# 2026-12669: U.S. Ends Tax-Free Mail Shipments Starting This July

2026-12669, Indefinite Suspension of the De Minimis Exemption for Mail Shipments and New Postal Informal Entry Process, is a Federal Register rule from Homeland Security Department, U.S. Customs and Border Protection published 2026-06-24, effective 2026-07-24; deemed significant under Executive Order 12866; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-11-10).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-12669
- As of: 2026-11-10
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Document number: 2026-12669
- Title: Indefinite Suspension of the De Minimis Exemption for Mail Shipments and New Postal Informal Entry Process
- Type: Rule
- Agencies: Homeland Security Department; U.S. Customs and Border Protection
- Citation: 91 FR 37801
- Published: 2026-06-24
- Effective: 2026-07-24
- Comments close: 2026-07-24
- Significant: yes (OIRA_API)
- Touches household money: yes
- Regulation identifier numbers: 1685-AA45
- Last updated: 2026-11-10

## In one line

U.S. Ends Tax-Free Mail Shipments Starting This July

## Summary

Starting July 24, 2026, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection is stopping the $800 tax-free rule for mail shipments coming into the U.S. Instead, a new process will handle these packages to better track and tax imports. This change affects anyone sending or receiving international mail and aims to protect U.S. revenue from unpaid duties.

## Abstract

This document amends the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) regulations to implement an indefinite suspension of the de minimis administrative exemption for imports valued at $800 or less arriving through the international postal network. This document also establishes a new postal informal entry process for certain merchandise entering the United States through the mail environment.

## Effects PRIA read

- Ends $800 Duty-Free Mail Rule: cost, medium. Starting July 24, 2026, CBP is indefinitely suspending the de minimis administrative exemption that allowed imports valued at $800 or less arriving through the international postal network to enter duty-free. This change applies to mail shipments and is intended to require entry and duty collection…
- New Postal Informal Entry Process: cost, medium. CBP establishes a new postal informal entry process for merchandise entering the United States through the mail valued at $2,500 or less, effective July 24, 2026. The new process includes eligibility rules, bonding requirements, and new data requirements for parties using the postal informal entry…
- Formal Entry for Certain Mail Goods: cost, medium. Shipments arriving through the international postal network that are subject to Chapter 99 duties, quotas, antidumping/countervailing duty orders, Partner Government Agency data requirements, or claims of duty-free treatment under Chapter 98 or a Free Trade Agreement generally must use formal entry…
- Gift and Traveler Exemptions Preserved: benefit, low. The rule does not change the existing exemptions for bona fide gifts (under 19 U.S.C. 1321(a)(2)(A)) or personal or household articles accompanying travelers (under 19 U.S.C. 1321(a)(2)(B)). These exemptions remain available after the suspension of the $800 de minimis exemption for mail shipments.
- Delayed Compliance for Certain Postal Rules: mixed, low. Certain regulatory obligations in 19 CFR 145.12(a)(2)(v) and (vi) have a compliance date of October 22, 2026, while the interim final rule itself is effective July 24, 2026 (with one instruction effective June 24, 2026). Comment submissions are due by July 24, 2026. These staggered dates affect whe…

## Related documents

- [2026-21600](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-21600): Indefinite Suspension of the De Minimis Exemption for Mail Shipments and New Postal Informal Entry Process; Delayed Compliance Extension, 2026-10-22
- [2026-20884](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-20884): Advance Traveler Information for Rail, 2026-10-13
- [2026-20650](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-20650): Low-Value Shipments, 2026-10-08
- [2026-17390](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-17390): Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) Electronic Export Manifest for Rail Cargo, 2026-08-26
- [2026-12670](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-12670): Indefinite Suspension of the De Minimis Exemption for Merchandise Arriving Through All Modes Other Than the International Postal Network, 2026-06-24
- [2026-22735](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-22735): Heightened Requirements for Foreign Importers of Record, 2026-11-06

## Sources
- [2026-12669 on federalregister.gov](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/06/24/2026-12669/indefinite-suspension-of-the-de-minimis-exemption-for-mail-shipments-and-new-postal-informal-entry)
- [2026-12669 as published (PDF)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2026-06-24/pdf/2026-12669.pdf)

## Related
- [Previous: 2026-12654, Schedules of Controlled Substances: Temporary Placement of O-Desmethyltramadol…](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-12654)
- [Next: 2026-12670, Indefinite Suspension of the De Minimis Exemption for Merchandise Arriving Thro…](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-12670)
- [All Federal Register documents](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-12669 (as of 2026-11-10).