US CBP Entry Type 13: New Process for Postal Imports

Why Entry Type 13 Exists

The context is short and well known. The United States suspended duty-free de minimis treatment for low-value shipments, first for China and Hong Kong in May 2025, then for all countries on 29 August 2025, and codified the suspension indefinitely on 24 June 2026. Shipments that once qualified for the exemption must now clear through a formal or informal customs entry and be assessed for applicable duties, taxes, and fees, which brings far more detailed information requirements to low-value trade.

Correction noted: the all-countries suspension took effect 29 August 2025 under Executive Order 14324, not simply "mid-2025." It was later codified in regulation (91 FR 37789) on 24 June 2026.

What Entry Type 13 Is

To process the enormous volume of low-value international mail under more complex procedures, CBP is testing a new system called the Entry Type 13 Test. Under the test, eligible international mail shipments valued at US$2,500 or less that qualify for informal entry can be entered electronically through the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE).

CBP receives detailed shipment-level information, including the importer of record, country of origin, merchandise description, tracking number, 10-digit US tariff classification, value, duty rate, and duty owed. In effect, each parcel gains a digital identity alongside its physical one.

Key Dates

• 2 May 2025 De minimis suspended for China and Hong Kong.
• 29 Aug 2025 De minimis suspended for all countries (Executive Order 14324).
• 24 Jun 2026 Suspension codified indefinitely; postal and non-postal entry rules published.
• 24 Jul 2026 Entry Type 13 test opens in the CBP Certification environment.
• 22 Sep 2026 Entry Type 13 test moves to Production and runs indefinitely.
• 1 Jul 2027 Statutory repeal of de minimis takes effect under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

Correction noted: 22 September 2026 is the Production launch. The test first opened in CBP's Certification environment on 24 July 2026, so "the test begins on 22 September" is precise only for the production phase.

The Importer-of-Record Role

This is the part brokers should sit with. Any eligible broker can participate, but the broker acts as the importer of record and assumes the related liability. The postal service serves as the nominal consignee, and a power of attorney from the postal authority to the broker will likely be required.

As importer of record, the broker should be able to demonstrate that it vets its processes and is proactive toward errant packages, violations, and similar issues. Goods must originate from a postal authority and transit via an international mail processing centre. The entry must carry the FIRMS code for that mail processing location.

The Firms code identifies the facility where the importing goods arrive. The entry required the FIRMS code of the relevant mail import processing location. There are 6 mail import processing facilities in the US.

Data Elements and the Tracking Match

Under the test, participating carriers can transmit the foreign postal tracking number associated with an individual shipment. Where both the carrier and the filer participate, CBP can match that number against the tracking number in the electronic customs entry, connecting the arrival of a physical parcel to its customs record.

A few operational points brokers are asking about:

• Multiple-piece shipments can be imported under Entry Type 13, with each commodity on a separate line under the same house waybill.
• AMS service providers will likely be able to participate and send tracking data as they do today for Type 11.
• A Manufacturer Identification (MID) code is not required unless the data set requires it.
• Whether the manifest transmission requirement matches ACAS is not yet clearly defined.

Information from Jet Worldwide file data across the low-value US-bound shipments indicate the most common error is missing basic information. Easy to identify and fix prior to shipping.

Duty, Fees, and Origin Claims

Duty is assessed, but the fee structure is lighter than the express channel.

• No Merchandise Processing Fee (MPF) applies to Entry Type 13.
• No Express Consignment reimbursable fee applies. That fee, charged on express consignment shipments, is the main cost the mail channel avoids.
• A preference can be claimed. For example, if the shipment travels with a USMCA certificate of origin, the qualifying goods can clear duty-free.

The bond requirement is the same as the bond for a Type 11 entry.

Scope: PGA, Gifts, and Returns

Formal entries and PGA

Formal entries follow normal processes and are not part of Entry Type 13. Shipments requiring Partner Government Agency (PGA) data follow the same processes as Type 11. If a shipment is cleared but is called back by a PGA requiring additional information, the package will be recalled.

Gifts and personal exemptions

The duty-free exemption for gifts is a customs matter, but personal exemptions likely do not apply, or apply differently, once a PGA requirement is in play. If a shipment requires a PGA ACE entry and is then filed under Entry Type 13, it loses its gift classification. Agency rules differ, and for some the applicable threshold can exceed US$100.

Returned USPS mail

• If the item never left the custody of the postal service, it can be returned without an entry.
• If the goods left postal custody, for example a damaged shipment that was delivered and then returned, an entry is required as US goods returned.

How Entry Type 13 Compares to Type 11

Clarification noted: Entry Type 13 is designed to mirror Type 11 requirements, but the pilot data elements do not yet fully mirror Type 11. They are expected to align after the test and once the program is fully implemented.

How the Test Should Be Judged

Success should be measured by more than how efficiently ACE processes Entry Type 13 declarations or supports duty collection. The emerging model tries to preserve the speed of small-parcel trade while making each transaction far more visible, and that raises three tests.

• Better enforcement: can authorities turn more data into better decisions, improving enforcement against illegal goods and increasing revenue collection? Data is only useful if it is processed and used well.
• The cost of visibility: those costs may fall first on exporters, e-commerce platforms, brokers, or customs authorities, but some may reach consumers through higher prices or fewer choices, and the effects are unlikely to be evenly distributed. A system that improves enforcement but raises costs for smaller exporters, or diverts trade toward markets with lower information requirements, can solve one problem while creating another.
• Better economic outcomes overall: the system can work exactly as intended, collecting more duties and advancing economic-security goals, and still not produce better outcomes if higher barriers to entry make it harder for alternative suppliers to emerge.

The ultimate challenge is to make trade more visible without making legitimate commerce unnecessarily more expensive or less diverse.

Frequently Asked Questions