Customs tax

What regulations apply to postal items to the United States?

Publié le 18 septembre 2025 - Mise à jour le 18 mars 2026 - Public Service / Directorate of Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)

Need to send a package to the US? Customs procedures for postal items to the United States have changed since August 29, 2025. The point with Public Service.

Image 1
Image 1Crédits: Africa Studio - stock.adobe.com

In August 2025, the U.S. administration amended customs procedures for goods sent to the U.S. and its annexed territories (Puerto Rico, Guam, U.S. Virgin Islands, Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, Minor Remote Islands).

What has changed?
  • Goods sent to the United States are now taxed from the first dollar whereas until now there was a deductible of up to $800.
  • Tariffs are now at the expense of the sender and no longer the recipient, as in the rest of the world.
  • They must be paid at U.S. Customs prior to the entry of the articles into the united states, provided that the address is well informed on the customs declaration CN23.

Please note

For “gift” type shipments, the US authorities only accept shipments between individuals containing “homemade” items. The words “Gift” and “CN23” are mandatory on the package. An item with a market value cannot be declared as a “gift” (DVD, books... cannot be sent under this name).

La Poste states that “any non-compliant shipment (erroneous customs declaration, commercial mail offers, etc.) will be returned to its sender, or even destroyed by US customs, and subject to a minimum penalty of $100 per package”.

The different possibilities of sending to the United States

The shipping method chosen depends on the content and volume of your shipment.

  • The letter “International Letter” concerns documents without market value, which can be sent with international Ready-to-Post envelopes.
  • The Collissimo online offer is for any shipment of a value less than €650, to the United States only (not the annexed territories). Postage must be done online.
  • The Chronopost offer is available at the post office or on the Chronopost website with Prepaid Packaging Ready-to-ship.

For more information on customs formalities for shipments to the United States, see La Poste website and FAQs.

Additional topics

Agenda

See all due dates

Une remarque ?