The Norwegian Post (Posten) has announced it will suspend shipments to the United States valued under 8,000 kroner (800 US dollars) starting August 23rd, following the introduction of new US customs regulations.
Posten is to temporarily discontinue small package deliveries to the United States from this Saturday, the company said in a statement on Wednesday.
The decision is in response to new customs regulations in the US, the Norwegian company said.
A change in US customs rules has temporarily suspended an exemption that allowed low-value goods to enter the country without customs duties or taxes. The rule change does not apply to gifts sent by private individuals worth under 100 dollars.
Specifically, US authorities have suspended the co-called “de minimis” rule which refers to the minimum value of goods below which a country does not apply customs duties or taxes.
This threshold in the United States was until recently 800 USD, meaning imports at this value or less can normally enter duty-free.
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The suspension of the de minimis rule means that customs duties must be paid on all goods, except for gifts sent by private individuals worth under 100 USD.
Posten’s suspension means it will no longer be possible to send postal shipments valued at less than 8,000 kroner to the United States as of Saturday August 23rd
“Friday will be the last opportunity,” Kenneth Pettersen, head of press at Posten Bring, told broadcaster NRK.
Some 130,000 parcels in the affected category were sent across the Atlantic from Norway last year, according to NRK. Pettersen told the broadcaster that small online retailers could be particularly badly affected by the situation.
The US legislative change will take effect on August 29th and will affect international postal services as well as online retailers.
Posten noted that postal companies across Europe are now collaborating to clarify requirements and develop solutions that comply with US customs authorities.
A similar suspension of small package services has been announced by PostNord, the main international courier in Denmark and Sweden.