How CBP Moved Its Postal Entry Deadline to January 20, 2027
US Customs and Border Protection moved the mandatory Entry Type 13 date for international postal shipments by 90 days. Here is what importers must file and pay.
US Customs and Border Protection has moved the date when Entry Type 13, known as ET13, becomes mandatory for certain international postal shipments. The date moves from October 22, 2026 to January 20, 2027. CBP announced the change on October 14, 2026, and described it as a 90-day extension that gives importers, brokers and logistics providers more time to update their processes.
The extension sits on top of June 2026 rules that suspended the $800 de minimis exemption for mail. Parcels that once entered duty-free now carry duties. Founders who import goods by post need a filing path for them.
What the October 14 Release Changed
CBP's release says the mandatory date for new informal entry procedures for international mail moves from October 22, 2026 to January 20, 2027. BDO's summary of the change uses the same dates and the same 90-day length.
The change builds on rules that CBP published on June 24, 2026. KPMG describes them as two interim final rules. KPMG reports that the second rule applied the indefinite suspension of the $800 de minimis exemption to the international postal network. Thomson Reuters describes a postal informal entry process for mail valued at $2,500 or less, which mail with Partner Government Agency (PGA) requirements, Chapter 98 or 99 duties, or duty-free claims could use until October 22, 2026, 120 days after publication.
KPMG gives July 24, 2026 as the start of that postal informal entry process. Thomson Reuters ties October 22 to the 120-day window. The two dates mark different things: July 24, 2026 is the main effective date, and October 22, 2026 is the compliance deadline for certain excluded categories.
Which Postal Shipments Need Entry Type 13
CBP's release says that from January 20, 2027, ET13 is required for informal entry of international postal shipments that are subject to Section 201, 232 or 301 duties, or that fall under the jurisdiction of a Partner Government Agency. Covered shipments that are not filed this way must go through formal entry, CBP says.
ET13 is an electronic process in CBP's Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) for shipment-level data. BDO says the test was deployed to ACE production on September 22, 2026. CBP encourages filers to start using ET13 during the transition period and says there are no changes to international mail entry procedures before January 20, 2027.
CBP also points to an October 8 proposed rule titled "Low-Value Shipments." According to CBP, that proposal would extend the entry and data requirements to informal entry of all international mail packages, except letters and flats. The proposal is not final.
Who Can File, and What the Filer Must Report
Only the owner or purchaser of the goods, or a licensed customs broker designated by the owner, purchaser or consignee, may file. BDO cites 19 CFR 143.26(a) for this rule, and Thomson Reuters gives the same limit. Thomson Reuters adds that non-broker parties which previously submitted International Mail Duty Worksheets are no longer eligible unless they are the owner or purchaser.
Thomson Reuters lists data each eligible shipment needs, including merchandise description, country of origin, the 10-digit HTSUS classification, value, duty rate, total duty owed, carrier, tracking number, arrival port and arrival date. The filer must send the spreadsheet to CBP no later than the seventh day of the month following the package's arrival. BDO adds that ET13 entries must include the foreign postal operator's tracking number and the sender's name and address.
For a founder selling physical goods, the first question is who is the owner or purchaser on each shipment.
“Duties are not collected on delivery, so the payment date becomes part of the plan.”
Duty, Bond and Broker Requirements in the Extra Months
Duties are not collected on delivery, so the payment date becomes part of the plan. KPMG says duties must be paid through Pay.gov by the seventh day of the following month. KPMG also reports that all importations valued at $800 or less that previously entered duty-free are now subject to applicable duties, taxes and fees.
Thomson Reuters says the filer must hold a basic importation and entry bond, either single transaction or continuous, and calls that a new cost. It also says consolidators and service providers may need new broker relationships, revised customer authorizations and updated commercial terms, and that bond arrangements, duty funding and customer pricing should be reviewed.
Under the process, the spreadsheet and the duty payment are both due by the seventh day of the following month.
Using the Extra 90 Days
BDO recommends that importers identify which postal shipments need ET13 and which need formal entry, confirm who handles filing, and validate 10-digit HTSUS codes, country of origin and values. BDO also suggests testing ACE before the deadline.
CBP encourages filers to use the optional ET13 process during the transition period, and BDO suggests considering participation in the ET13 test before January 20, 2027.
First map each product to its HTSUS code and check whether it falls under Section 201, 232 or 301 duties or a PGA requirement. Next confirm the filer and the bond. Then set the payment calendar and take part in the ET13 test before January 20, 2027.
