What suspension of “de minimis” exemption means for Serbia and why Post of Serbia has temporarily suspended shipments to US

The United States of America has issued a new proclamation, Executive Order 14324, signed on July 30, 2025. It suspends the duty-free “de minimis” exemption for most international shipments, effective August 29, 2025. This means that shipments worth USD 800 or less will not be automatically exempt from duties and taxes when entering the US, the Chamber of Commerce of Serbia (CCIS) explains. As they state, a temporary tariff schedule will apply to goods sent via the international postal system for the first six months, while other shipments will be subject to all applicable duties, taxes and fees. This rule applies globally to all countries, including shipments from Serbia.

The de minimis policy allows shipments worth USD 800 or less to enter the US without paying duties or taxes and with minimal customs processing, the CCIS explains.

– The consequences for Serbia and Serbian senders will be increased costs, halted postal deliveries, and logistical uncertainty – the Chamber of Commerce and Industry points out.

Shipments that were previously exempt from duties and taxes (for values ≤ USD 800) will enter the US market from August 29 under a new tariff system.

Customs duties can be calculated by:

• Ad valorem method - according to the percentage applicable to the country of origin (for Serbia 35%),
• Fixed postal tariff (during the first six months):
USD 80 per shipment (if tariff < 16%)
USD 160 (tariff between 16–25%),
USD 200 (if tariff > 25%).

Many national postal services, including the Post of Serbia, have temporarily suspended shipping packages to the US due to uncertainty regarding new customs procedures. This directly affects Serbian businesses and individuals who ship goods to customers in the US.

Unfortunately, customs procedures, tariff collection, and communication with US authorities are not clearly defined, which causes significant uncertainty in logistics and business operations, according to the CCIS.

JP Pošta Srbije Beograd

Privredna komora Srbije

JP Pošta Srbije

PE Post of Serbia

Chamber of Commerce of Serbia

suspension of reception of postal items for USA

US tariffs

de minimis exemption