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USPS Delivered Duty Paid (DDP) Service

U.S. Senders: Prepay Import Duties, Taxes, & Fees

When you send packages to other countries, the receiving country may apply import duties (tariffs or taxes on goods that cross international borders), taxes, and/or fees that must be paid before the recipient can get their package. (There are a few specific exceptions.)

These extra costs can be a confusing and unexpected surprise for recipients.

For U.S. senders shipping certain items to eligible destination countries, the USPS DDP service allows senders to understand the total cost of delivery upfront and prepay those costs in advance.1

If you don't prepay those costs, the recipient will have to pay the required amounts before they can get their package.

New EU Requirement for Packages Up to €150: Starting July 1, 2026, when you send a package with merchandise valued up to €150 to a country that follows European Union (EU) customs rules, new import duties and requirements may apply. Learn More

Eligible Destination Countries

You can use USPS DDP service when you ship via Priority Mail Express International®, Priority Mail International®, and First-Class Package International Service® to the following destinations:

  • Austria
  • Belgium
  • Canada
  • Denmark
  • Estonia
  • Finland
  • France and Territories (Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Martinique, Andorra, Reunion, Mayotte)
  • Germany
  • Italy
  • Luxembourg
  • Malta
  • Monaco
  • Netherlands
  • Portugal
  • Slovakia
  • Spain
  • Sweden
  • United Kingdom

Note: More countries are expected to be added in the future. For details, see the International Mail Manual.

New EU Requirement: Prepaid Duties for Packages Up to €150

European Union (EU) customs rules have changed: New import duties will apply when your package:

  • Is going to a country that follows EU customs rules AND
  • Has a total value up to €150 for merchandise, or over €45 and up to €150 for gifts

When you ship internationally using USPS systems like retail service counters, Click-N-Ship® service, certain USPS APIs, and Global Shipping Software (GSS), the USPS Delivered Duty Paid (DDP) service is integrated, enabling you to prepay duties, taxes, and fees for eligible countries and comply with EU requirements. USPS systems will also handle destinations without DDP on a country-by-country basis.

What's Changing:

Starting July 1, 2026, countries that follow EU customs rules require import duties on packages that were previously exempt:

  • Business-to-Consumer packages with a total value up to €150
  • Consumer-to-Consumer gifts with a total value over €45 and up to €150

(The rules for packages over €150 remain the same.)

The receiving EU country will assess a flat, nonrefundable €3 duty based on the contents of your package.

These duties (plus any additional country-specific taxes and fees) must be paid before the recipient can get their package.

Specific details will vary by country; USPS recommends that shippers prepay import duties, taxes, and fees whenever possible to help streamline customs screening and prevent delays. In certain cases, depending on the destination country, shippers may be required to prepay duties, taxes, and fees in order to purchase postage.

What You Need to Do:

When you ship a Priority Mail Express International, Priority Mail International, or First-Class Package International Service package to a country that follows EU customs rules, use one of the following USPS methods that automatically calculates import duties, taxes, and fees:

When completing your customs form, you must provide detailed and accurate descriptions of each item in your package. The system will use those descriptions to assign the appropriate Harmonized System (HS) Code to each item and assess a flat, nonrefundable €3 duty for each unique HS Code used.

For supported countries, USPS Delivered Duty Paid (DDP) service will enable you to prepay all estimated duties, taxes, and fees. For shipments to EU countries not accepting DDP, duties, taxes, and fees will be handled on a country-by-country basis.

Benefits of USPS Delivered Duty Paid (DDP) for Senders & Recipients

USPS DDP can help to improve transparency and convenience for a smooth international shipping experience.

  • Transparency: Understand the total cost of shipping up front
  • Convenience: Minimize the need for recipients to visit customs offices or handle post-delivery payments
  • Smooth Delivery: Reduce likelihood of rejected or abandoned international shipments, and potentially improve delivery times and streamline customs clearance
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Benefits for Consumer-to-Consumer (Personal) Shipping

Give the Gift of Smooth Delivery

For many countries, even everyday personal gifts can be subject to import duties, taxes, and/or fees when valued above a certain amount. Save your recipient from having to pay these amounts upon delivery. By prepaying these amounts, your recipient can accept and enjoy their package right away.

Note: USPS DDP may not be available for certain low-value shipments.

Guarantee Landed Costs

The USPS DDP service includes a Landed Cost Guarantee, which ensures that if a foreign customs authority assesses import duties, taxes, and fees to be higher than the amount the customer already paid, then the USPS DDP service provider will cover the outstanding cost, subject to limitations. Please see the service provider's terms of service for details.

Benefits for Businesses & Their Customers

Deliver Efficiently

Streamline your cross-border transactions and eliminate the "surprise" aspect of import duties, taxes, and fees. This can help reduce the number of returned and rejected packages.

Improve Customer Service

Ecommerce merchants can reduce the administrative burden on customers and build trust that can help turn international shoppers into repeat customers.

Maintain a Competitive Edge

  • For small and medium-sized businesses, leveraging the USPS network and USPS DDP empowers you to meet the shifting market landscape.
  • For software providers that service ecommerce merchants, the ability to facilitate the prepayment of import duties, taxes, and fees through certain USPS APIs can help make your ecommerce platform a more attractive choice.

How USPS Delivered Duty Paid (DDP) Service Works

I’m a Retail Customer Using Click-N-Ship or Shipping from a Post Office

  1. When you ship online using the Click-N-Ship® service or use the counter at your local Post Office™ location to ship certain items to an eligible destination country, USPS will automatically calculate import duties, taxes, and fees.
  2. You will have the option to prepay those costs and accept the USPS DDP service provider's terms of service:
    1. If you opt in, the import duties, taxes, fees, and a third-party service fee will be added to the cost of postage (and any extra services you chose). Your package will be shipped to your recipient with no additional payment needed for import duties, taxes, and fees, subject to limitations.
    2. If you opt out, in certain cases, the import duties, taxes, and fees will become the responsibility of the recipient. They will have to pay using their country’s process before they can get the package. In other cases, if you opt out, you may not be able to purchase postage through the Postal Service.

Note: USPS DDP may not be available to ship certain low-value items, unless you are a business shipping to a customer.

I'm a Business Shipper Using Click-N-Ship or GSS

  1. When you use Click-N-Ship® service or Global Shipping Software (GSS) single-label generation to ship certain items to an eligible destination country, USPS will automatically calculate import duties, taxes, and fees.
  2. You will have the option to prepay those costs and accept the USPS service provider’s terms of service:
    1. If you opt in, the import duties, taxes, fees, and a third-party service fee will be added to the cost of postage (and any extra services you chose). Your package will be shipped to your recipient with no additional payment needed for import duties, taxes, and fees, subject to limitations.
    2. If you opt out, in certain cases, the import duties, taxes, and fees will become the responsibility of the recipient. They will have to pay using their country’s process before they can get the package. In other cases, if you opt out, you may not be able to purchase postage through the Postal Service.

Note: USPS DDP may not be available to ship certain low-value items, unless you are a business shipping to a customer.

I’m a Business Using USPS APIs in an Ecommerce System

USPS DDP is available for EMAS and GSS Application Programming Interfaces (APIs).

New data fields unique to the USPS DDP service are noted below; businesses will otherwise follow the standard mail process for API calls.

For platforms using EMAS (Enterprise Microservice & API Systems) APIs:

  • The business customer calls the international pricing API and sets DutiesTaxesFees to true to receive a quote for import duties, taxes, fees, and a third-party service fee.
  • To pay the quoted amount, the business customer will call a separate, international labels API and set PrepayDutiesTaxesFees to true.
    • Customers who do not want to use USPS DDP should keep this field as the default false.

For platforms using GSS (Global Shipping Software) APIs:

  • Mailers can sign up for the USPS DDP service by emailing the GSS Helpdesk or by setting payDDPIfApplicable to true and calling the LabelAndProcessPackage or LoadPackageData APIs.
  • After mailers call these APIs, GSS will calculate the import duties, taxes, fees, and a third-party service fee, and create a USPS DDP label for mailers.
  • Finally, the customer’s payment account will be charged for the calculated amounts, alongside postage and any extra services (e.g., insurance).

Note: To use USPS DDP, the USPS API customer must agree to the USPS DDP service provider's terms of service, and must certify that they will use USPS DDP solely to ship goods to customers. If the USPS API customer operates a marketplace, shipping platform, or otherwise enables third parties to use USPS DDP, the customer must flow these requirements down to such third parties.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Who does this new service impact?

The USPS DDP service is available to USPS customers who use USPS APIs (EMAS), Global Shipping Software (GSS), or Click-N-Ship®, or who visit a USPS retail location, to ship certain outbound international packages from the U.S to eligible destination countries. In certain cases, depending on the destination country, USPS DDP may be required to purchase postage. Limitations may apply; check the International Mail Manual for exclusions.

Will this service be added for additional destination countries?

The ability to prepay import duties, taxes, and fees is only available for outbound packages shipping to eligible destination countries. Additional destination countries are expected to be added in the future.

Am I required to prepay duties and taxes?

Depending on the destination country, the prepayment of duties, taxes, and fees may be required in order to purchase postage. Even when prepayment is not a requirement, it is recommended to help avoid customs delays, particularly for shipments to eligible countries impacted by the new EU customs duties.

Please Note: Destination-specific customs rules may affect what recipients owe upon delivery if duties, taxes, and fees are not prepaid—check the International Mail Manual.

What is included in the cost of import duties, taxes, and fees?

When we talk about "prepaid duties", we refer to advance payment of 3 separate components: duties, taxes, and fees.

  • Duties and taxes: Amounts charged by foreign customs authority based on the item’s value, tariff code, and associated importation laws and other information.
  • Fees: Collection of separate fees, including customs processing fees, foreign postal operator fees, and the USPS DDP service provider's fee.

How can I calculate the duties, taxes, and fees for my shipment?

  • USPS systems like retail service counters, Click-N-Ship, Global Shipping Software (GSS), and certain USPS APIs will calculate these automatically as part of the international shipping process for eligible shipments.

Does USPS offer a prepaid duties and taxes service for inbound international mail?

  • USPS does not currently offer the ability to prepay duties and taxes for inbound international mail and packages.

Is USPS DDP available to mailers who generate their own manifest?

  • No, USPS DDP is only available through USPS systems. Customers who create their own shipping manifests and/or pay for their mail via permit or PostalOne! will not be able to access this service.

What happens if import duties, taxes, and fees are charged again at delivery even though I prepaid them through USPS DDP?

  • If a recipient is mistakenly charged for import duties, taxes, and fees by their local postal operator despite the shipment being sent using USPS DDP, contact the USPS DDP service provider at support@zonos.com.

Is there a fee for USPS DDP?

  • The Postal Service does not charge a fee for USPS DDP, but the USPS DDP service provider charges a fee that is included in the total duty, tax, and fee amount quoted to the customer at the time of mailing. For more information, see the service provider’s terms of service found at: https://zonos.com/docs/legal/usps-terms-of-service.

Does USPS DDP come with a guarantee?

  • Yes, when a customer uses USPS DDP, the USPS DDP service provider guarantees the accuracy of the total import duty, tax, and fee amount that is quoted to the customer subject to the terms and limitations set forth in the USPS DDP service provider’s terms of service found at: https://zonos.com/docs/legal/usps-terms-of-service. In the event the actual import duties, taxes, and fees charged during customs clearance are more than the amount quoted, the USPS DDP service provider will cover the difference unless the amount is subject to a limitation and not covered by the guarantee, in which case the customer agrees to pay the USPS DDP service provider the balance due. If the actual import duties, taxes, and fees are less than the amount paid by the customer, the customer will not receive a refund as any excess shall be deemed fully earned and payable to the USPS’s DDP service provider. For more information on the guarantee, review the International Mail Manual (IMM).

Is USPS DDP available with all USPS products?

No. USPS DDP is available with select international services:

  • First-Class Package International Service (FCPIS)
  • Priority Mail International (PMI)
  • Priority Mail Express International (PMEI)

What if my shipment is undeliverable or refused at the time of delivery?

1. The Postal Service does not charge a fee for USPS DDP, but a third-party service provider charges a fee that is included in the total duty, tax, and fee amount quoted at the time of mailing. For more information, see https://zonos.com/docs/legal/usps-terms-of-service. Back ^