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Sending to the United States
Effective 29 August 2025, the United States (U.S.) customs regulation has suspended the de minimis exemption for all international shipments. The de minimis exemption previously allowed imports valued at US$800 or below to enter the U.S. without being subject to duties and taxes. This change by the U.S. government impacts all international shipping providers. All imports into the U.S., regardless of value, will be subject to duties and taxes.
Sending to the U.S. can be through existing SingPost products. These include:
- Speedpost Express International,
- Speedpost Priority International,
- Speedpost Economy International,
- Speedpost Saver International,
- Registered Service,
- Airmail, and
- Surface mail.
Kindly note the following:
- Shipments of no commercial value: Letters, documents, etc can be sent via postal services (e.g. Registered Service, Airmail, Surface mail) as usual.
- Shipments of items with commercial value: These must be sent via Speedpost International Services with delivery duty paid (DDP).
Walk into any of our Post Offices; you may locate the nearest one to you using our Locate Us tool. For Corporate customers, please contact your SingPost account managers for a discussion.
Any shipment containing items with commercial value bound for the U.S. would be returned to the sender. For items without return address, a retrieval fee of $20 would be imposed upon request for retrieval and return. All prices are in Singapore Dollars and subject to the prevailing GST.
Why do I need to be aware of the list of restricted and prohibited items?
The new regulation on de minimis only affects duties and taxes, not the U.S. government's strict rules on restricted and prohibited items. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will continue to seize any goods that are not permitted to enter the country, regardless of their value. This includes common items like certain food products (e.g., bak kwa, mooncakes with egg yolk), products made from endangered species, counterfeit goods, and certain health supplements or medications that are not FDA-approved. To ensure your shipment is not confiscated or destroyed, it is crucial to accurately declare all items and verify they are not on the official U.S. list of prohibited and restricted goods before shipping.
Here are some resources for your reference:
https://www.cbp.gov/travel/us-citizens/know-before-you-go/prohibited-and-restricted-items
https://www.cbp.gov/trade/basic-import-export/internet-purchases
If I’m expecting a package from the U.S. to Singapore, would it be subject to the same restriction?
Items from the U.S. to Singapore are not affected and you will continue to receive the delivery through SingPost.
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