France suspension of parcels to United States continues with no restart date given

Suspension is linked to ‘Trump tariffs’ that began on August 7

Parcels are set to be delayed in and around Bordeaux as a result of two sorting centre strikes

La Poste has not given a restart date following its suspension of normal parcel deliveries to the United States, which began on August 25 due to the introduction of new US customs rules at short notice.

The new rules remove long-standing exemptions on low-value imports from the European Union, meaning that all parcels entering the United States - including items previously exempt up to $800 - are potentially subject to duties of at least 15%. 

The US customs changes, known as ‘Trump tariffs’, came into effect on August 7.

La Poste said the extremely short notice given to adapt to these changes made the suspension unavoidable.

In a statement, it said it is “working closely with US authorities and postal federations to resolve the situation as quickly as possible,” but did not provide a timeline for this.

La Poste expressed regret for the disruption and said it is seeking technical solutions to resume deliveries.

Only parcels sent as gifts between individuals and valued under €100 remain unaffected. Express courier Chronopost continues operations as normal due to its more flexible pricing structure.

La Poste handles an average of 1.6 million parcels a year to the United States, most of them below the previous $800 threshold. 

The postal service has urged customers to check its website or call 3631 (for individuals) or 3634 (for businesses) for the latest information.

The decision follows similar measures across Europe. 

Postal services in Germany, Belgium, Spain, Austria, and Nordic countries have also suspended or restricted shipments to the United States. 

PostEurop, which represents 51 national postal operators, warned that the new rules “will have significant consequences for all postal companies worldwide and their customers sending items through postal networks.”