The order will remain in place until adequate systems are established to fully process and collect duties for such articles.
The SA Post Office has temporarily suspended all parcel services to the US due to regulations announced by the US government under President Donald Trump.
While only parcels destined for the US are suspended, Brazil no longer accepts surface mail. However, the airmail service is still available in Brazil.
On July 30, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order stating that, effective 29 August, imported goods sent through means other than the international postal network that are valued at or under $800 and would otherwise qualify for the de minimis exemption would now be subject to all applicable tariffs.
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Trump said that by signing the order, he was closing a “catastrophic loophole” used to evade tariffs and funnel synthetic opioids.
He accused shippers of going to “great lengths” to evade law enforcement agencies by hiding illicit substances in imports that go through international commerce.
According to Trump, shippers conceal the true contents of shipments sent to the US through deceptive shipping practices.
“Some of the techniques employed by these shippers to conceal the true contents of the shipments, the identity of the distributors and the country of origin of the imports include the use of re-shippers in the US, false invoices, fraudulent postage and deceptive packaging. The risks of evasion, deception and illicit drug importation are particularly high for low-value articles that have been eligible for duty-free de minimis treatment,” he said.
Trump on national security
Trump said packages entering the US using the duty-free de minimis exemption were typically subject to less scrutiny than traditional imports. This, despite their potential to pose health, safety, national security and economic risks.
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“Between 2015 and 2024, the volume of de minimis shipments entering the US increased from 134 million shipments to over 1.36 billion shipments. On average, customs and border protection processes over 4 million de minimis shipments into the US each day,” said Trump.
“The de minimis exemption has been abused, with shippers sending illicit fentanyl and other synthetic opioids, precursors and paraphernalia into the US in reliance on the lower security measures applied to de minimis shipments, killing Americans.”
The order will remain in place until adequate systems are established to fully process and collect duties for such articles.
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