U.S. Customs and Border Protection is delaying new international mail entry requirements until Jan. 20, 2027. The requirements, previously set to take effect Oct. 22, had raised concerns that millions of Americans who buy prescription drugs from Canadian and other foreign mail-order pharmacies would lose access.
Under the original timeline, medications mailed from abroad would have needed formal customs entry through a licensed broker with a financial guarantee, a requirement individual prescription shipments have rarely had to meet. More than 2 million Americans bought prescription drugs from outside the U.S. to save money, according to a 2020 JAMA Network Open study, and advocacy groups warned the change could force patients to ration drugs such as the blood thinner Eliquis, which costs about half as much through Canadian pharmacies as in the U.S.
CBP said the 90-day extension gives importers, brokers and logistics providers more time to update their processes and is meant to avoid disruptions to certain international postal shipments, according to an Oct. 14 news release. International mail entry procedures will not change in the meantime, the agency said.
After the delay ends, postal shipments subject to Section 201, 232 or 301 duties or under the jurisdiction of another federal agency must be filed electronically through a new process called Entry Type 13 for informal entry or else go through formal entry. The requirements come from a June 24 interim final rule. CBP encouraged filers to start using the optional Entry Type 13 process during the transition.
CBP has also proposed applying the requirements to all international mail packages except letters and flats in an Oct. 8 notice of proposed rulemaking.
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