The Barbados Postal Service (BPS) has once again suspended mail services to the United States and its dependencies, this time extending disruptions to Canada, as international postal operations continue to face challenges from shifting Customs and labour conditions abroad.
Postmaster General, Joanne Busby, confirmed on Friday effective Wednesday, September 24, all Universal Postal Union (UPU) mail services – including letters, parcels, and Express Mail Service (EMS) – to the United States, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands have been temporarily halted.
A release from the Government Information Service on September 29, advised of the temporary suspension of UPU mail destined for Canada, until further notice, due to a national strike by the Canadian Union of Postal Workers on September 25.
Busby explained that the renewed suspension stems from tightened US Customs regulations, which require full Customs processing and duty collection on all incoming shipments, regardless of value.
“Almost every country in the world has suspended the movement of goods to the US,” Busby said. “This situation extends far beyond Barbados – it’s an international disruption affecting every postal network.”
The sweeping US measure, which came into effect on August 29, eliminated the long-standing duty-free threshold of US$800, meaning every item entering the country, no matter how small, must now be declared and cleared through Customs.
“People don’t realise how significant this change is,” Busby added. The suspension represents a dramatic shift from previous arrangements. Under the earlier dutyfree de-minimis exemption, goods valued up to US$800 could enter the country without full Customs processing. Now, a locally crafted piece of jewellery valued at just US$12.50 requires Customs duty payment before delivery – a change that has particularly impacted small businesses and informal traders who rely on postal services to send goods to relatives and customers in the US.
Busby said the BPS was navigating a “complicated and evolving” operational environment, where airlines were refusing to carry mail unless pre-clearance
and duty-collection arrangements are in place.
“The folks around the world now have to do business with specific entities approved by US Customs for collection of pre-Customs fees,” Busby said, adding that this requirement has fundamentally altered how international mail operations function.
On the first suspension in August, Minister of Home Affairs and Information Wilfred Abrahams described the disruptions as part of a “global postal crisis” triggered by regulatory shifts beyond Barbados’ control.
“This is not a Barbadian or even a regional problem. This situation has international repercussions and affects every country that exports mail to the United States,” Abrahams said.
He said Executive Order 14 324 – issued by the US government in July – has created “significant operational and financial challenges” for postal systems worldwide.
“This measure requires full Customs processing and duty collection on all incoming shipments. Previously, a dutyfree exemption applied, but that is no longer the case.”
Abrahams said the Government, in coordination with the UPU and other international partners, is exploring longterm compliance and operational solutions.
“We are exploring all options to maintain the integrity of our mail delivery systems while ensuring as little inconvenience as possible to the public,” Abrahams said.
He confirmed that while all items containing goods remained suspended, letters and documents were still being dispatched as normal. The DHL–BPS international express service remains an operational option for both documents and merchandise shipments to the US and Canada. (DDS)
The post BPS suspends mail to US, Canada appeared first on nationnews.com.
