European postal services suspend US shipments ahead of new import tariffs

Shipments from Europe to the United States are being suspended by several postal services, they announced Saturday, pointing to a lack of clarity around new import rules.

Postal services in Germany, Denmark, Sweden, and Italy have announced that they will stop sending the majority of merchandise to the United States effective immediately. France and Austria will follow Monday, with the United Kingdom following Tuesday.

Under a decree issued by President Donald Trump last month, overseas items priced under $800 that were previously free from US tariffs will be subject to import charges beginning August 29. Letters, books, presents, and small deliveries valued under $100 will continue to be excluded.

A trade framework agreed by the US and the European Union last month set a 15% tariff on the vast majority of products shipped from the EU.

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Many European postal services say they are pausing deliveries now because they cannot guarantee the goods will enter the US before Aug. 29. They cite ambiguity about what kind of goods are covered by the new rules, and the lack of time to process their implications.

Starting Saturday, Deutsche Post and DHL Parcel Germany said they “will no longer be able to accept and transport parcels and postal items containing goods from business customers destined for the US.”

Postnord, the Nordic logistics company, and Italy’s postal service announced similar suspensions effective Saturday.

“In the absence of different instructions from US authorities … Poste Italiane will be forced, like other European postal operators, to temporarily suspend acceptance of all shipments containing goods destined for the United States, starting August 23. Mail shipments not containing merchandise will continue to be accepted,” Poste Italiane said Friday.

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Shipping by services such as DHL Express remains possible, it added.

Björn Bergman, head of PostNord’s Group Brand and Communication, said the pause was “unfortunate but necessary to ensure full compliance of the newly implemented rules.”

In the Netherlands, PostNL spokesperson Wout Witteveen said the Trump administration is pressing ahead with the new duties despite US authorities lacking a system to collect them. He said that PostNL is working closely with its US counterparts to find a solution.

“If you have something to send to America, you should do it today,” Witteveen told The Associated Press.

Austrian Post, Austria’s leading logistics and postal service provider, stated that the last acceptance of commercial shipments to the US, including Puerto Rico, will take place Tuesday.

France’s national postal service, La Poste, said the US did not provide full details or allow enough time for the French postal service to prepare for new customs procedures.

“Despite discussions with US customs services, no time was provided to postal operators to re-organize and assure the necessary computer updates to conform to the new rules,” it said in a statement.

The UK’s Royal Mail said it would halt US shipments on Tuesday “to allow time for those packages to arrive before duties kick in.” Items originating in the U.K. will require a 10% duty for items over $100, it said.

PostEurop, an association of 51 European public postal operators, said that if no solution can be found by Aug. 29 all its members will likely follow suit.