Indian Post (Image: AI)
The Department of Posts, under the Indian Ministry of Communications, has announced that all categories of international postal services to the United States of America will resume from October 15. This decision comes after recent changes in US customs regulations, which had led India to suspend postal services in August. Under a new process, charges will be collected at the time of booking in India, making the delivery process faster and smoother.
The US administration had, from August 29, ended the duty-free facility of up to $800 for postal imports into the United States. This meant import duties would apply to all shipments, necessitating a new process. Consequently, the Indian Department of Posts announced on August 22 that all categories of postal services to the US would be suspended. Initially, only letters, documents, and gift items up to $100 were being accepted, but from August 29, all types of postal services were completely halted.
The postal services to the US have resumed after certain changes were made under the new process. Charges will now be collected in India itself under the Delivery Duty Paid (DDP) and Qualified Party services. As per the US Customs and Border Protection guidelines, postal shipments from India to the US will attract a flat rate of customs duty at 50% of the declared Free On Board (FOB) value. There will be no additional charges; courier or commercial postal tariffs will also remain unchanged, allowing exporters to benefit from cheaper rates. Furthermore, the new process will be more economical for artisans from Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), small traders, and e-commerce exporters. US e-commerce logistics firm Yakit has been appointed as India's authorised partner, which will charge approximately $0.01 per shipment, but this cost will not be recovered from customers.
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