Shipping to the United States

Want to send to the United States or Puerto Rico? You can manage everything via My PostNL Business. This is also where you provide the information required by US Customs.

The import duties will be added to your PostNL invoice afterwards, including administration costs.

You can find more details about what will change from 24 July 2026 here.

Phase 1 – new import duties from 24 July 2026:

Additional data field required:

It will become mandatory to provide the total weight per item in your shipment. You already enter this when you buy your shipping label online, so this will not change.

Increased value threshold:

You can now send shipments with a value of up to USD 2,500. Previously, this was limited to USD 800.

Standard import tariffs apply:

All standard import tariffs now apply to postal shipments (parcels) to the United States. Previously, postal shipments were exempt. The following tariffs apply:

• MFN tariff (Most Favoured Nation)
• Section 232 tariff (if applicable)
• Section 301 tariff (if applicable)

Free trade agreements apply:

Some countries have trade agreements with the United States. These are known as free trade agreements. If your shipment meets the conditions, you may pay lower import duties.

Recognised customs broker:

Using a recognised customs broker in the US will become mandatory. We will arrange this for you, so there is nothing you need to do.

Import duties change frequently. The Netherlands Enterprise Agency keeps track of the latest status:

View the current import duties for the US

Read this message carefully to avoid shipping delays or rejections to the US.

From October 22, 2026, new customs rules apply to shipments to the US and Puerto Rico.

What does this mean for you?

• Digital declaration: From this date, shipments up to USD 2,500 are declared through the US customs system (ACE).
• Stricter checks: US Customs (CBP) and partner government agencies (PGA) will carry out stricter checks. This means you may need to provide additional product information.

What do you need to do?

• For all shipments: make sure you provide the correct HS code, product description and country of origin.
• Create an account with our customs partner Zonos and follow these 5 steps

Pre-announce your shipment to PostNL the way you're used to, and from October 16, add the following extra information: 1. Your Zonos Organization ID and 2. The Zonos Category Item ID for each product you ship. See step 5 on this page to find both IDs.

Yes, consumers can still send gifts. A gift is something you give without expecting anything in return.

Business gifts are no longer permitted.

Consumers can send gifts under $100 to recipients in the US. You must still provide the correct customs information when creating the shipment.

Note:

Ordering something from a webshop and having it shipped directly to the recipient counts as a business transaction. That can no longer be sent as a gift.

Yes, for shipments to the US and Puerto Rico you need a Zonos account. Zonos checks whether US Customs (CBP) and partner government agencies (PGA) require additional information for the products you send to the US or Puerto Rico. Your product data is also stored securely for future shipments. This helps prevent your shipment from being delayed or rejected at the border. 

Zonos is free of charge for PostNL customers. Create a Zonos account via this page.

From October 16, add the following extra information when pre-announcing your shipment to the US or Puerto Rico: 1. Your Zonos Organization ID and 2. The Zonos Category Item ID for each product you ship. You can find both IDs in your Zonos account. See step 5 on this page to find both IDs.

The Zonos Organization ID is your company's unique customer number at Zonos. See step 5 on this page to find your Zonos Organization ID. It looks like this: organization_0rpnhtfz8kkfq. Include your Zonos Organization ID with every shipment to the US or Puerto Rico, so Zonos knows exactly which shipments are yours.

The Zonos Category Item ID is a unique number that Zonos assigns to your product. Every product has its own Zonos Category Item ID. See step 5 on this page to find your Zonos Category Item IDs. It looks like this: catalog_item_0rpnp6zmbwxkf.
For every product you ship to the US or Puerto Rico, include the corresponding Zonos Category Item ID when you pre-announce your shipment to PostNL. This way, Zonos knows exactly which product(s) are in your shipment.

Do you use Mijn PostNL Zakelijk or the PostNL Zakelijke app? Enter the Zonos Organization ID in the "Zonos Organization ID" field, and enter the Zonos Category Item ID for each product in the "Zonos Category Item ID" field when you add a product to your shipment. 

Do you use the PostNL API? Then you need to update your API integration for shipments to the US and Puerto Rico. You can find more information here. 

Do you use a plugin such as Shopify or WooCommerce? Then for shipments to the US and Puerto Rico, you must use MijnPostNL Zakelijk or the PostNL Business app instead of the plugin.

Without the Zonos Organization ID and Zonos Category Item ID, Zonos cannot submit the mandatory digital customs declaration. As a result, your shipment will be delayed or rejected by US Customs.

You can contact Zonos customer service at support@zonos.com.

For technical or content-related questions about your Zonos account, always contact Zonos first at support@zonos.com. If a problem remains unresolved, PostNL Customer Service is ready to help you further.

You can add your products to Zonos in 3 ways: 1. manually, 2. via a plugin, or 3. via a CSV upload. See step 2 on this page for more information.

Yes, Zonos may contact you by email or text message if additional information is needed for your products. Zonos uses the contact details in your Zonos account for this. Haven't created a Zonos account yet? Then Zonos will use the email address and phone number you provided when creating your PostNL account.

Do you use the PostNL API to pre-announce shipments? Then you need to update your API integration for shipments to the US and Puerto Rico. You can find more information here.

We offer a Postal Delivery Duties Paid (PDDP) solution. This allows us to handle the import declaration for all business shipments to the USA.

What we do for you:

• We handle the declaration
• We advance the import duties
• These costs are subsequently added to your PostNL invoice

We have amended your contract to incorporate these changes. You can find the contract amendment in this message.

You give permission for PostNL to prepay the import duties and invoice you afterwards.

Calculate the import duties in advance and incorporate them into your webshop's checkout process. This keeps the total amount clear for your customers and prevents you from facing unexpected costs. The costs are calculated automatically using our new tool.

Sender:

• Company name
• Street name and number
• City

Recipient:

• Full name
• Street name and number
• City
• State/province

Customs information:

• Country of origin (determines import duty)
• ShipmentType: always ‘commercial’

Customs details (in English):

• HS code (10 digits, describes the product type)
• Value per item (in euros or US dollars)
• Clear description of the goods (e.g. “Cotton T-shirt” instead of “clothing”)
• Country of origin (where the product was made or substantially processed)

• Shipping costs: unchanged
• Import duties: these are taxes that you pay to the country you are sending your parcel to. This varies by country and by product
• PostNL fee: for submitting the customs declaration and prepaying the duties

These costs will appear on your invoice.

Make sure to calculate and pass them on to your customers in advance.

There is currently no list of up-to-date trade tariffs. You can use the new tool at to calculate the costs USA Customs will charge you. The tool takes trade tariffs by country into account.

In many cases, both:

• On the customs form/commercial invoice
• Physically on the product or packaging, in English (e.g. Made in Netherlands)

For some product categories (textiles, electronics, toys), physical marking is legally required.

• Delays at customs
• Possible return of the shipment
• Fines or additional charges for the recipient
• Seizure in case of serious errors

Yes. For each product type, list (in English):

• Description
• Quantity
• Value
• HS code
• Country of origin

Yes, you can now send items to the U.S. overseas territories again. These are regions that belong to the United States but are not part of the 50 states. Examples include islands such as Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Please note that shipping rules differ per destination.

You can now send items to:

• Puerto Rico (PR)
• American Samoa (AS)
• Guam (GU)
• Marshall Islands (MH)
• Micronesia, Federated States of (FM)
• Northern Mariana Islands (MP)
• Palau (PW)
• United States Minor Outlying Islands (UM)
• Virgin Islands (VI)

Important: The rules differ per destination.

For shipments to Puerto Rico, the same import rules apply as for the U.S. mainland. You must always provide customs information and pay import duties, regardless of the value of the shipment.

To send items there, you also need a contract addendum. This authorizes us to advance the import duties on your behalf and charge them to you afterwards.

For the other destinations, these rules do not apply. You can send items there as usual. Just make sure to use the correct country code when creating your shipment. These are shown in parentheses in the list above.

Yes, certain products you send to the United States are exempt from import duties. Below you’ll find the HS codes (Harmonized System codes) of the products that qualify for exemption.

Exempt products (HS codes starting with these numbers):

49 – Printed books, newspapers, pictures and other products of the printing industry; manuscripts, typescripts and plans

3704 – Photographic plates, film, paper, paperboard and textiles, exposed but not developed

3705 – Photographic plates and film, exposed and developed, other than cinematographic film

3706 – Cinematographic film, exposed and developed, whether or not incorporating soundtrack or consisting only of soundtrack

5807 – Labels, badges and similar articles of textile materials, in the piece, in strips or cut to shape or size, not embroidered

8310 – Sign plates, nameplates, address plates and similar plates, numbers, letters and other symbols of base metal

9701 – Paintings, drawings and pastels, executed entirely by hand

9702 – Original engravings, prints and lithographs

9703 – Original sculpture and statuary, in any material

9704 – Postage or revenue stamps

9705 – Collections and collectors' pieces of archaeological, ethnographic, historical, zoological, botanical, mineralogical, anatomical, paleontological or numismatic interest

6307.90.30 – Surgical towels

6307.90.85 – Other made-up textile articles, including dress patterns

8523.80.10 – News photographs, still or motion picture, microfilm, slides and sound recordings for exhibition purposes, developed and not exposed, or exposed and developed

8523.29 – Magnetic media (other than cards incorporating a magnetic stripe), other than unrecorded

8523.41 – Recorded software CD/DVD and recorded data discs

8523.49 – Other optical media

9405.61 – Illuminated signs, illuminated nameplates and the like designed for use solely with light-emitting diode (LED) light sources

9405.69 – Other illuminated signs and nameplates

Explanation:

The exemption applies to all products whose HS code begins with one of the numbers listed above.

For example:

All products whose HS code starts with 49 (such as books or newspapers) are exempt.

Products with codes beginning with 3704 or 5807 are also exempt.

And products whose code starts with 9405.61 are exempt as well.

The digits that follow after these numbers in the HS code do not matter; only the starting numbers determine whether the exemption applies.

Important:

As the sender, you are responsible for checking whether your products are still exempt from import duties. PostNL cannot be held liable for this.You can verify this through the official U.S. government website of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS). Please note: this is an external website. PostNL has no control over its content, accuracy or whether it is up to date.