🇺🇸 Update on U.S. import tariffs and customs rules

📝 Summary of Recent Changes

The U.S. government, under President Trump, has introduced several changes to import tariffs and customs rules. These changes affect goods coming from countries like China, Canada, and Mexico, and also revise the "De Minimis" exemption. Several countries have a ”de minimis” threshold, under which shipments are cleared without incurring customs duties or taxes.

Below is a timeline of the most important updates:

📅 Timeline of Decisions

📆 August, 22 2025

Postal carriers suspended their services to the USA.
DAP shipments via postal network are no longer accepted by the US customs authorities.
- A possible alternative would be to ship through private carriers (eg. UPS or FedEx).

📆 July, 31 2025

Starting from August 29th, there will be no De Minimis exemption for any import (from any country) to the USA

For 6 months (from 29/08/2025 to 28/02/2026):

Items shipped via the international postal system are subject to either:
- A flat duty fee ranging between 80US$ and 200US$ per item, depending on country of origin.
- An ad-valorem duty.
Shipments through private carriers (such as FedEx or UPS) will face full applicable duties immediately.

👉🏻 You can find all the necessary details in this article, published by the White House.

👉🏻 Here is a Fact Sheet on the matter.

📆 May, 26 2025

Trump suspended the planned 50% tariffs on EU.

He announced that a 50% tariff rate should apply on goods manufactured in the EU starting from July 09th.

📆 May 13, 2025

As of May 14, 2025, the United States and China have implemented a significant 90-day reduction in tariffs.

Key info:

Imports above $800 to the US - 30% tariff for goods manufactured in China.
Imports below $800 to the US - 54% tariff for goods manufactured in China.

📆 April 9, 2025

Temporary Tariff Relief:

90-day suspension of reciprocal tariffs for 75+ countries that have not retaliated.
During this time, a baseline 10% tariff remains in place for these countries.

Tariffs on China Increased:

Tariffs on Chinese goods were increased to 125%,
citing retaliatory measures and market behavior by China.

📆 April 2, 2025

New Rules Coming Into Effect:

May 2, 2025: Goods made in China will no longer qualify for De Minimis (duty-free) entry.
The De Minimis exemption will also be phased out for all countries once systems are ready. Experts suggest this could take effect 90 days after the removal of the De Minimis exemption for goods made in China. However, the exact start date and the defined De Minimis threshold remain unclear.

📆 February 7, 2025

Pause on De Minimis Removal:

The planned removal of the De Minimis exemption was delayed
due to overwhelming pressure on customs operations.

📆 February 4, 2025

New Tariffs Introduced:

China: 10% tariff on all imports.
Canada & Mexico: 25% tariff, except Canadian energy products (10%).
These tariffs are in addition to existing fees and duties.

End of De Minimis Exemption for China:

Goods manufactured in China and under $800 are now subject to duties and taxes,
even if shipped via another country like the EU.

📌 Key Takeaways

Tariffs on goods made in China have risen sharply, now at 125%.
Duty-free imports under $800 (De Minimis) are ending for China (as a country of origin, no matter where the goods were shipped from) and soon for all countries.
Some countries benefit from a temporary 90-day relief on new tariffs, a baseline 10% tariff remains in place for these countries.
As of May 14, 2025, the U.S. has temporarily reduced tariffs on Chinese goods marking a 90-day de-escalation in trade tensions.

🔗 A few links