Citing changes in US customs rules, the Department of Posts has announced a temporary suspension of all postal services to the United States from August 25. The suspension of postal services comes against the backdrop of escalating trade tensions, with US President Donald Trump recently imposing a 25 per cent tariff on India, along with an additional 25 per cent penalty for purchasing Russian oil, effectively raising the total tariff burden to 50 per cent.

In a press statement, the department said that effective from August 29, “all international postal items destined for the USA, regardless of their value, shall be subject to customs duties as per the country-specific International Emergency Economic Power Act (IEEPA) tariff framework.”

"The Department of Posts deeply regrets the inconvenience caused to customers and assures that all possible measures are being undertaken to resume full services to the USA at the earliest," the statement said, while adding that it is closely monitoring the situation and making efforts to normalize services soon.

According to Executive Order No. 14324, issued on July 30th 2025 by the United States, duty-free exemption on imported goods worth up to $800 is withdrawn. However, letters, documents and gift items up to $100 will remain duty-free.

The Executive Order mandates that transport carriers or other “qualified parties” approved by the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), are required to collect and remit duties on postal shipments. As a result, US-bound air carriers stated that due to lack of operational and technical readiness, they will be unable to accept postal consignments.