U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has postponed the mandatory compliance date for its new international-mail entry procedures from October 22, 2026, to January 20, 2027.
The 90-day extension, announced October 14, gives importers, customs brokers and logistics providers additional time to update their systems and processes for the new electronic Entry Type 13 requirements.
CBP confirmed that there will be no change to current international-mail entry procedures before January 20.
For background on how the postal informal-entry process works, see our earlier article, New CBP Postal Entry Process and Entry Type 13 Test: What Importers Shipping by Mail Need to Know.
Which Shipments Will Require Entry Type 13?
Beginning January 20, 2027, international postal shipments must be filed electronically in the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) through the new Entry Type 13 process to qualify for informal entry when they:
- Are subject to Section 201 duties
- Are subject to Section 232 duties
- Are subject to Section 301 duties
- Fall under the jurisdiction of a partner government agency
Partner government agencies can include the Food and Drug Administration, Department of Agriculture, Environmental Protection Agency and other agencies that regulate imported products.
When an affected shipment is not filed through the Entry Type 13 informal process, a formal entry is required.
Only the owner or purchaser of the merchandise, or a licensed customs broker designated by the owner, purchaser or consignee, may file an Entry Type 13 entry. Entries must include the foreign postal operator’s tracking number, the sender’s name and address, the 10-digit HTSUS classification, country of origin, value, duty rate and total duty owed.
The requirement applies to merchandise arriving through the international postal network. It should not be confused with the separate informal-entry processes used for shipments arriving through express carriers and other nonpostal channels.
The Delay Does Not Restore De Minimis Treatment
The extension changes the mandatory compliance date for Entry Type 13. It does not restore the duty-free de minimis exemption for international postal shipments.
Importers remain responsible for applicable duties, taxes, fees and admissibility requirements under the procedures currently in place.
The postponement also does not affect CBP’s separate proposed rule on low-value imports, published October 8, which would extend Entry Type 13 data requirements to nearly all international-mail packages other than letters and flats and add new filing and bonding requirements. Comments are due December 7. We covered the proposal in detail in CBP Proposes Major Overhaul of Low-Value Import Requirements. The two developments are related but separate: the extension provides more preparation time, but it does not change the direction of CBP policy toward earlier and more detailed shipment data.
Why CBP Granted Additional Time
CBP said the extension will give the trade community more time to update processes while reducing the risk of disruptions to international postal shipments destined for the United States.
The transition can require importers and logistics providers to:
- Determine which shipments are subject to trade-remedy duties
- Identify products regulated by partner government agencies
- Collect entry data before arrival
- Establish or update ACE filing capabilities
- Review customs bond requirements, including the bonding changes CBP has proposed
- Assign filing responsibility to the owner, purchaser or a designated licensed customs broker
- Develop procedures for shipments that require formal entry
Without accurate advance information, a shipment could be delayed, refused or moved into a more burdensome formal-entry process.
Importers Should Use the Extension to Prepare
January may appear distant, but international postal shipments often involve parties that have not historically participated in conventional customs-entry procedures.
Importers, e-commerce sellers and logistics providers should use the additional time to:
- Identify international postal shipments within their supply chains.
- Determine which products are subject to Sections 201, 232 or 301.
- Identify merchandise regulated by FDA or another partner government agency.
- Decide whether the owner, purchaser or a designated licensed customs broker will file for each shipment type.
- Confirm access to ACE and Entry Type 13 filing capabilities.
- Review customs-bond requirements.
- Obtain complete product descriptions, classifications, values, origin and sender information.
- Establish a process for shipments that cannot use informal entry.
- Test electronic transmissions before January 20. CBP deployed the Entry Type 13 test to the ACE production environment on September 22.
- Monitor CBP guidance for additional technical instructions.
Companies should also review customer communications and shipping terms. A foreign seller, postal operator or U.S. recipient may incorrectly assume another party will handle the entry.
For additional information, review CBP’s October 14 announcement extending the Entry Type 13 deadline and the June 24 interim final rule establishing the postal informal-entry process.
ASK Alba™: Contact the Alba team for assistance evaluating affected postal shipments, determining filing requirements or preparing for Entry Type 13 implementation.
Subscribe to the ASK Alba™ Trade Brief for timely updates on customs requirements, low-value shipments and U.S. import compliance.
References
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Entry Type 13 mandatory compliance date extended to January 20, 2027, October 14, 2026
- Federal Register, Interim final rule establishing the postal informal-entry process, June 24, 2026 (Doc. 2026-12669)
- Federal Register, CBP proposed rule on low-value shipments, October 8, 2026 (Doc. 2026-20650)
- Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, 19 CFR 143.26: Who may make entry
- Alba Wheels Up, New CBP Postal Entry Process and Entry Type 13 Test, July 28, 2026
- Alba Wheels Up, CBP Proposes Major Overhaul of Low-Value Import Requirements, October 13, 2026
