Published by Global Banking and Finance Review
Posted on August 20, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 22, 2026
Nordic and Belgian postal services halt US shipments as Trump ends tariff relief for low-value packages, impacting global postal operations.
STOCKHOLM (Reuters) -Norwegian, Swedish-Danish and Belgian postal groups Posten Bring, PostNord and bpost are pausing parcel shipments to the United States ahead of the scrapping of a U.S. customs tax loophole that allows duty-free entry for low-value packages, they said on Wednesday.
U.S. President Donald Trump's administration said last month it would suspend the global "de minimis" exemption, which also allows minimal paperwork, for international shipments under $800 effective August 29.
"Due to the short timeframe to adapt to the new requirements, PostNord is temporarily halting shipments," the company owned by the Swedish and Danish governments said in a statement.
The twists and turns in Trump's tariff policies have roiled global financial markets.
Under the executive order suspending the "de minimis" exemption, low-value packages sent to the U.S. will face "all applicable duties," according to the White House.
"The details surrounding this have not yet been clarified by the U.S. customs authorities, and no system solutions have been developed that postal companies can use," Norway's state-owned Posten Bring said in a separate statement.
It said postal companies in Europe were working together to gain clarity.
Bpost said in its statement that the pause would only affect shipments containing goods, not letters without goods.
(Reporting by Anna Ringstrom, Charlotte Van Campenhout; Editing by Terje Solsvik, Alex Richardson and Andrea Ricci)
The 'de minimis' exemption allows low-value goods to enter a country without incurring customs duties, simplifying the import process for small shipments.
Parcel shipments refer to the delivery of packages or goods, typically through postal or courier services, which can be affected by tariffs and regulations.
Postal services facilitate international trade by providing shipping and delivery options for goods across borders, impacting global commerce.
Tariffs can create uncertainty in financial markets by affecting trade balances, influencing stock prices, and altering investor sentiment.
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