India Post to Resume All Postal Services to the U.S. from October 15

The Department of Posts has announced that all categories of international postal services to the United States will resume from October 15, marking the end of a nearly two-month suspension.

Postal operations to the U.S. were halted on August 22 due to new regulatory changes introduced by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) under Executive Order 14324, which removed de minimis exemptions and required new duty collection procedures.

Following extensive technical upgrades, trial runs, and coordination with CBP-approved Qualified Parties, India Post has now implemented a Delivery Duty Paid (DDP) system. This mechanism ensures that customs duties are collected upfront in India during booking, streamlining the process and allowing packages to reach recipients in the U.S. without any additional charges or delays at customs.

As per CBP’s updated guidelines, all postal consignments from India to the U.S. will now be subject to a flat customs duty of 50% on the declared FOB (Free on Board) value. However, postal exports will remain exempt from base or product-specific tariffs typically applicable to courier or commercial shipments.

This simplified structure aims to benefit MSMEs, artisans, small traders, and e-commerce exporters, making postal exports a more affordable and efficient option for cross-border trade.

Notably, India Post will not charge any extra service fees for the DDP process or Qualified Party facilitation. Existing postal rates remain unchanged, preserving the cost advantage for exporters.

Customers can now send EMS, Air Parcels, Registered Letters/Packets, and Tracked Packets to the U.S. through any Post Office, International Business Centre (IBC), Dak Ghar Niryat Kendra (DNK), or via the official website www.indiapost.gov.in.

Source: DD News