Poczta Polska Suspends U.S. Shipments Amid New Customs pl Regulations Impacting EU Trade

Poczta Polska has announced a temporary suspension of services for certain shipments to the United States, effective from August 25. This decision comes in response to new U.S. customs regulations signed by President Donald Trump, which abolish the de minimis customs exemption for all countries. These changes mean that all shipments containing goods, regardless of value, will be subject to customs duties in the United States from August 29.

The specific shipments affected by Poczta Polska's suspension include postal parcels, letter mail with declared value, unregistered and registered letter mail with goods, Global Ekspres shipments, and EMS shipments containing goods. However, non-commodity letter mail, including both unregistered and registered letters containing only correspondence and documents, and EMS shipments with documents are still accepted.

This move aligns with several other European postal administrations that have also imposed similar restrictions. PostEurop, representing European postal operators, has stated that the abolition of the customs exemption, previously applicable to goods valued below $800, will significantly impact postal companies worldwide and their clients sending goods through USPS, as the new U.S. regulations provide no grace period for adjusting to these changes.

The American policy change, set to take effect on August 29, is motivated by the aim to curb a large influx of packages from countries like China and is seen as a measure to protect small American businesses and resource allocation in customs. This policy affects the entire European Union, with new tariffs applying a 15% rate on most imports, higher tariffs on items like alcohol, and more modest rates for generics and aircraft parts.

Poczta Polska, Poland's largest postal operator with a network of 7,600 branches and over a 90% market share in domestic postal services, emphasizes that they are closely monitoring this evolving situation in collaboration with European partners. The operator assures stakeholders that the acceptance of goods shipments to the USA will be resumed once feasible. This development underscores the wider impact on both businesses and private senders, necessitating a search for alternative logistical solutions amid increasing transactional costs in trade with the United States.

The company underscores that these disruptions are purely a consequence of external regulatory changes by U.S. authorities and extends its apologies for the resulting inconvenience. With ongoing uncertainty about the timeframe for these restrictions and clarity on customs processes, both businesses and individuals are advised to prepare for prolonged adjustments in their international shipping operations.