DHL Halts US Deliveries Amid Trump Tariff Changes, Customs Clampdown
DHL Express has announced it will suspend deliveries of goods valued over $800 to the United States, citing a “significant increase” in customs bureaucracy sparked by former President Donald Trump’s newly implemented tariff regime.
The suspension, which begins Monday, affects shipments from businesses in all countries to American consumers and will remain in place “until further notice.”
Business-to-business shipments will continue, although DHL warned these too “may also face delays.” The changes follow a sharp tightening of customs checks that accompanied the latest round of tariffs. Previously, packages worth up to $2,500 could be processed with minimal documentation, but the new rules have lowered that threshold, prompting a surge in formal customs clearances.
DHL said it is working to “scale up and manage this increase,” but acknowledged that shipments exceeding $800 “may experience multi-day delays” regardless of their country of origin. Deliveries under $800 will still be processed with limited checks.
However, this reprieve may be short-lived. On 2 May, the White House plans to eliminate a key provision known as the “de minimis” rule, which currently allows low-value imports—especially from China and Hong Kong—to enter duty-free.
The change will significantly affect major online retailers such as Shein and Temu, both of which have warned customers of price hikes due to shifting global trade regulations.
The Trump administration justified the move as a measure to combat deceptive shipping practices and the synthetic opioid crisis. China has pushed back, calling fentanyl a “US problem” and condemning the tariffs as “unreasonable” and “bullying.”
