Mexico–US Postal Shipments Plunge 80% After Rule Change

Postal shipments to the United States fell by more than 80% after the US government suspended the de minimis exemption for low-value packages, according to the Universal Postal Union (UPU). The measure has led over 88 postal operators, including Correos de México, to partially or fully suspend services to the United States until alternative solutions are in place.

The de minimis exemption allowed packages valued under US$800 to enter the US duty-free. Its suspension, effective Aug. 29, 2025, now places the responsibility for collecting import duties on carriers or third parties approved by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

“In the global network, postal traffic to the United States nearly stopped following the implementation of the new rules, which for the first time assigned responsibility for collecting and remitting customs duties to carriers or CBP-approved parties,” the UPU said in a statement. Data from its 192 member countries showed an 81% weekly drop in mail volumes to the United States.

The UPU attributed the disruption to carriers’ reluctance to assume this role and to postal operators’ lack of established links with CBP-approved intermediaries.

US officials argued that the exemption, in place since 1938, had become a loophole exploited by foreign firms to dodge tariffs and by criminal groups to smuggle drugs. All packages that once bypassed customs checks are now subject to verification and duties, ranging from 10% to 50% depending on origin. However, gifts valued up to US$100 and travel souvenirs up to US$200 remain exempt.