United States: the $800 de minimis exemption no longer applies to China
The $800 customs exemption that spared small shipments from duties and formal declaration was suspended for China and Hong Kong as early as May 2025, then for the rest of the world, before a rule of 24 June 2026 formalised an indefinite suspension for shipments arriving by any mode other than the international postal network. Every commercial shipment, regardless of value, must now be formally declared to customs and pay the normal duties.
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The so-called "de minimis" regime had for decades allowed shipments worth less than $800 to enter the United States free of customs duty and without a formal declaration. This regime was suspended for goods originating from China and Hong Kong on 2 May 2025, then extended to all countries of origin on 29 August 2025. On 24 June 2026, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) published a rule in the Federal Register formalising the indefinite suspension of this exemption for goods arriving by any mode of transport other than the international postal network.
In practice, every commercial shipment, even one worth just a few dollars, must now undergo formal customs entry and pay the customs duties applicable to the product concerned, based on its tariff code and country of origin, just like any higher-value commercial shipment.
A permanent, definitive repeal of the de minimis exemption, written into US law, is scheduled for 1 July 2027, ending any prospect of a return to the previous regime for commercial shipments, including low-value cross-border e-commerce.
Primarily affected are online sellers who used to ship low-value individual parcels directly from China to US customers, as well as dropshipping platforms and cross-border marketplaces, which must now factor customs duties and declaration fees into every shipment, regardless of its value.
What it changes for an importer
For a client who sold into the United States by shipping parcel by parcel from China under the $800 threshold, this model has no longer been exempt from customs duty for China since May 2025, and this suspension is now indefinite for all modes of transport other than the international postal network. The landed cost must be recalculated with customs duties included, and a formal declaration must be planned for every shipment. Sorva helps its clients consolidate shipments and organise freight to limit the number of declarations, but never stands in for the official importer or the US customs broker, who remain responsible for clearance on arrival in the United States.
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United States · FCC, CPSC, FDA United States compliance
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FCC authorisation for electronics, CPSC certificates of conformity for consumer and children’s products, FDA registrations for food and devices: we prepare the documents on the supplier side, you remain the importer of record.
- Identification of the federal rules that apply to your product
- Test reports obtained from the factory, from a recognised laboratory where required
- Draft certificate of conformity and labelling for your approval
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