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Postal Service drops customs fee on incoming letter mail

The change takes effect July 12 and removes the Customs Clearance and Delivery Fee for inbound Letter Post letters and flats. Other international services, including registered mail and return receipts, will cost more.

Postal Service drops customs fee on incoming letter mail
Photo by Liza Summer on Pexels

International letter mail is getting a small price reset from the federal Postal Service. The changes take effect July 12, 2026, and one of the charges coming off the bill is the Customs Clearance and Delivery Fee for inbound Letter Post letters and flats.

The agency will also revise Notice 123, its price list, so the updated mailing services prices show up in one place. For people and businesses that handle incoming paper mail from abroad, that means a narrower bill and a cleaner set of posted rates to check.

The line item coming off the bill

The removed fee applies to inbound Letter Post letters and flats, the paper mail category that arrives from outside the country. For mailers, that cuts a customs-related charge that could sit on top of the basic postage and make smaller international items harder to price out in advance.

The Postal Regulatory Commission, or PRC, concluded the price adjustments may go into effect on July 12, 2026. After that, the Postal Service will revise Notice 123, Price List, to reflect the new mailing services prices.

Other international services get pricier

The same update raises some other international extra services. Certificate of mailing fees for First-Class Mail International rise, international Registered Mail goes to $25.00, return receipt service rises to $7.20, and International Business Reply Service cards and envelopes also increase.

So while one customs fee disappears, customers who want proof of mailing, added tracking or business reply tools will pay more for those extras. The new price list will carry the changes once July 12 arrives.

Sources

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