25 Countries Suspend Package Deliveries to the U.S. Amid Tariff Uncertainty

At least 25 countries have suspended parcel deliveries to the United States as concerns mount over the impact of President Donald Trump’s impending tariff measures, the United Nations’ Universal Postal Union (UPU) announced Tuesday.

The Trump administration declared last month that, effective August 29, it will abolish a tax exemption on small packages entering the U.S. The decision has prompted postal operators across several nations — including France, Britain, Germany, Italy, India, Australia, and Japan — to halt acceptance of U.S.-bound parcels.

The UPU confirmed it has been formally notified by 25 member countries that their operators “have suspended outbound postal services to the U.S., citing uncertainties specifically related to transit services.” The suspensions, it added, would remain in place until Washington provides greater clarity on implementation.

The Geneva-based UPU, founded in 1874 and comprising 192 member states, warned that the new U.S. requirements would trigger “considerable operational changes for postal operators worldwide.” Beginning Friday, carriers sending parcels to the United States must collect customs duties from senders in advance, on behalf of U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

India’s Ministry of Communications said Trump’s executive order obliges “transport carriers or other qualified parties” approved by U.S. authorities to collect and remit tariff duties. However, it stressed that “several critical processes relating to the designation of ‘qualified parties’ and mechanisms for duty collection and remittance remain undefined.”

Under the revised rules, individuals may continue to send documents and items valued at up to $100 as gifts without incurring duties. Items exceeding that threshold will face tariff rates equivalent to other imports from the country of origin — 15 percent for EU nations and 50 percent for India.

German courier DHL cautioned last week that even duty-exempted items could undergo stricter checks to prevent misuse for commercial shipments.

The UPU said it is working closely with U.S. authorities to ensure timely communication of operational requirements to its members, while also consulting with global postal stakeholders on “sustainable solutions” to streamline duty collection and remittance. UPU Director General Masahiko Metoki has formally raised the concerns of member countries in a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, underscoring the potential disruption to cross-border e-commerce.