CBP Processing and De Minimis Suspension Update

Over the last several months, there has been an increase in reports from seed companies experiencing delays with U.S. Customs and Border Patrol processing of incoming seed shipments. ASTA remains in contact with USDA on the impact this could have on the seed industry and the broader agricultural community.

Effective August 29, 2025, the de minimis exemption for imports valued at or below $800 was suspended under Executive Order 14324. As a result, all express carrier and international mail shipments—regardless of value—are now subject to customs duty payment and must have a formal or informal customs entry filed. Entry Type 86 (de minimis) is no longer permitted for any shipment.

What You Need to Know

• The previous de minimis entry option (Entry Type 86) is no longer permitted.
• All goods must now be filed as either an informal entry (Type 11, under $2,500) or a formal entry (Type 01, $2,500 or more).
• Express carrier shipments (e.g., DHL, UPS, FedEx) must be filed electronically through the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE).
• These changes are CBP requirements, not APHIS requirements. However, APHIS is notifying stakeholders because importers may see increases in processing times.

Because of these nationwide changes, you may see increased delays in the movement of seed shipments. To help reduce impacts on your operations, we strongly encourage you to ship earlier than usual and build in additional lead time for customs clearance.

For additional details, CBP has published a factsheet on the de minimis suspension, which is available here.