers should confirm it with their licensed broker¹.

What changes for mail from 20 January

CBP has created entry type 13 for shipments arriving through the international postal network. Paper entries end: filings must be electronic and made at or before arrival¹.

Two data fields are new. Each entry must carry the shipper or sender, and the package tracking number, which the carrier must also show on the inbound manifest¹.

Time limits also shorten. A shipment will be treated as voluntarily abandoned after 15 days, down from the 30 days CBP has allowed so far¹. CBP acknowledged that the tighter timeline and heavier data demands carry a risk that some importers will not receive their shipments¹.

Cargo owners, forwarders and brokers now have to collect consignee, deliver-to and tracking data at booking, not at clearance. Sobel Network Shipping said the change ends easy clearance for parcel freight. "For brands, 3PLs, cross-border carriers, and customs brokers, the era of lightweight clearance procedures for parcel freight has closed," the forwarder said¹.

Bonds are planned, not in force

CBP also plans to introduce bond requirements for certain categories of informal entries¹. The agency says the aim is to stop illicit goods and equipment, curb counterfeits and protect intellectual property, and support trade law compliance¹. The report gave no start date or final scope for the bonding plan, so it is a proposal, not a rule importers must meet today¹.

The other change this month: who pays the customs bill

Separately from entry types, the U.S. Postal Service published an interim final rule on 19 October 2026 that changes what mailers owe when destination charges go unpaid⁴. It took effect on 19 October 2026, and comments are due by 18 November 2026⁴.

The rule updates the International Mail Manual. A mailer must pay or reimburse the Postal Service for duties, taxes and import fees that remain unpaid. That applies when a foreign customs body, postal operator or broker seeks to collect them⁴. Unpaid amounts carry interest of 6 percent a year, and the mailer must pay even if the item is delivered late, lost, damaged or returned⁴. The rule responds to changes in the European Union, which removed its de minimis relief for most low-value goods from 1 July 2026⁴.

What exporters should do now

• Collect the consignee and the final deliver-to party at the point of booking, and check they match what the buyer declares¹.
• Give the broker electronic filing capability before arrival, and agree a service deadline that covers weekends and late vessel or flight changes¹.
• For postal traffic, capture the sender and the tracking number at dispatch, and make sure the carrier puts the tracking number on the manifest¹.
• Ask the broker to size the exposure to informal entry bonding, so bids and landed cost models are not caught by a new charge later¹.

A missed filing means delay, and delay brings storage and demurrage costs. For postal shipments it also starts the 15-day clock to voluntary abandonment¹.

Three dates matter next: the still unconfirmed start date for the cargo filing change, details of the bonding plan, and the 1 July 2027 end of the de minimis statute¹.