SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

On June 24, 2026, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) published a notice in the Federal Register (91 FR 38007), announcing a test for a new electronic informal entry process for international mail in the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE), the entry type 13 (Informal Mail Entry). The test commenced on September 22, 2026. The new informal entry type 13 is available for international mail shipments valued at $2,500 or less, including those shipments that would previously have been eligible for the de minimis duty exemption, that are sent to the United States through the international postal network (“international mail”). The Entry Type 13 Test provides an alternative to the interim process for informal mail entries, as set forth in section 145.12(b) of title 19 of the Code of Federal Regulations (19 CFR 145.12(b)), and allows filers to file informal entry for qualified international mail shipments electronically in ACE. This test temporarily creates an informal entry pathway for low-value international mail shipments subject to PGA data requirements or duties other than those set forth in Chapters 1-97 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS),^[1] which are ineligible for the interim process for informal mail entries, pursuant to 19 CFR 145.12(a)(2)(v)-(vi).

To participate in the test, the importer of record (IOR), who is the owner, purchaser of the merchandise being mailed to the United States, or the licensed broker properly appointed by the owner, purchaser, or consignee, who is acting as an IOR, must file the entry type 13 data required by CBP electronically in ACE. In addition to the above Entry Type 13 Test data elements, merchandise subject to duties under Chapter 98 or Chapter 99 of the HTSUS, or for which duty-free treatment is claimed under Chapter 98 of the HTSUS or pursuant to a Free Trade Agreement, must transmit the additional data mandated by those requirements, as applicable. Participants with shipments subject to PGA data requirements may also transmit PGA data electronically in ACE with their entry type 13 filing. However, CBP is modifying this test to also temporarily accept transmission of an entry type 13 that is not accompanied by complete electronic PGA data, to allow filers to begin using the entry type 13 while they work to ensure that they can electronically submit all of the data required for complete PGA submissions. CBP will announce the conclusion of this temporary acceptance in a future notice published in the Federal Register . For more information on the test procedures and requirements, please refer to the notice announcing the test (91 FR 38007) and the CBP and Trade Automated Interface Requirements (CATAIR) guidelines for ACE, which may be found at www.cbp.gov/​trade/​ace/​catair.

91 FR 66707