Shipping a Parcel from Japan to the US in Late 2026: Japan Post, Duties and What You Pay

If you live in the US and have tried to get something from Japan this year, you have probably heard that Japan Post stopped sending to America, or that it only sends EMS now. Neither is quite right as of October 2026. Parcels go again, but the US duty has to be paid before the parcel leaves Japan. Here is what changed and what it means when I buy for you.

Short answer: Japan Post accepts US parcels by EMS, airmail and surface mail again, at designated post offices. For goods worth US$2,500 or less, the US duty must be registered and paid in advance through Japan Post’s recommended provider, and the parcel carries a “DDP” label. There is no longer any duty-free allowance for goods you have bought, however cheap.

What happened, in order

Date	What changed	Source
27 August 2025	Japan Post stopped accepting most US-bound items worth over US$100, after the US ended duty-free entry for low-value goods	Japan Post
29 August 2025	The US de minimis exemption (duty-free entry up to $800) was suspended, at least from this date	CBP
14 April 2026	Japan Post resumed all kinds of US-bound mail at designated post offices, with duty paid in advance	Japan Post
24 July 2026	The new US mail entry process started, and the advance-payment limit rose from US$800 to US$2,500	Japan Post, CBP

CBP’s June 2026 rule suspends the de minimis exemption for mail indefinitely, and notes that a 2025 law ends it permanently from 1 July 2027. So this is not a short pause.

Is it EMS only?

No. Japan Post’s country page for the United States (updated 15 October 2026) lists letter-class mail by air and surface, parcels by air and surface, and EMS as accepted. SAL (economy air) is suspended for every country. What the services have in common now is the duty rule, set out in this table from Japan Post’s notice:

Contents value	What it is	Duty paid in advance?
US$100 or less	Letters, postcards, printed matter, EMS documents, or a personal gift between individuals	No
US$100 or less	Anything else, including goods you bought	Yes, with a DDP label
Over US$100 up to US$2,500	Anything	Yes, with a DDP label
Over US$2,500	Anything	No; it goes through formal entry in the US

A few more conditions from Japan Post:

• Items needing advance payment can only be posted at designated post offices, not every branch.
• The duty is registered through a recommended provider’s app. Zonos is currently the only one, and it charges its own usage fee. The label must be made in that app, or the declaration does not reach US customs.
• If the contents are worth over ¥200,000 (about US$1,250), a separate Japanese export declaration is needed as well.

What a US buyer pays

Duty. CBP says duty is based on the item’s US tariff classification and the rate in force on the day of entry. For goods made in Japan, a US Section 301 duty in force since 24 July 2026 lifts the total to at least 12.5% wherever the normal rate is lower. Two examples from the US tariff schedule:

Item	Normal US duty	Total for a Japan-made item	On a US$200 item
Fountain pens (9608.30.00)	0.4¢ each + 2.7%	12.5%	about US$25
Bound notebooks and diaries (4820.10.20)	Free	12.5%	US$25

Items made outside Japan follow their own country’s rate, so check the origin as well as the type of product.

Fees. CBP says mail is exempt from its merchandise processing fee, except items sent by inbound EMS, and that other fees may apply. Add the prepayment provider’s fee, which Zonos sets.

Gifts. The US$100 gift exemption still exists, but only for genuine gifts between individuals. Something bought for you, by you or by me, is not a gift, and I will not declare it as one.

These rules have changed several times in 2026. Before you order anything expensive, check Japan Post’s US notice and CBP’s e-commerce FAQ (both listed in the sources), or ask me and I will check them on the day.

What this means when I buy for you

• Can it be sent at all? I check the item against the US conditions before I quote, as I do for every country (what I can and cannot buy).
• Which service. You can still choose fastest (EMS) or cheapest (tracked airmail or parcel). Any parcel of bought goods goes from a designated post office with a DDP label, whatever its value.
• The duty is paid before posting. For US parcels the duty is settled before shipping, not when the parcel reaches you. I collect the estimated duty and the prepayment provider’s fee from you in advance, as separate lines in my quote, and pay them when I register the parcel. They are not part of my fees.
• Real value, real description. I declare what the item is and what you paid for it. Under-declaring is illegal.
• Over US$2,500. Formal entry in the US needs a customs broker. Tell me early and I will tell you what it involves before you commit.
• Combine orders. I hold purchases free for 30 days, so several items can travel in one parcel with one DDP registration.

My rates are unchanged: the item at the shop’s price, my purchase fee (25% of the first ¥30,000, 20% from ¥30,000 to ¥100,000, 15% above that), a fixed shipping and handling amount quoted before you pay, and 4% payment processing.

If there is something in Japan you want sent to the US, send me the link from the home page and I will reply with a full total within one business day. Questions about a specific item: contact me.

Related: Christmas 2026 Shipping from Japan: When to Order So a Gift Arrives in Time, Is Now a Good Time to Buy from Japan? The Yen in October 2026, Explained Plainly.