USPS Introduces New Rules for International Mailers Facing Customs Charges

The U.S. Postal Service has introduced new rules allowing it to bill Americans who send packages overseas for foreign customs charges that remain unpaid after postage is purchased. The changes, effective October 19, make clear that a sender may still owe duties, taxes or import fees even if the package is lost, damaged, returned or never delivered to its intended recipient.

USPS also established a collection process for those bills. Unpaid invoices can accrue interest at 6% a year after their due date, and mailers may face additional collection costs where permitted by law. The changes address growing differences in how foreign postal operators handle customs payments, particularly after the European Union began charging duties on many previously exempt low-value imports.

The interim final rule amends the Postal Service’s International Mail Manual. It does not establish a new U.S. import tariff or impose the same customs charge on every package sent abroad. Instead, it specifies who can be billed when charges arising in the destination country have not been paid and how USPS will recover those amounts.

Postal Service can bill senders after a package ships

Under the newly added Section 424, the payment responsibility depends on the importing country’s rules and the arrangements used for the shipment. Some destinations require the sender to cover duties and fees in advance through a delivered duty paid service. Elsewhere, a recipient may initially be expected to pay. If a foreign customs authority, postal operator or other authorized party subsequently seeks unpaid charges from the mailer or USPS, the Postal Service or its representative can invoice the U.S. sender.

The invoice is not limited to the cost of import duties. Taxes, customs-processing expenses and fees assessed by postal operators, brokers or other service providers can also be involved. USPS expressly states that some import fees may apply even when no customs duty or tax is due. The amount originally paid for shipping does not automatically include any of those destination-country costs.

A notable part of the rule is what happens when delivery goes wrong. The sender’s payment obligation continues if a parcel is returned, lost or damaged, and USPS requires the full amount stated in an invoice to be paid under its terms even when the mailer disputes the assessment. That separates a complaint about the shipment’s outcome from a dispute over customs charges imposed abroad.

Failure to pay by the invoice deadline triggers annual interest of 6% on the unpaid balance until it is settled. USPS can also seek recovery of its collection expenses to the extent applicable law allows. The regulation permits, but does not require, the agency to treat outstanding customs amounts as postal revenue deficiencies under existing domestic mailing rules.

Consider a U.S. merchant sending goods to a foreign customer whose destination postal operator cannot collect the required import charges from the addressee. If that operator seeks the money from USPS, the new procedures allow USPS to seek reimbursement from the merchant after the package was mailed. The example illustrates the rule’s mechanism; the actual payer and amount depend on the destination’s requirements and the circumstances of the individual shipment.

European parcel-duty changes are a major reason for the update

USPS linked the revision to European customs changes that took effect July 1. The European Union ended the previous duty exemption for many goods valued at €150 or less and introduced a temporary €3 customs duty for qualifying low-value imported items. The European Commission says the temporary measure will remain in place until July 2028, when ordinary customs-duty arrangements are scheduled to take over.

The new European charges are distinct from the USPS collection rule. The EU determines which imports are subject to duty and the applicable assessment; USPS is setting out how American mailers must meet foreign requirements and how unpaid amounts can be collected. According to the Postal Service, some European postal operators now require prepaid-duty arrangements for certain parcels, while others may seek payment from a sender if they cannot recover it from the recipient.

For eligible destinations, USPS offers Delivered Duty Paid, or DDP, service, which lets customers pay estimated duties, taxes and associated fees when purchasing shipping. Its official prepaid-duty guidance says the option is available with Priority Mail Express International, Priority Mail International and First-Class Package International Service to a specified list of countries, including several EU members as well as the United Kingdom and Canada.

Senders can use the option through Post Office retail counters, Click-N-Ship, certain USPS application programming interfaces and Global Shipping Software, subject to service and destination eligibility. The quote may include a third-party service-provider fee as well as government charges. Prepayment may be optional for some shipments but necessary to purchase postage for others, depending on the importing country’s rules. USPS DDP is not available for every destination or international mail product.

Prepaying does not remove the need for accurate customs paperwork. The revised manual puts responsibility on mailers to provide complete electronic customs forms and the required destination-country documents, potentially including commercial invoices, certificates of origin or licenses for restricted goods. Incomplete or inaccurate information can lead to extra charges, a returned parcel or confiscation under applicable rules.

That creates a practical distinction for individuals and online sellers preparing international shipments. The postage price is only one component of the total cross-border cost, and a recipient’s expected responsibility is not necessarily final. Businesses that quote delivery prices to overseas buyers need to account for country-specific customs treatment rather than assume that a prepaid shipping label settles every import obligation.

Customs disputes must go to the party that assessed the charge

The new provisions also draw a clear line between invoicing errors made by USPS and disputes over an assessment originating overseas. A mailer can challenge a USPS accounting error through its refund process. But if the disagreement concerns the amount calculated by a foreign customs authority, postal operator, broker or other assessor, the challenge must go directly to that party without USPS acting as an intermediary.

That distinction matters because the Postal Service says it is not responsible for verifying the accuracy of charges calculated by foreign entities. A sender who believes a customs assessment is wrong may therefore have to contest it abroad while separately meeting the USPS invoice deadline. The rule does not describe a general right to withhold payment during that process.

There is a limited mechanism for later corrections. When USPS receives a cancellation, credit or refund relating to an amount the sender already paid, it says it will make a corresponding adjustment or refund if doing so is practical in its reasonable judgment, except where the money remains nonrefundable or otherwise properly due. Charges prepaid through USPS DDP are subject to that service’s separate adjustment provisions.

Before mailing merchandise internationally, senders should check the destination country’s import rules, whether prepaid duties are required and whether their chosen USPS service supports that payment method. Accurate item descriptions and supporting documents are particularly important because customs authorities and other parties may charge processing fees separately from the duty itself. None of those checks guarantees that an overseas assessment will be free of dispute, but they reduce the risk of an unexpected bill after dispatch.

USPS adopted the measure as an interim final rule, meaning the updated standards are already in effect while the agency accepts public comments. Written comments are due November 18, 2026, including those emailed to PCFederalRegister@usps.gov with the subject line “Customs Requirements and Payment Procedures.” The agency has not presented the comment period as a delay to the new payment obligations.