The United Nations postal agency confirmed on the 26th that a total of 25 countries have decided to suspend delivering parcels to the United States.
In a statement, the Universal Postal Union (UPU) said that due to the uncertainty of U.S. tariffs, “the postal operators of 25 member countries” have announced the “suspension of postal services to the United States.”
The Universal Postal Union stated: “These suspensions will remain in effect until U.S. authorities announce how the measures will be implemented.”
The UPU pointed out that in addition to the urgent deadlines for implementing the tariffs, a major issue is the requirement for “carriers and other authorized parties to collect tariffs from the sender in advance, and then transfer the consolidated amounts to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.”
The UPU said that due to insufficient time to prepare for the new “operational requirements,” some countries’ postal service agencies have contacted the UPU, which is currently studying “sustainable solutions” to restart postal operations.
The UPU suggests adopting a “pre-paid tariff” system to facilitate the collection and transfer of tariffs.
On July 30, the U.S. government issued an executive order deciding to cancel, beginning August 29, the previous tariff exemption for small parcels (valued at $800 [about RM3,383] or less). Beginning on the 29th, such parcels will be subject to the same tariff rates as other imported goods from their country of origin, such as 15% for EU countries and 50% for India. Only parcels valued at less than $100 sent between individuals will be exempt from tariffs.
This decision has prompted the postal departments of Belgium, Germany, Spain, France, the United Kingdom, India, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand, among others, to announce the suspension of parcel deliveries to the U.S.