Hongkong Post announced on April 16, 2025, that it would suspend postal items containing goods destined for the United States—not every kind of mail. Surface goods mail stopped immediately; air goods mail was scheduled to stop on April 27. Document-only mail was expressly exempt. The Hong Kong government called the U.S. tariff measures “unreasonable” and “bullying.”
What Hongkong Post suspended—and what it did not
The April 16, 2025 announcement applied to postal items containing goods bound for the United States. The government specified two start dates:
| Mail type | Announced timing |
|---|---|
| Surface postal items containing goods | Suspended with immediate effect on April 16, 2025 |
| Air postal items containing goods | Acceptance to be suspended from April 27, 2025 |
| Document-only postal items | Not affected by the announcement |
The notice therefore did not say that all mail or every parcel service to the U.S. stopped. Its distinction was between goods-containing postal items and document-only mail. The government also said senders would be contacted from April 22 about returning surface goods items already posted but not yet shipped, with postage refunds. The Hong Kong government announcement did not report how many items or senders were affected.
Why the Hong Kong government gave
The government linked the decision to U.S. changes affecting duty-free de minimis treatment for postal items dispatched from Hong Kong and increased duties on postal goods, with changes due to take effect May 2, 2025. Hongkong Post said it would not collect U.S. tariffs on behalf of U.S. authorities. The government’s statement described the U.S. as “unreasonable, bullying and imposing tariffs abusively.” That language is the Hong Kong government’s characterization, not a neutral description of the tariff rules.
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What the 2025 tariff figures meant
Rates changed during 2025, so figures from the original announcement period should not be treated as current duty rates. A Hong Kong Trade and Industry Department circular described the initial rules for relevant postal items valued at or below US$800 that otherwise qualified for the then-existing de minimis exemption. Under that initial regime, the duty from May 2 was either 120% of an item’s value or US$100 per postal item, depending on the carrier’s elected method; from June 1, the specific duty was US$200 per item. A later circular described a reduction effective May 14 to 54% of value or US$100 per item for relevant qualifying postal goods.
| Historical date or period | Duty described by Hong Kong Trade and Industry Department |
|---|---|
| From May 2, 2025 | For relevant qualifying postal items valued at or below US$800: 120% of value or US$100 per item, depending on the carrier’s elected method |
| From May 14, 2025 | For relevant qualifying postal goods: 54% of value or US$100 per item |
| From June 1, 2025 | Under the initial regime, the specific duty was US$200 per item |
These were dated 2025 rules, not a statement of what a shipment would owe today. The Trade and Industry Department’s U.S. tariff and de minimis policy overview, updated June 25, 2026, records later changes. It says the United States suspended duty-free de minimis treatment for low-value shipments globally effective August 29, 2025, and notes further 2026 changes, including continuation of the global suspension and an indefinite suspension of the de minimis administrative exemption effective June 24, 2026. For the details behind the initial rates, see the Department’s April 28, 2025 circular, updated May 2, and its August 1, 2025 circular, last updated September 29.
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Does Hongkong Post currently accept goods mail to the U.S.?
The cited government announcement documents the April 2025 suspension decision, while the later tariff sources document changes to U.S. import rules. They do not conclusively establish whether Hongkong Post currently accepts U.S.-bound goods mail. Tariff changes alone do not show that postal service resumed or that a suspension remains in force. Check a current Hongkong Post service notice before sending goods.
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