Key Points

Bulgarian Posts said it would inform its customers if there were any changes to the situation. According to an executive order signed by US President Donald Trump, the long-standing "de minimis" exemption rule, which allowed goods worth less 800 dollars to enter duty-free, is to end August 29, Xinhua News Agency reported.

On August 21, Bulgarian Posts said on its website that the Universal Postal Union has informed the postal operators of its member countries that the US administration plans to cancel the minimum duty exemption for international postal shipments containing goods entering the country, and to establish a specific methodology for the collection and transfer of customs duties.

Requirements on the electronic advance data for a customs declaration, which must be sent to the US postal operator have also been tightened, Bulgarian Posts said.

"In connection with the new requirements, there is a significant delay in the dispatch and delivery of shipments to the U.S., as well as in the return of shipments by the U.S. postal operator and the need to re-dispatch them to the US," it said.

Meanwhile, Australia and Switzerland have also announced suspension of deliveries to the United States, joining a growing list of countries halting shipments in response to the Trump administration's sudden tariff changes.

Several other countries, including India, the United Kingdom, France, Sweden, Germany, Italy, and Denmark, had already declared similar pauses in shipping goods to the United States.

Australia Post on Tuesday confirmed that it will "temporarily partially suspend postal sending to the United States (US) and Puerto Rico, effective 26 August 2025, until further notice."

The agency said the decision was necessary due to "recent significant changes the US Government has made to customs and import tariff rules for parcels sent to the US."

It explained that the changes include the suspension of the De Minimis exemption for inbound goods valued below $800 and a requirement that tariffs be prepaid before items arrive in the US.

As a result, Australian businesses will be unable to send products to American customers using Australia Post from Tuesday onwards. Until now, parcels worth less than $800 (about AUD 1,230) entered the US tax-free, a loophole heavily relied upon by Australian retailers selling abroad, according to local media reports.

That exemption will formally end on August 29, when all low-value parcels will be subjected to tariffs or flat fees.

The decision, laid out in an executive order signed on July 30, has left many postal services around the world scrambling to comply.

In a parallel move, Swiss Post of Switzerland announced it will no longer accept postal consignments destined for the United States, with the exception of urgent express mail such as official documents and certificates.

The agency said on Monday that it would temporarily halt parcel deliveries, citing new US customs regulations that obstruct the regular shipping process. It added that the decision mirrors those taken by other European postal operators.

Swiss Post noted that the US government's sudden removal of the USD 800 exemption has created major uncertainty for global carriers.

It is currently considering ways to allow limited consignments, such as gifts exchanged between private individuals valued at up to USD 100, to resume.

The postal service is also exploring alternative methods outside traditional postal networks to keep some flows of goods moving.

- IANS