Importers of low-cost goods would face tighter deadlines for submitting customs information and need to gather more data elements if a proposal from U.S. Customs and Border Protection takes effect.
The changes focus on two import entry types, according to the Federal Register filing published Oct. 8. One is entry type 11 — a more streamlined, informal entry process versus standard import methods for shipments valued at $2,500 or less. The other is entry type 13, a new processing approach for international mail shipments valued at $2,500 or less. Roughly 52.4 million entry type 11 imports and 24.4 million postal entries arrived in the U.S. from Sept. 1, 2025, to May 31, 2026, according to CBP.
For entry type 11 imports, the proposal calls for earlier filing deadlines. Filings must be submitted upon or prior to the shipment's arrival, as opposed to within 15 days of arrival currently. A CBP sampling of entries between September and November 2025 found over half of entry type 11 imports wouldn't have met this earlier deadline if it was active then. The proposal also calls for adding the final deliver-to party as a required data element, if different from the consignee.
Meanwhile, entry type 13 calls for several data elements for importers to fill out. While the data requirements are "almost the same" as those for entry type 11 imports, entry type 13 would also need to include the shipper or sender and the package tracking number, per the proposal.
"The carrier would be also required to submit the package tracking number on the inward manifest to allow CBP to verify the date of importation for postal shipments," the proposal said.
Entry type 13 imports would have 15 days to enter a filing before being deemed "voluntarily abandoned," per CBP. Currently, the U.S. Postal Service holds items for pickup for 30 days, after which they are abandoned or returned. The number of items not picked up in this timeframe is small, but the change runs the risk of some importers not receiving their shipments due to the tighter deadline and a more demanding entry process, per CBP.
The proposal would build upon CBP's rule changes earlier this year to collect more information on postal imports and crack down on noncompliant shipments. As part of those changes, CBP launched an entry type 13 test it said would help move mail imports "into parity with all other goods being imported into the United States."
The benefits of the entry type 13 rollout and other changes in the latest proposal include preventing unlawful imports and improving trade compliance, according to the agency.
"CBP would be able to target violative shipments more accurately and efficiently because CBP would receive more data and because entry data would arrive sooner and be more reliable," the agency said.
But the changes could complicate life for importers, as they "would result in stricter duty collection for postal entries and higher shipping costs" for imports under both entry types, likely spurring a decline in imports, according to CBP.
The rule's effect on shipping times would be "ambiguous," per CBP. Shippers could delay the import if they don't believe they had enough time to gather and submit required information, but the earlier deadline could also cause the goods "to be released sooner and therefore be delivered sooner," the agency said.
The Postal Service is also expected to see some impact if the changes take effect. The carrier estimates the updates to its systems to handle entry type 13 would cost up to $20 million and require up to eight months to establish, per CBP. The change could also spur storage capacity issues at USPS facilities due to a longer average holding period for postal shipments, according to the proposal.
"USPS Office of Exchanges were designed for flow-through processing, without warehousing capacity, and USPS anticipates that it would need an initial warehouse capacity equivalent to 80% or more of the import volume under the rule," according to CBP.
Public comment submissions regarding the proposal must be received on or before Dec. 7.
