CBP Increases De Minimis Threshold, Official Notice to Come
CBP will handle shipments valued under $800 as below the de minimis threshold, starting March 10, CBP said in a CSMS message (here). As of that date, "shipments valued at $800 or less will be eligible for release under the same processes and with the same restrictions as currently apply for de minimis shipments of $200 or less," said CBP. The change follows the new customs reauthorization law that set the higher de minimis level (see 1602260049).
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CBP will formally make the change through interim final rule notice "as soon as possible," but the agency will operate under the new de minimis amount in the meantime, CBP said. CBP already implemented the change within the Automated Commercial Environment. "This program change will be implemented based on section 321 validations," said CBP. "All existing processes for these shipments will remain unchanged other than the value."
Imported goods that are under the de minimis threshold face less processing and expedited treatment by CBP. The de minimis change, the first provision of the law that required implementation, is likely one of the easier undertakings at CBP (see 1603010062). The increase to the de minimis level of major importance to the express delivery industry, including DHL, which celebrated the provision in a news release (here). The change will reduce "paperwork burdens for low-value shipments," DHL said. The company said it "advocated for the legislation with Congress, both directly through its Washington, D.C., office and indirectly by leading a coalition of partner associations that helped to structure the legislative language"