Customs regulations for shipments to the US and Puerto Rico

Are you sending shipements to the USA or Puerto Rico? Read more about which customs rules apply.

New from January 20, 2027:

Rules for customs handling of goods shipments to the USA and Puerto Rico are changing. This means stricter requirements for product and customs information than before.

For certain products, U.S. authorities may require additional information or documentation through so-called Partner Government Agencies (PGA). This may be relevant, among other things, for food and certain agricultural products, cosmetics, medical products, toys, other consumer products, plants and wood products, chemicals, textiles, as well as products that contain materials from animals or wild animals. Which requirements apply depends on the specific product. A product is therefore not necessarily subject to additional government requirements just because it belongs to one of these categories.

The most important thing is that you already now review your product and customs information so that your shipments to the USA can continue without unnecessary interruptions. For relevant business customers, a Zonos Verified Account is used, where you as a customer create a product catalog. The products are then screened by Zonos against U.S. import and PGA requirements. Read the guide here.

Previous regulations still apply:

According to rules implemented in October 2025, customs duties must be paid before arrival.

When you send a goods shipment to the USA or Puerto Rico, we make it easy for you. With our PDDP solution, Postal Delivered Duties Paid, customs and fees are handled in advance. This means that the customer receives their shipment without unexpected extra costs upon delivery, in accordance with U.S. customs authorities’ requirements.

There are some exceptions that remain duty-free:

Gifts between private individuals worth under 100 USD
Letters containing only documents
Various types of informational material, e.g. publications, films, posters, photographs, etc.

Customs and charges are calculated based on, among other things, the value of the goods and the applicable customs rate and apply to all goods. You submit your shipments to PostNord as usual, either via your fixed collection solution, a service point or business drop-off. To ensure correct handling of customs, charges and invoicing, a new US customer number is created.

The U.S. customs authorities require detailed information from the sender, always in English. The information must be sent electronically to PostNord when you complete the customs declaration CN22 or CN23 in the Customer Portal or via your TA provider. The customs declaration must contain:

Full names and addresses for both sender and recipient
Detailed description of contents in English
Ten-digit tariff number or HS code
Value in USD per item line
Country of origin of the goods
Recipient’s email address and mobile number

Direct‑paying customers: The services are available in Buy postage. There, you can easily enter customs information, view automatically calculated customs duties, and pay all applicable charges directly at checkout.

Business customers (credit customers): You will continue to manage your shipments through your standard business system. Customs duties and fees will be invoiced retroactively, based on the final customs amount paid to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Customers are responsible for estimating the applicable duty in advance. Information about the terms and conditions can be found here.