India to resume postal services to US weeks after suspension due to tariff uncertainty
India had suspended all postal services, including letters, documents and gifts valued up to $100, to the US in August, citing “undefined regulatory mechanisms”
India's Department of Posts announced on Tuesday that it would resume international post services to the United States on Wednesday, weeks after they were suspended due to Donald Trump's tariff rules.
The department had suspended all postal services, including letters, documents and gifts valued up to $100, to the US in August, citing “undefined regulatory mechanisms”.
According to a Press Information Bureau release, India Post has established a tariff complaint mechanism for processing Delivery Duty Paid (DDP).
“Under this new arrangement, all applicable customs duties on shipments to the USA will be collected upfront in India at the time of booking and remitted directly to CBP through approved Qualified Parties. This ensures full regulatory compliance, faster customs clearance, and seamless delivery to addressees in the USA without any additional duty or delay,” the release stated.
The department clarified that the applicable customs duty on postal shipments from India to the USA stands at a flat rate of 50 per cent of the declared FOB value.
“Unlike courier or commercial consignments, no additional base or product-specific duties are levied on postal items. This favourable duty structure substantially lowers the overall cost burden for exporters, making the postal channel a more affordable and competitive logistics option for MSMEs, artisans, small traders, and e-commerce exporters,” the release further stated.
Why had India suspended mail to the US?
India's decision to suspend mail to the US in August came after the Donald Trump administration's Executive Order No. 14324, issued on July 30, 2025, which removed the duty-free allowance on imported goods worth up to $800, which were earlier exempted.
The US order said that airlines or other approved agencies must collect and pay customs duties on parcels. But the US had not explained at the time who these agencies would be or how the duty collection system would work. Because of this confusion, airlines have said they cannot carry parcels to the US.
“We have no other alternative but to suspend. We can’t go on inconveniencing the customers,” deputy director general (IR&GB) LK Dash told HT in August.
More than 25 countries had reportedly suspended outbound postal services to the US, citing uncertainties around transit arrangements.
