Ukrposhta reaches agreement with USA on 10% customs levy for mail, delivery rates to rise by $1.5–3
Ukrposhta will continue commercial postal deliveries to the United States following Washington's decision to impose a 10% customs levy on parcels valued up to $800. Delivery rates to the U.S. will rise on average by $1.5 to $3, Ukrposhta CEO Igor Smelyansky announced.
"Rates for delivery to the U.S. will increase, but only enough to cover the costs of qualified agents who need to be involved in processing customs payments – on average $1.5 to $3, depending on the category and weight of the parcel," Smelyansky wrote on his Telegram channel.
He stressed that Washington required operators to collect customs payments in the country of origin, but Ukrposhta chose a different approach – without introducing new fees. "We are absorbing all additional costs ourselves, including agreements with airlines, since many of them now refuse to accept mail bound for the United States," the CEO explained.
The new framework takes effect August 26. In parallel, Ukrposhta is continuing work with the Universal Postal Union, the National Bank of Ukraine, the Ministry for Strategic Industries, and the Ministry of Economy to develop a sustainable operating model for Ukrainian exporters in light of the U.S. government's decision.
"We ask customers not to play the 'lottery' by declaring their commercial parcels as 'gifts,' because U.S. customs checks will now be much stricter," Smelyansky cautioned, reminding senders that only documents and gifts valued up to $100 are exempt from the 10% levy.
He added that Ukrposhta would strengthen controls at border facilities to prevent accusations of re-exporting goods from countries facing higher U.S. customs rates.
According to Smelyansky, Ukrainian shippers will actually gain an advantage compared with competitors from most other countries, since Ukraine's levy rate is the lowest at 10%. For EU countries the rate is 15%, while for Switzerland it is 39%. Moreover, most European countries have suspended mail deliveries to the U.S. until customs procedures for the 10% levy are resolved.
The Ministry for Strategic Industries reported that Ukrposhta handles about 350,000 export shipments per month for Ukrainian businesses. The largest volumes of orders for Ukrainian goods come from the United States, the UK, Germany, Canada, France, and Australia, with fully half of all exports going specifically to the United States.
