DHL Suspends Global Shipments to the US Worth More Than $800

DHL, one of the largest international logistics and shipping companies in the world, announced that it would be suspending shipments into the United States if they are valued at more than $800, citing a new customs rule.

DHL is often the shipper of choice for cameras, lenses, drones, and photo/video accessories that are shipped directly to customers in the United States.

As reported by Reuters, the Germany-based DHL says the suspension would take place starting Monday April 21 and was in response to a new US customs rule that requires formal entry processing on all shipments worth more than $800, bringing the limit down significantly from the previous $2,500. The change took place on April 5 but was not widely publicized and the effects are only being felt by DHL now.

“Effective April 5, 2025, all shipments to the U.S. with a declared customs value over $800 require formal entry processing. The threshold was previously $2,500. This short-term change has caused a significant increase in formal customs clearances and, hence, has increased the workload for customs clearances across the express industry,” Claus Korfmacher, Head of DHL Team Media Relations, tells PetaPixel.

“DHL Express is working diligently to scale up clearance capacity. However, due to the short-term nature of this substantial change in U.S. customs regulation, shipments over $800 — regardless of origin — may experience multi-day delays. To maintain the high-quality service commitment of DHL Express to its customers, starting Monday, April 21, 2025, and until further notice, DHL Express will temporarily suspend B2C shipments to private individuals in the U.S. whose declared value exceeds $800. Shipments below $800 declared value can for the time being still be processed through the simplified methods under the so-called de minimus. The temporary suspension does also not affect Business-to-Business (B2B) shipments to U.S. companies. Other DHL business units are currently not affected by this change and offer their services as usual.”

The “formal entry processing” refers to a tighter customs check and more paperwork. The $1,700 change has caused what DHL says is a “surge in formal customs clearances,” causing a backlog of packages and a delay in their arrival. It tells the BBC that it is working to “scale up and manage this increase,” but that “shipments worth over $800, regardless of origin, may experience multi-day delays.”

DHL says the pause on new shipments is temporary as it catches up with the backlog and adds that there should be no problem or delay with packages that have been sent with a value of under $800, as those can still be sent into the US with minimal checks. However, Trump’s trade policy does intend to add further scrutiny to packages with a value of under $800 if they are coming from China and Hong Kong starting May 2 as it closes a loophole that allowed low-value packages to enter the US without incurring duties. This change more strongly affects brands like Shien, Temu, and Amazon’s new low-cost platform called Haul.

Trump’s international trade policy has greatly disrupted markets around the world. While the initial rollout of tariffs that affected nearly every country on Earth — and some by extreme numbers — was paused for 90 days, a blanket 10% tariff increase to everyone remains in effect. Additionally, Trump’s spat with China is particularly harsh as the US levied a 145% import tax on anything coming from China. China responded by hitting a 125% tariff on US goods and declined to continue the back-and-forth increases with Trump since the current rate already makes it untenable for anyone in China to purchase products from the US.

Update 4/22: Comment from DHL added.

Image credits: Header photo licensed via Depositphotos.