Mexico halts postal shipments to US after tariff exemption ends

By Asiye Latife Yilmaz

ISTANBUL (AA) - Mexico said Wednesday its postal service is halting package shipments to the US as Washington prepares to scrap a decades-old tariff exemption for low-value imports.

The US will end the “de minimis” rule on Aug. 29, which had allowed packages worth under $800 to enter duty-free with minimal paperwork.

Mexico’s postal service, Correos de Mexico, said it will temporarily stop parcel deliveries to the US while new operational processes are defined.

The change means most commercial parcels will now be subject to tariffs, prompting widespread suspensions worldwide. Letters, documents and gifts valued at under $100 between private individuals will remain exempt.

“Mexico continues its dialogue with US authorities and international postal organizations to define mechanisms that will allow for the orderly resumption of services, providing certainty to users and avoiding setbacks in the delivery of goods,” the statement said.

Mexico joins a growing list of countries suspending parcel shipments to the US after the exemption was lifted by the Trump administration.

Postal operators in the UK, France, Germany, Austria, Sweden, Italy, Spain, and the Netherlands, as well as in Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, Singapore and Australia, have also halted shipments.