A seller living in Japan alerted us to news that Japan Post will resume accepting merchandise destined for the USA after an 8-month suspension related to the US’s de minimis changes last August.
However, senders will need to prepay the customs duties through a designated app, the seller said. “I’m wondering what the extra fees for this service will cost.” He linked to a page on Japan Post with the following announcement:
On July 30, 2025, the U.S. government issued a presidential order suspending the de minimis exemption for consumer goods imported into the U.S. via international mail, effective August 29 of the same year.
This order imposed tariffs on all items except documents and personal gifts worth less than US$100. In response, from August 27 of the same year, our company temporarily suspended acceptance of mail addressed to the U.S. containing personal gifts or merchandise with a value exceeding US$100.
Subsequently, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced a rule stating that “when sending international mail to the U.S., customs duties and other charges must be paid through a CBP-certified ‘Qualified Party’ before the mail arrives in the U.S.”
Now, from April 14, 2026, we will accept all mail addressed to the U.S. at designated post offices, provided that customers pay customs duties and other charges to U.S. Customs in advance through an application provided by a CBP-certified business recommended by our company (certified business).
Please note that documents and personal gifts under US$100 remain tax-exempt as before, and therefore can be submitted without prior registration for customs duty payment.
