Postal companies in India, Europe to droop cargo of packages to U.S. over import tariffs

A number of postal companies round Europe introduced Saturday that they’re suspending the cargo of many packages to america amid an absence of readability over new import duties.

Postal companies in Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Italy stated they are going to cease delivery most merchandise to the U.S. efficient instantly. France and Austria will observe Monday, and the UK Tuesday.

India’s authorities additionally stated the nation will briefly droop postal deliveries to america beginning Monday, besides letters, paperwork and reward objects of as much as $100 in worth, the AFP reported.

Below a decree signed by President Donald Trump final month, worldwide items that had been beforehand exempt from U.S. tariffs — these valued beneath $800 — might be topic to import duties from Aug. 29. Letters, books, items and small parcels price lower than $100 will proceed to be exempt.

A commerce framework agreed by the U.S. and the European Union final month set a 15% tariff on the overwhelming majority of merchandise shipped from the EU.

Many European postal companies say they’re pausing deliveries now as a result of they can not assure the products will enter the U.S. earlier than Aug. 29. They cite ambiguity about what sort of items are coated by the brand new guidelines, and the shortage of time to course of their implications.

Beginning Saturday, Deutsche Publish and DHL Parcel Germany stated they “will now not be capable of settle for and transport parcels and postal objects containing items from enterprise clients destined for the US.”

Postnord, the Nordic logistics firm, and Italy’s postal service introduced related suspensions efficient Saturday.

“Within the absence of various directions from US authorities … Poste Italiane might be pressured, like different European postal operators, to briefly droop acceptance of all shipments containing items destined for america, beginning August 23. Mail shipments not containing merchandise will proceed to be accepted,” Poste Italiane stated Friday.

Transport by companies equivalent to DHL Specific stays potential, it added.

Björn Bergman, head of PostNord’s Group Model and Communication, stated the pause was “unlucky however needed to make sure full compliance of the newly applied guidelines.”

Within the Netherlands, PostNL spokesperson Wout Witteveen stated the Trump administration is urgent forward with the brand new duties regardless of U.S. authorities missing a system to gather them. He stated that PostNL is working intently with its U.S. counterparts to discover a answer.

“You probably have one thing to ship to America, you must do it immediately,” Witteveen instructed The Related Press.

India’s communications ministry stated in an announcement that the chief order issued final month requires transport carriers or different “certified events” authorised by US authorities to gather and remit the tariff duties, however “a number of essential processes referring to the designation of ‘certified events’ and mechanisms for obligation assortment and remittance stay undefined.”  

“Consequently, US-bound air carriers have expressed their incapacity to simply accept postal consignments after twenty fifth August, 2025, citing lack of operational and technical readiness,” the ministry stated. 

Austrian Publish, Austria’s main logistics and postal service supplier, acknowledged that the final acceptance of business shipments to the U.S., together with Puerto Rico, will happen Tuesday.

France’s nationwide postal service, La Poste, stated the U.S. didn’t present full particulars or permit sufficient time for the French postal service to arrange for brand spanking new customs procedures.

“Regardless of discussions with U.S. customs companies, no time was offered to postal operators to re-organize and guarantee the required laptop updates to adapt to the brand new guidelines,” it stated in an announcement.

The UK’s Royal Mail stated it will halt U.S. shipments on Tuesday “to permit time for these packages to reach earlier than duties kick in.” Objects originating within the U.Okay. would require a ten% obligation for objects over $100, it stated.

PostEurop, an affiliation of 51 European public postal operators, stated that if no answer could be discovered by Aug. 29 all its members will seemingly observe swimsuit.