CBP Delays US Postal Formal Entry Rule to January 20, 2027

US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has pushed back a deadline that many sellers who ship to American customers by mail were bracing for. On October 22, 2026, CBP published a final rule moving the date when certain mail parcels must use formal customs entry from October 22, 2026 to January 20, 2027. The same day, it eased the data rules for its new electronic mail entry, called Entry Type 13. If you post orders to the US from Canada, the UK or anywhere else, you have about 90 more days to get your paperwork in order. The de minimis suspension for mail did not change.

This article covers what changed, which parcels it touches and what to do before January 20. All facts were checked against the Federal Register documents on October 23, 2026.

What CBP changed on October 22

Two documents appeared in the Federal Register on October 22, 2026, after going on public inspection the day before.

1. A delay of the formal entry requirement. The final rule (91 FR 66638, document 2026-21600) extends the compliance date for 19 CFR 145.12(a)(2)(v) and (vi) to January 20, 2027. Those provisions say some mail shipments cannot use the simpler postal informal entry and must use formal entry instead. The covered parcels are those carrying:

• merchandise subject to Partner Government Agency (PGA) requirements, meaning goods other US agencies regulate;
• merchandise subject to duties under Chapter 98 or Chapter 99 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTSUS);
• goods where duty-free treatment is claimed under Chapter 98 or under a free trade agreement.

CBP says the delay gives “importers, brokers, and logistics providers in the international postal network additional time” to update systems and procedures. It warns that not giving extra time “could lead to disruptions in the flow of important international postal shipments.” The rule states that the delay “does not change the process that importers and other parties currently use for informal mail entries.” Parties can comply early if they are ready.

2. Looser data rules for Entry Type 13. A separate notice (91 FR 66707, document 2026-21570), effective October 22, 2026, modifies CBP’s test of Entry Type 13, a new electronic informal entry for mail. Filers can now transmit an Entry Type 13 “with or without electronic Partner Government Agency (PGA) data.” CBP calls this temporary and says it “will announce the conclusion of this temporary acceptance in a future notice.” Entries claiming Chapter 98 or 99 treatment or a free trade agreement must still include the extra data those claims require.

Timeline built from CBP’s Federal Register documents of June 24 and October 22, 2026, checked October 23, 2026.

What did not change

The delay is narrow. Three rules from CBP’s June 24, 2026 interim final rule (document 2026-12669), in effect since July 24, 2026, still apply:

• No de minimis for mail. The rule implements an “indefinite suspension” of the duty-free exemption for mail imports valued at $800 or less. Low-value parcels sent by post still owe duty.
• A $2,500 ceiling. Postal informal entry is “available only to shipments of merchandise valued at $2,500 or less” sent to the US by mail. Parcels above that need formal entry.
• A filer, a bond and a monthly payment. The filer must be the owner or purchaser of the goods, or a licensed customs broker they designate. The filer needs a basic importation and entry bond, and CBP will not release goods or accept the entry without one. Duty is paid through Pay.gov “no later than the 7th day of the month following the arrival of the shipment,” and a data spreadsheet is due on the same schedule. It must include the carrier, the flight or conveyance number and the tracking number generated by the foreign post.

Which of your parcels does the delay touch?

Use this table to sort what you mail to US customers. It summarizes the October 22 documents and the June rule. It is not legal advice; your broker or postal operator decides how each parcel is filed.

Your parcel Before Jan 20, 2027 From Jan 20, 2027

Mail, $2,500 or less, no PGA goods, no special tariff claims Postal informal entry (duty owed, no de minimis) No change from the delay; postal informal entry continues

Mail, $2,500 or less, goods another US agency regulates (PGA) May keep using postal informal entry Formal entry, or Entry Type 13 under the test

Mail, $2,500 or less, duties under HTSUS Chapter 98 or 99 May keep using postal informal entry Formal entry, or Entry Type 13 with the required extra data

Mail claiming duty-free treatment under a free trade agreement or Chapter 98 May keep using postal informal entry Formal entry, or Entry Type 13 with the required claim data

Mail valued over $2,500 Formal entry Formal entry

Built by E-commerce Partners from 91 FR 66638, 91 FR 66707 and Federal Register document 2026-12669. Checked October 23, 2026. Entry Type 13 is a test with no published end date.

If you are unsure whether a product falls under Chapter 98 or 99, or whether another agency regulates it, ask a licensed customs broker before you ship.

Worked example: when duty is due

The monthly payment rule can catch out a seller who ships in a holiday rush. These dates follow the June rule’s “7th day of the month following arrival” wording, worked out in python and checked a second way. They are illustrations, not filing advice.

Parcel arrives in the US Payment and data due by Days after arrival

October 30, 2026 November 7, 2026 8

November 1, 2026 December 7, 2026 36

November 28, 2026 (Black Friday week) December 7, 2026 9

December 31, 2026 January 7, 2027 7

January 20, 2027 February 7, 2027 18

Hypothetical arrival dates. Due dates computed from the rule in Federal Register document 2026-12669. Arrival date means the day the parcel arrives in the US, not the day you post it.

Parcels that land late in a month leave the least time. Everything arriving during Black Friday and Cyber Monday week in late November must be settled by December 7.

Who this affects

• Canadian, UK and other non-US sellers who mail orders to US buyers, for example through Canada Post or Royal Mail. These are the stores most exposed to the postal rules.
• US stores that bring in stock or samples by international mail. The same entry rules apply to your inbound parcels.
• Sellers of regulated or tariff-affected goods. They are the ones who gained 90 days.

Both October 22 documents cover the international postal network only. They do not change how courier shipments are entered. If you already ship to the US by courier, the delay changes nothing for those parcels.

What to do before January 20, 2027

1. List what you mail to the US and sort each product with the table above. Flag anything regulated by another agency, anything with extra tariffs and anything where you claim a free trade agreement.
2. Ask your postal operator or shipping platform how they file. Find out who acts as filer for your parcels, whether a broker is involved and whether they plan to use Entry Type 13.
3. Confirm the bond question. The June rule requires a basic importation and entry bond for postal informal entry. Know whose bond covers your parcels.
4. Put the 7th of each month in your calendar if you or your broker pays duty, and plan cash for the December 7 payment that follows Black Friday.
5. Collect product data now: tariff codes, country of origin and any certificates a free trade claim needs. Under the test, entries claiming free trade or Chapter 98 or 99 treatment must still carry that data.
6. Show landed cost at checkout. Since de minimis is gone for mail, a US buyer may owe more than the item price. Our guide to setting a free shipping threshold without losing margin shows how to fold extra costs into pricing.
7. Watch for CBP’s next notice. CBP has said a future Federal Register notice will end the temporary acceptance of Entry Type 13 without PGA data. Questions go to ecommerce@cbp.dhs.gov, the contact listed in both documents.

If a delayed or held parcel leads to a complaint, our guide on what to do when a customer says a package never arrived covers claims and refunds. Canadian sellers choosing a platform for cross-border sales can compare options in our best e-commerce platform for a small Canadian business guide.

What is still unknown

• When CBP will stop accepting Entry Type 13 filings without PGA data. No date has been set.
• When the Entry Type 13 test ends. The October 22 notice gives no end date.
• How each national post will handle filing for its customers. That depends on each operator, not on CBP.

Sources

• US Customs and Border Protection, “Indefinite Suspension of the De Minimis Exemption for Mail Shipments and New Postal Informal Entry Process; Delayed Compliance Extension,” final rule, 91 FR 66638, Federal Register document 2026-21600 (October 22, 2026). federalregister.gov
• US Customs and Border Protection, “Modification of the Test of the New Electronic Informal Entry Process for Mail,” notice, 91 FR 66707, Federal Register document 2026-21570 (October 22, 2026). federalregister.gov
• US Customs and Border Protection, “Indefinite Suspension of the De Minimis Exemption for Mail Shipments and New Postal Informal Entry Process,” interim final rule, Federal Register document 2026-12669 (June 24, 2026). federalregister.gov

Last reviewed: October 23, 2026. Dates, thresholds and rules match the Federal Register documents above as checked on that date.

How this article was made: researched and drafted with AI assistance, with every factual claim checked against the sources above. The parcel table is our own summary of the rules, and the payment dates use hypothetical arrival dates.

Related guides

• 3 July Cost Changes Are Quietly Cutting Your Margin
• Can You Sell Online Without Keeping Inventory? 5 Ways and Their Costs
• Free Shipping Threshold: How to Set It Without Losing Margin