DHL, one of the largest package shipping and delivery companies in Europe, is one of multiple services suspending shipments to the U.S., it announced on Aug. 22.

DHL Parcel Germany and its domestic arm, Deutsche Post, paused the "acceptance and transport of business customer parcels via the postal network to the U.S." as of Saturday, Aug. 23, due to tariff policies going into place on Friday, Aug. 29, the company said in a statement.

It cited an executive order signed by Trump in late July, effectively sunsetting the de minimis trade agreement, a tax exemption that allowed packages worth less than $800 to enter the U.S. duty-free. In 2024, de minimis shipments coming into the U.S. were valued at more than $1.36 billion, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

As a result, Reuters reported that postal groups in several European countries have announced they will pause some parcel shipments to the U.S.

Shipping suspension is temporary but 'key questions remain unresolved'

DHL said the suspension of U.S. services is a temporary measure largely influenced by the new restrictions and processes implemented by regulators.

"Key questions remain unresolved, particularly regarding how and by whom customs duties will be collected in the future, what additional data will be required, and how the data transmission to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection will be carried out," the company said in a statement. "These changes affect all postal and parcel service providers worldwide, many of whom have already announced a suspension of postal shipping to the U.S."

Other companies that are members of the Association of European Postal Services have also been advised that they will need to temporarily restrict or suspend the shipping of goods through U.S. postal networks, the statement said.

Until the pause is lifted, the customers still have the option to send private packages labeled as a "gift" as long as they are worth no more than $100. These must be sent from person to person and not from a business to a customer. Other items can be sent via DHL Express, a more pricey option, but will be subject to applicable tariffs. Commercial shipments will be subject to a minimum 15% tariff, with some categories having higher duties.

DHL did not say when it plans to resume standard shipments to the U.S. USA TODAY contacted DHL for more information.

"DHL is closely monitoring the further developments and is in contact with U.S. authorities, together with its European partners," the statement read. "The company's goal is to resume postal goods shipping to the U.S. as quickly as possible."

What is the de minimis exception?

The de minimis exemption refers to Section 321 of the Tariff Act of 1930, which allows the Secretary of the Treasury to waive some duties or fees where it is more inconvenient to collect the tax than the revenue would be worth. In practice, the policy allowed companies to ship low-value packages to the U.S. tariff-free. The Trump administration said in April, before the executive order ending the exemptions, that Customs and Border Patrol processes more than 4 million de minimis shipments into the U.S. each day.

The exception has been the subject of back-and-forth over the past few months between the Trump administration and China, and it hit an early speed bump. It was originally set to end in February, then was postponed after packages began piling up without time to plan and execute the policy change.

The Aug. 29 deadline comes a few months after the loophole was closed on May 2 for imports, specifically from China and Hong Kong, from which behemoth low-value retailers like Shein and Temu ship a significant portion of their products. More than half of all packages with de minimis exemptions come from China, and more than 30% of all daily packages shipped under de minimis are from Temu and Shein, Reuters reported in February.

Other international shippers pause US services

The U.K.'s Royal Mail, shippers in Asia and postal services in other countries, including Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Belgium, France and Italy, are also pausing certain shipments to the U.S. before the exemption officially closes on Friday, Aug. 28, as reported by NPR and Reuters.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Here's why European postal services are suspending U.S. deliveries

Reporting by Mary Walrath-Holdridge and Kathryn Palmer, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect