Tariffs Freeze EU Shipments to US

German carriers Deutsche Post and DHL Parcel Germany will stop some shipments to the United States after Friday (Aug. 22) due to new U.S. customs regulations implemented in response to an executive order suspending the de minimis exemption.

They join other European carriers that have announced limits on their postal shipping to the U.S.

The two DHL Group divisions will no longer accept and transport U.S.-bound items containing goods from business customers, DHL Group said in a Friday press release.

They will continue to deliver items sent from individuals to individuals that are valued up to $100 and declared as a “gift,” documents in letters, goods shipping via DHL Express and the commercial import of goods into the U.S. under the currently applicable customs rates, according to the release.

However, shipments declared as a “gift” will be subject to stricter controls to prevent misuse of that designation, per the release.

“The reason for these anticipated temporary restrictions is new processes required by U.S. authorities for postal shipping, which differ from the previously applicable regulations,” the release said, speaking of the items that the carriers will no longer transport.

“Key questions remain unresolved, particularly regarding how and by whom customs duties will be collected in the future, what additional data will be required, and how the data transmission to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection will be carried out,” the release said.

DHL said in the release that it is working with U.S. authorities and aims to resume postal goods shipping to the country “as quickly as possible.”

The company said that all postal and parcel service providers are affected by the changes in U.S. customs regulations and that many of those providers have announced they will suspend postal shipping to the U.S.

PostEurop, a trade association representing European postal operators, said in a Tuesday (Aug. 19) press release that its members may limit their shipments to the U.S.

“At this time, if critical issues and processes are not defined and, thus, compliant solutions cannot be found before the regulations take effect on 29 August 2025, PostEurop Members, in alignment with the competent National Authorities, may be constrained to temporarily restrict or suspend the shipping of goods via the postal networks to the USA,” the association said.

The Wall Street Journal reported Friday that Austrian Post and Belgium’s bpost announced that they will halt postal shipments to the U.S.

The White House announced July 30 that President Donald Trump signed an executive order suspending the de minimis exemption for all countries, saying that this “catastrophic loophole” was used to evade tariffs and import illegal, unsafe and below-market products into the U.S.