Belize Temporarily Suspends Goods Shipments to U.S. After Duty-Free Exemption Ends

The United States Government’s recent Executive Order (EO14324), set to take effect on August 29, 2025, is expected to disrupt shipping practices in Belize, particularly affecting vendors in San Pedro. The order, “Suspending Duty-Free De Minimis Treatment for All Countries,” eliminates the $800 duty-free threshold previously applied to low-value shipments entering the U.S. In response, the Belize Postal Service (BPS) announced that as of August 27, it has temporarily suspended all shipments containing goods to the U.S. until further notice. The suspension was issued due to regulatory uncertainty and the need for new compliance procedures.
According to a BPS press release, “Goods are now taxed from the first dollar, whereas previously they were duty-free up to USD 800.00. These customs duties are now the responsibility of the sender, not the recipient, and must be paid to U.S. Customs and Border Protection before the item enters the United States.” The only exceptions are gifts valued under $100 and shipments containing documents only. District post offices accepted final goods shipments until midday on August 27, while the Belize City office closed at 3:30 p.m..
A San Pedro post office employee explained, “We cannot do any more transactions of merchandise going to the U.S. For the moment, there’s a temporary suspension… You can ship only documents. This is temporary because they’re figuring out what the new cost will be, and then there will be a formula… how this is going to be charged and levied to the customer.”
Local vendors and small business owners in San Pedro are now facing uncertainty and new financial pressures. One business owner said, “That’s totally going to kill any small business that does shipping. Specifically, any online sales would be done. The increase was bad enough… now you’re putting a tax that I’m responsible for on top of it, regardless of if I send you a box with one bar of soap or a box with a hundred bars.” Another added, “It’s over. It’s a very negative effect… We’ve got some decisions to make, which will be made very quickly, to cancel shipping.”
With no clear formula for duty calculation and an estimated timeline of “maybe between one and two weeks,” businesses remain in limbo. The Belize Postal Service stated it will try to resume shipments as soon as possible, once compliance procedures with U.S. regulations are clarified.
San Pedro and the rest of Belize must wait and adapt to the new challenges of exporting goods to the U.S.