United States customs proposed on Oct. 8, 2026 that imports worth $2,500 or less be filed electronically on or before arrival, backed by a bond, with a new Entry Type 13 for mail; comments close Dec. 7, 2026.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on Oct. 8, 2026 proposed new rules for imports worth $2,500 or less, which would require electronic filing on or before arrival, a customs bond for certain low-value entries, and a new electronic entry for goods sent by international mail1.
The proposal is published in the Federal Register as "Low-Value Shipments" and is open for public comment until Dec. 7, 20261. It is not yet in force.
In short, CBP wants full data on every small parcel before or when it lands, filed electronically, and backed by a bond. Parcels sent by post would move to a new electronic filing called Entry Type 13, and a customs broker would have to file for any receiver who does not own or buy the goods.
What is CBP proposing for low-value shipments?
The proposed rule covers what customs calls informal entries, the simpler clearance used for shipments valued at $2,500 or less1. Shipments above $2,500 generally need formal entry, which has more steps and paperwork1.
Entry Type 11, now and as proposed
| Question | Now | Proposed |
|---|---|---|
| Filing deadline | Within 15 calendar days after arrival | On or before the arrival date |
| Filing method | Paper or electronic | Electronic only |
| Chapter 99 goods | $250 limit for informal entry | Up to $2,500 |
The proposal has five main parts1:
- Electronic filing only for Entry Type 11, the usual informal entry. Paper filing would end.
- An earlier deadline. The Entry Type 11 filing would be due on or before the date the goods arrive.
- A new data item, the "final deliver-to party", when the person who finally receives the goods is not the importer named on the entry.
- A new Entry Type 13 for mail shipments worth $2,500 or less, filed electronically.
- Bond requirements for certain informal entries, plus extra data from airlines and other carriers that bring mail into the country.
CBP also proposes to widen the cases in which it may demand formal entry for goods worth $2,500 or less, including goods filed as Entry Type 131.
Why does CBP want the changes after de minimis?
Until recently, many small parcels entered the United States duty-free under the de minimis exemption, a rule that let shipments worth up to $800 enter without duty1. That exemption has been suspended since at least Aug. 29, 20251. On June 24, 2026, CBP published two interim rules that suspended it indefinitely in its regulations1.
A law passed on July 4, 2025, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, ends the exemption for good on July 1, 20271. CBP expects the volume of low-value shipments to stay "problematically high" as parcels move to other informal entries such as Entry Type 111.
CBP says the large volume makes it hard to collect duty and to find unsafe goods, fake brands and illegal drugs such as fentanyl1. It says it needs electronic data in time to check each shipment before release1. The agency also says many online buyers do not know enough about customs rules or the goods they order1.
When it suspended de minimis in June, CBP said all shipments worth $2,500 or less now pay duty2. The exceptions are genuine gifts worth $100 or less, or $200 from the Virgin Islands, Guam and American Samoa, and certain personal items carried by travelers2.
How would the earlier Type 11 deadline work?
Today, an entry must be made within 15 calendar days after the goods land or reach their port of destination1. CBP says this gives it too little time to check risky low-value shipments before they arrive1.
Under the proposal, the Entry Type 11 filing would be due on or before the date of importation1. For goods arriving by ship, that is the date the vessel enters port limits intending to unload. For other goods, it is the date they enter U.S. customs territory1.
Electronic filing would also become mandatory. CBP says few filers still use paper. From Sept. 1, 2025 to May 31, 2026, only 73,534 of 52,450,418 Type 11 entries were filed on paper, or 0.14%1. CBP staff must type paper entries into its computer system, the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE), by hand1.
The entry would also have to name the final deliver-to party, with its address, when that party differs from the importer named on the entry summary form (CBP Form 7501)1. This lets CBP see where in the United States the goods are really going1.
What changes for goods with Section 232 duties?
Goods that carry extra duties listed in Chapter 99, Subchapters III and IV, of the U.S. tariff schedule (HTSUS) now face a $250 limit for informal entry1. These include goods under temporary trade remedies or quotas1.
CBP proposes to remove that $250 limit. Goods in those subchapters worth more than $250 but not more than $2,500 could then use informal entry1. CBP gives Section 232 duties as an example. Without the change, such shipments worth between $251 and $2,500 would need formal entry1.
Who could file the entries?
Only a party with the right to make entry may file an informal entry: the owner or buyer of the goods, or a licensed customs broker appointed by the owner, buyer or receiver1.
CBP proposes that a receiver who is not the owner or buyer must appoint a licensed customs broker1. Examples include a foreign postal operator, the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), a freight forwarder or a carrier1. The broker would act as the importer of record, the party legally responsible for the entry, for both Entry Type 11 and Entry Type 131.
The rules for genuine gifts and travelers’ personal items would stay the same1.
How would Entry Type 13 for mail work?
Mail from abroad is first sorted at USPS International Service Centers and then passed to CBP for checks1. Until June 24, 2026, the informal mail entry was a paper process with almost no advance data1.
The current interim process for mail asks filers to pay duty electronically and email a worksheet once a month1. Payment and the International Mail Duty worksheet are due by the 7th day of the month after the parcel arrives3. CBP says it still has to check this data by hand1.
The proposal would replace that process with a fully electronic Entry Type 13—Informal Mail Entry1. It would apply to mail shipments worth $2,500 or less that could use Entry Type 11 if sent another way1.
CBP already runs a voluntary Entry Type 13 test, announced in a June 24, 2026 Federal Register notice4. The test started on Sept. 22, 2026 and runs until CBP announces its end4. The proposed rule says the test lets CBP try out its systems while filers learn the process during the rulemaking1.
What data and bond does the Type 13 test require?
Under the test, the importer of record sends 12 data items to CBP electronically4:
- filer code and importer of record number;
- description of the goods and country of origin;
- every 10-digit HTSUS code, including any Chapter 98 or 99 codes;
- quantity and weight, if a duty is charged by quantity;
- duty rate, value and total duty owed;
- carrier name, the tracking number from the foreign post, and arrival port.
Goods that face extra duties, such as Section 201, 232 or 301 duties, or rules of other U.S. agencies, must also send the data those rules require4.
A basic importation and entry bond is required for each Type 13 entry, either for one shipment or continuous4. CBP says the bond guarantees that duties will be paid and rules followed. If a broker files for a receiver, the broker’s bond is used4. CBP’s FAQ says the bond must be on file in ACE before any entry is made3.
Carriers may also join the test by listing each mail item’s foreign postal tracking number on their manifest, the list of cargo on board4. Today, carriers report only the weight of the mail4. When both carrier and filer report the number, CBP can match them and check that each parcel was entered on time4.
Which goods are left out?
Some mail shipments cannot use the current interim mail process. From Oct. 22, 2026, these goods are excluded from it3:
- goods claiming duty-free treatment under Chapter 98 of the HTSUS;
- goods subject to Chapter 98 or Chapter 99 duties;
- goods claiming duty-free treatment under a free trade agreement;
- goods subject to the rules of other U.S. agencies.
These goods must use Entry Type 13 or formal entry3. Shipments worth more than $2,500, under quota, or subject to anti-dumping or countervailing duties, which are extra duties on unfairly priced or subsidized goods, must use formal entry3. The Type 13 test keeps that rule4.
What bond rules would apply to informal entries?
The proposed rule would require a basic importation and entry bond for certain informal entries1. CBP has broad legal power to demand bonds to protect revenue and enforce the law1. It can also set the bond’s terms and the amount owed if a bond condition is broken1.
The proposal also has a section setting a minimum amount for liquidated damages, the sum owed when a bond condition is broken1. Shipments that arrive without the required data or bond are not released until the filer meets every requirement3.
Who is affected and what happens next?
Online sellers abroad, foreign postal operators, carriers, freight forwarders and customs brokers would all have new tasks. Brokers would file more entries as importer of record. Carriers would send more data on mail. Buyers of small parcels would face checks before release.
Dates for low-value shipments
Comments are due by Dec. 7, 2026 through the federal portal under docket USCBP-2026-02981. CBP will then decide on a final rule. Until then, the current interim mail process and the voluntary Type 13 test continue4.
Key points on the CBP low-value shipments proposal
The proposed rule changes how small shipments clear U.S. customs.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Who issued it? | U.S. Customs and Border Protection |
| What is it? | Proposed rule, not yet in force |
| Published | Oct. 8, 2026 |
| Which goods? | Shipments worth $2,500 or less |
| Type 11 deadline | On or before the arrival date |
| Type 11 filing | Electronic only |
| New mail entry | Entry Type 13, filed electronically |
| Bond | Basic importation and entry bond |
| Who files for postal operators? | A licensed customs broker |
| Chapter 99 goods | $250 limit removed |
| Type 13 test start | Sept. 22, 2026 |
| Comment deadline | Dec. 7, 2026 |
The next date is Dec. 7, 2026, when comments close1. On Oct. 22, 2026, mail goods with extra duties or other agency rules lose access to the interim mail process3.
Sources
- ↩ AGENCY: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/full_text/html/2026/10/08/2026-20650.html
- ↩ CBP modernizes low-value shipment processing | U.S. Customs and Border Protection https://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/national-media-release/cbp-modernizes-low-value-shipment-processing
- ↩ E-Commerce Frequently Asked Questions | U.S. Customs and Border Protection https://www.cbp.gov/trade/basic-import-export/e-commerce/faqs
- ↩ Federal Register :: Test of the New Electronic Informal Entry Process for Mail https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/06/24/2026-12668/test-of-the-new-electronic-informal-entry-process-for-mail