Airman 1st Class Veronica Westbrook processes packages at Aviano Air Base, Italy, Nov. 12, 2024. With White House-directed tariffs on the horizon, confusion over whether parcels from Defense Department bases overseas can be mailed duty-free to the U.S. prompted reassurances from military mail officials in Europe. (Joseph Bartoszek/U.S. Air Force)
Military postal officials in Europe are reassuring customers that looming U.S. tariffs on certain international shipments will have no impact on mail services for Defense Department personnel.
The message comes in the wake of concerns brought on by an email sent to military mail box customers last week by postal officials at U.S. Army Garrison Stuttgart in Germany.
The message was then widely shared by the U.S. military community in Europe, causing consternation for some who regularly send gifts, souvenirs and other items stateside.
As a result, at least one U.S. military base in Europe issued a statement over the weekend in response to social media comments.
“Please disregard any false reports, and rest assured that our mailing and shipping services are still available to all customers,” U.S. Naval Support Activity Naples in Italy said in a post to its official Facebook page on Saturday.
On Monday, the garrison in Stuttgart offered a clarification following consultation with DOD postal officials.
“DoD mail is exempt from tariffs to the U.S. Postal Service,” the installation said in a post to its Facebook page. “We anticipate no impact on mailing items from your APO to the United States.”
At issue is President Donald Trump’s July 30 order to suspend the de minimis exemption allowing international packages valued at less than $800 to enter the U.S. without duty fees. The suspension is scheduled to take effect on Friday.
As of that date, most goods entering America valued at $800 or less will be subject to the tariff rate associated with the country of origin, the White House said in a July 30 statement.
Some exceptions, such as an allowance for people to receive bona fide gifts valued at $100 or less duty-free, will remain in effect, according to the statement.
Suspension of the duty-free exemption is needed to close a loophole exploited by international businesses to avoid paying import fees, taxes and duties on shipments to the U.S., according to the White House.
In May, Trump suspended the provision for China, but his July order extends to all countries.
On Friday, international shipper DHL Parcel Germany announced it was suspending transport of most parcels and goods from business customers to the U.S.
Shipping via DHL Express remained possible, and person-to-person shipments of gifts valued at less than $100 would be allowed, the company said in a statement.
Postal services in Denmark, Italy, the U.K. and other European countries also have announced pauses on shipments to the U.S.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in January that the number of shipments claiming use of the exemption had increased by more than 600% from 2015 to 2023. The exemption is known as the duty-free de minimis treatment for low-value shipments.
Last year, there were more than 1.36 billion de minimis shipments, according to the agency.
