Suspending Duty-Free De Minimis Treatment for All Countries
The order ends the duty-free 'de minimis' customs exemption for all international shipments entering the United States, regardless of value or country of origin, effective August 29, 2025 — meaning any package from any country will now owe applicable tariffs and duties.
It consolidates and expands prior suspensions targeting Chinese, Canadian, and Mexican goods into a single global suspension, closing a widely-used loophole that allowed hundreds of millions of small packages — many from international e-commerce platforms — to bypass U.S. customs duties entirely.
What this order does
What it orders
The order suspends the de minimis exemption under 19 U.S.C. 1321(a)(2)(C) — which previously allowed packages valued under $800 to enter the U.S. duty-free — for all shipments from all countries, effective August 29, 2025. Non-postal commercial shipments must now be filed through CBP's Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) system by a qualified party. International postal shipments enter a transitional period: carriers may choose between paying an ad valorem duty tied to the country of origin's IEEPA tariff rate, or a flat per-package rate of $80, $160, or $200 depending on the applicable tariff bracket. The flat-rate option sunsets six months after the effective date, after which only the ad valorem method is permitted.
The order supersedes the earlier China/Hong Kong-specific de minimis suspension under EO 14256 and consolidates separate national emergency suspensions covering Canada, Mexico, China, and Hong Kong into one global framework. It includes a robust severability clause providing that the de minimis suspension survives even if the underlying IEEPA tariffs are separately struck down by a court.
Who it affects
U.S. consumers who order goods from international online retailers, international e-commerce shippers and carriers (especially from China, but now all countries), transportation carriers delivering international postal shipments, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and domestic retailers previously competing against duty-free foreign small-package imports.
Why it matters
Consumers will face higher prices on small international packages — previously exempt from duties — ordered from global e-commerce platforms. Carriers and shippers face immediate new compliance costs and bond requirements. Domestic retailers that had long competed against untaxed foreign goods now operate on a more level footing.
What must happen and when
How the order is supposed to work
The suspension takes effect August 29, 2025. Non-postal commercial shipments must immediately file formal entries in CBP's ACE system. Postal carriers choose between an ad valorem or flat per-item rate and must declare the country of origin to CBP; the flat-rate option expires six months after the effective date. DHS implements through Federal Register notices and regulatory amendments, in consultation with ITC, Treasury, Commerce, and the Postmaster General. CBP may require importation bonds for informal entries under $2,500 and must require international carrier bonds to ensure duty payment.
Actions and deadlines
- Remove de minimis treatment for all non-postal commercial shipments; require ACE entry filing by qualified parties.
- Transportation carriers begin collecting and remitting duties on international postal shipments using ad valorem or flat-rate methodology.
- Country of origin declared to CBP for all dutiable international postal shipments.
- Flat per-item specific duty rate option for postal carriers expires; ad valorem methodology becomes the only permitted method.
- CBP establish a new entry process for postal shipments and publish it in the Federal Register.
- Secretary of Homeland Security determine whether Harmonized Tariff Schedule modifications are necessary to effectuate the order.
Agencies directed to act
Authority and reach
What this order changes
Revokes Executive Order 14256