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The postal services of various European nations, including Germany, Denmark, Sweden, and Italy, have announced a halt in the shipment of numerous packages to the United States as of Saturday, citing uncertainties concerning the new import duties.
Postal operators in Germany, Denmark, Sweden, and Italy have ceased the shipment of most goods to the U.S. with immediate effect. France and Austria are set to join them on Monday, while the United Kingdom plans to do so by Tuesday.
A new policy, signed by President Donald Trump last month, mandates that international items previously exempt from U.S. tariffs—those valued under $800—will now incur import duties starting from August 29. However, letters, books, gifts, and small parcels valued under $100 will still be exempt from these duties.
A trade framework agreed by the U.S. and the European Union last month set a 15% tariff on the vast majority of products shipped from the EU.
European postal services have decided to suspend deliveries because they doubt their ability to ensure the arrival of goods in the U.S. before the August 29 deadline. The lack of clarity regarding which products are affected by the new rules and the insufficient time for adaptation have been highlighted as major concerns.
Deutsche Post and DHL Parcel Germany have announced that, beginning Saturday, they “will no longer be able to accept and transport parcels and postal items containing goods from business customers meant for the US.”
Postnord, the Nordic logistics company, and Italy’s postal service announced similar suspensions effective Saturday.
Poste Italiane has stated that without specific guidance from U.S. authorities, it will, like other European postal services, temporarily halt the acceptance of all shipments containing goods destined for the United States starting August 23. Mail not containing merchandise will still be accepted, as mentioned in their statement on Friday.
Shipping by services such as DHL Express remains possible, it added.
Björn Bergman, head of PostNord’s Group Brand and Communication, said the pause was “unfortunate but necessary to ensure full compliance of the newly implemented rules.”
In the Netherlands, PostNL spokesperson Wout Witteveen said the Trump administration is pressing ahead with the new duties despite U.S. authorities lacking a system to collect them. He said that PostNL is working closely with its U.S. counterparts to find a solution.
“If you have something to send to America, you should do it today,” Witteveen told The Associated Press.
Austrian Post, Austria’s leading logistics and postal service provider, stated that the last acceptance of commercial shipments to the U.S., including Puerto Rico, will take place Tuesday.
France’s national postal service, La Poste, said the U.S. did not provide full details or allow enough time for the French postal service to prepare for new customs procedures.
“Despite discussions with U.S. customs services, no time was provided to postal operators to re-organize and assure the necessary computer updates to conform to the new rules,” it said in a statement.
The UK’s Royal Mail said it would halt U.S. shipments on Tuesday “to allow time for those packages to arrive before duties kick in.” Items originating in the U.K. will require a 10% duty for items over $100, it said.
PostEurop, an association of 51 European public postal operators, said that if no solution can be found by Aug. 29 all its members will likely follow suit.
