Amendment to Duties Addressing the Synthetic Opioid Supply Chain in the People's Republic of China

The order amends a prior February 1, 2025 executive order that imposed tariffs on Chinese goods linked to the synthetic opioid supply chain. Specifically, it replaces subsection (g) of section 2 of that order to reinstate duty-free de minimis treatment — the exemption under 19 U.S.C. 1321 that allows low-value packages to enter the United States without paying duties — for covered articles that would otherwise qualify for it.

This exemption will remain in place only temporarily. It ceases to be available once the Secretary of Commerce notifies the President that adequate systems are in place to fully and efficiently process and collect the applicable tariff revenue on de minimis shipments. The order creates no new legal rights or benefits enforceable against the government.

Importers and shippers sending low-value packages from China that fall under the covered synthetic-opioid-related tariff categories, the Department of Commerce (which must certify system readiness), and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which processes de minimis shipments.

Low-value package importers — including e-commerce platforms and consumers ordering small goods from China — keep their duty-free de minimis status for now instead of immediately paying new tariffs. Once Commerce certifies collection systems are ready, the exemption ends and those shipments become subject to the opioid-linked tariff.

The de minimis exemption remains active automatically until the Secretary of Commerce sends a formal notification to the President confirming that tariff-collection infrastructure is fully operational for these shipments. No deadline is set for that certification. Once the notification is issued, the exemption ends and the tariff kicks in for covered de minimis articles. Until then, the February 1 tariff order applies to all other covered goods but not to qualifying low-value shipments.