De minimis mail rule delayed: the October 22 change now starts January 20, 2027

US Customs and Border Protection has moved the compliance date for its new international mail entry rules from October 22, 2026 to January 20, 2027, a 90-day extension announced on October 14. CBP says there are no changes to international mail entry procedures before January 20.

For: ImportersSmall businesses

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What changed

In June, CBP set October 22, 2026 as the date when mailed goods that owe Section 301 or other special duties, or that need partner agency data, could no longer use the new postal informal entry (our October 13 brief). On October 14, CBP announced a 90-day extension. Its release says the extension "provides importers, brokers, and logistics providers additional time to update their processes" and that, beginning January 20, 2027, CBP requires Entry Type 13 for the informal entry of international postal shipments subject to Section 201, 232 or 301 duties or the jurisdiction of a partner government agency (otherwise a formal entry is needed).

CBP also encourages filers to start using the optional Entry Type 13 process now, during the transition. Separately, CBP says its October 8 proposed rule on low-value shipments would extend the new entry and data requirements to all international mail packages except letters and flats; comments are due December 7, 2026, and it is not in force.

Here is what the change means for one mailed parcel from China that owes Section 301 duty, depending on when it arrives:

Our summary of the CBP release of October 14, 2026 and the June 24, 2026 interim final rule. Duty is owed in every row; only the entry route changes.

What it means for your business

Small importers who bring goods from China in by mail get 90 more days on the current process, where the filer reports the month's mail shipments to CBP in one spreadsheet and pays through Pay.gov. Counting from today, that is 92 days to set up something else. The duty itself does not change: Section 301 duty and the suspended de minimis exemption apply the whole time.

Our worked example (illustrative): a seller who receives 20 small mailed orders from China a month is covered by one monthly report under the postal informal entry. From January 20, each of those 20 parcels appears to need its own Entry Type 13 or formal entry, since CBP ties each entry to a postal shipment, and the filer needs a customs bond. If a broker files them for a fee per entry, on cheap parcels that fee can cost more than the duty, so the extra time is best spent pricing that out and comparing it with one consolidated courier or freight shipment.

The new date also falls shortly before Chinese New Year (February 6, 2027), when many factories close, so orders for spring may ship around the switch.

Who is affected

• Importers and sellers who receive goods from China by international mail (for example China Post or EMS) that owe Section 301 duty.
• Anyone receiving mailed goods that fall under a partner government agency or owe Section 201 or 232 duty.
• Not affected by this extension: courier and freight shipments, which have been outside de minimis since August 29, 2025, and mail over $2,500, which needs a formal entry.

What to do now

1. Do not drop the planning: the requirement is delayed, not cancelled. Put January 20, 2027 in your calendar.
2. Ask your customs broker or postal filer whether they can file Entry Type 13 now (CBP encourages early use) and what they charge per entry.
3. Ask suppliers how orders arriving after January 20 will travel, and whether consolidating into fewer shipments makes sense.
4. Rerun your cost per unit with duty and a per-entry fee in the landed cost calculator.
5. We keep the China tariffs tracker current, including de minimis.

General information, not legal, tax or customs advice. Rules change often: check the official sources above or a licensed customs broker before you act. SuanSupply is not affiliated with any government agency or marketplace named here.