Since August 23 Poste Italiane ha parcel acceptance suspended with goods intended for United States. From today, August 25th, also Post Office France is blocking shipments. The measure, shared by numerous European postal operators – including Germany, the Czech Republic, and the Baltic countries – comes pending further clarification from U.S. customs and in view of the entry into force of new U.S. customs rules, which from August 29, 2025 will impose tariffs between 80 and 200 dollars for each item shipped. In contrast, DHL Express Italy continues to ship packages to the United States and Puerto Rico without interruption
US tariffs: what's changing for international parcel shipments?
The provision arises from a US decree Approved last July 30 by the Trump administration, which eliminates the customs exemption up to $800. In practice, until now it was possible to ship goods without paying duties below this threshold. From August 29, however, each package will contain a cost additional between 80 and 200 dollars.
As technical clarifications on the operating procedures have arrived only on August 15th, many European operators have decided to temporarily suspend shipments to avoid inconvenience to customers. The initial indication came from PostEurop, the supranational consortium that has represented the main European postal operators since 1993, but each company then applied the suspension according to its own needs. France, Germany, Spain, Republic czech and similar measures have therefore been adopted in the Baltic countries, with slightly different timetables and methods.
Poste Italiane: Temporary suspension of parcels with goods bound for the US
With an official note, Poste Italiane explained that it was forced to temporarily suspend acceptance of shipments to the United States, following the example of other European operators. However, active:
- sending correspondence without goods (letters, postcards);
- shipments worth more than $800, which were previously excluded from the allowance;
- the Poste Delivery International Express service, which follows a different logistics channel.
The group specified that customers will be promptly updated on upcoming measures.
DHL Express Italy continues shipping to the US
Contrary to some reports, DHL Express Italy keeps shipments are operational of parcels to the United States and Puerto Rico. Unlike Deutsche Post and DHL Parcel in Germany, which have no longer accepted business parcels to the US since August 22nd due to the Suspension of Duty-Free De Minimis Treatment effective August 29, 2025, DHL Express Italy still allows the shipment of goods through its network of stores and service points in Italy.
Blocking parcels in other European countries
In France, Post Office Suspends shipments to the US, with one exception: gifts between private individuals of up to €100 remain permitted.
In Germany, Deutsche Post/DHL has adopted a similar measure: only packages marked as gifts up to $100 will be allowed to be shipped, with stricter controls to prevent abuse. Spain and the Czech Republic have also established similar limits for gift packages.
In addition to Italy, France, Germany, Spain and the Czech Republic, Austria has also announced a halt to shipments to the United States until further notice (Austrian Post), Belgium (bpost), Norway (Post Bring), Sweden-Denmark (PostNord) and Malta.
Impact on individuals and businesses
For private individuals, the impact could be limited: in Italy, an estimated 2.000 parcels are processed per month. The situation is different for small businesses and e-commerce sites, which risk a significant economic impact.
Associations such as Consumerismo non-profit, Codacons e Absolute users They are calling for uniform procedures at the European level, denouncing a possible increase in postal rates and a severe blow to consumer rights.
Last updated Monday, August 25, at 14:33 PM
