Temporary suspension of postal shipments to the USA

UPDATE 19.9.

As of Monday, 22 September, it will also be possible to send registered letters and letters with advice of receipt to the USA, provided they contain only documents with no monetary value. The letters must not contain goods or gifts.

The transport of parcels and letters containing goods or gifts is still temporarily suspended.

European postal operators are working closely with the U.S. customs authorities and the Universal Postal Union to find a solution. The goal is to resume goods traffic as soon as possible.

***

UPDATE 27.8.

As of Monday, 1 September, the following items can once again be sent to the USA:

• Letters containing documents only
• Postcards

Letters and postcards handed in to Åland Post during the suspension period (22–31 August) will automatically be forwarded to the recipient starting 1 September.

The following items can still not be sent:

• Goods shipments
• Gifts between private individuals

Due to a recent change in customs and tariff regulations, there have since 21 August been significant disruptions and partial suspensions in the delivery chains to the USA.

We will keep information updated here on our website so you can follow the situation.

***

INFO PUBLISHED 22.8.

Since several airlines are currently not transporting postal items to the USA, we are forced to temporarily suspend the sending of gifts and documents as well.

The suspension now includes:

• Shipments containing goods
• Gift and document shipments between private individuals
• Letters and cards

The last day to send postal items to the USA was 21 August 2025.

Letters and cards to the USA that are posted after 21 August will be returned if the sender’s address details are provided. If the sender’s address details are missing, the items will be held by the postal regulator, the Government of Åland, for processing.

Read more here for a broader picture of the situation in Europe: PostEurop’s press release.

***

INFO PUBLISHED 20.8.

Due to changed U.S. customs regulations, there is a temporary suspension of mail shipments containing goods to the USA starting 21 August 2025.

The USA is changing its customs regulations for postal goods at the end of August. Since the decision and directives were announced at very short notice, there will be a temporary interruption in postal goods shipping to the USA.

The last day for submitting parcels and letters containing goods to the USA is Thursday, 21 August 2025.

What can still be sent to the USA?

• Exceptions apply only to gifts between private individuals with a value under 100 USD.
• Letters without goods are not affected.
• Shipments from the USA work as usual.

Cooperation to resolve the customs issue
Åland Post is closely monitoring the situation in cooperation with other European postal operators and will provide ongoing updates here on the website. The goal is to resume shipments of goods as soon as possible.

Background:
On 30 July 2025, the Trump administration decided that the duty-free exemption for shipments with a value of up to 800 USD will end on 29 August 2025. Under the so-called De Minimis rule, goods valued under 800 USD could previously be sent to the USA duty-free. When the rule is removed on 29 August 2025, it means that all parcels must undergo customs clearance before entering the USA.

How the new regulations will work in practice is not yet clear and will affect all postal operators and mail shipments worldwide. This includes, for example, how customs fees will be collected, what information must accompany parcels, and how cooperation with U.S customs will be organized. Since the directive was only announced in mid-August, there is very little time to adapt systems before the rules take effect.

For questions, please contact:

Åland Post Customer Service +358 18 636 624

Eivor Granberg, Business Area Director, Postal Services +358 18 636 722