A wide range of small imports to the U.S. will lose duty-free status starting on Friday, as the Trump administration ends de minimis exemptions on imported goods valued at less than $800.
Starting on Friday, all commercial shipments that were formerly eligible for de minimis exception will be subject to full U.S. duties and inspection by customs officers.
The change expands the new application of customs fees, which previously only applied to parcels from China and Hong Kong since May. Under the new rules Friday, all countries trading with the U.S. will be subject to new customs inspection and taxes on qualifying parcels.
Personal items & letters will not be affected by the changes. There will also be exemptions for personal travel and gifts, a senior administration official said.
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But the Trump administration has focused on de minimis shipping as a health and safety hazard, particularly concerning the shipment of fentanyl and other drugs and drug materials.
Most customs seizures in 2024 involved de minimis shipments, a senior administration official said. Such stoppages accounted for 97% of intellectual property seizures and 77% of health and safety seizures. Weapons parts and drug components were frequently seized, the official said, with more than 800 fentanyl cases.
"President Trump's ending of the deadly de minimus loophole will save thousands of American lives by restricting the flow of narcotics and other dangerous and prohibited items, add up to $10 billion a year in tariff revenues to our Treasury, create thousands of jobs and defend against billions of dollars more lost to counterfeiting, piracy and intellectual property theft," said White House trade and manufacturing senior counselor Peter Navarro.
