Since July 24, residents of Guam have had to pay more to mail goods through the United States Postal Service to the continental United States as a result of the elimination of the de minimis exemption, However, island residents, businesses and organizations still have an opportunity to comment on the changes to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, or CBP regulations according to Guam Delegate James Moylan.

He said the Federal Register can be viewed at: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/07/30/2026-15420/duty-collection-for-domestic-mail-arriving-from-certain-insular-possessions-and-territories.

According to Moylan the public comment period ends on Aug.31.

New Regulation

Under the new CBP regulation USPS customers mailing items from Guam and other territories except Puerto Rico to the continental U.S., must obtain a Declaration ID and prepay duties. According to the Federal Register duty payments apply regardless of mail class or package weight.

"This new process applies to all items containing goods, even those items for which bona fide gift exemptions or other duty-free exemptions have been declared," the USPS notice states.

The Federal Register states the duty payments do not apply to Puerto Rico, but they do apply to all other territories because they are outside the continental U.S. The same tariff is applied to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, CNMI which is treated like Guam.

Moylan said he is concerned that new duty payments could place additional burden on Guam's residents and businesses. He said Guam residents and businesses already pay higher shipping costs and deal with logistical challenges as a result of the island's geographical location.

"Requiring additional customs processing and duty payments for qualifying Guam-origin shipments can create another layer of cost and complexity, particularly for residents sending goods to family members and small businesses attempting to reach customers in the mainland United States," Moylan said.

The impact of the new regulation is being felt with local businesses notifying customers of adjustments to shipping rates as a result.

"Due to a recent policy change by USPS and Customs and Border Protection, shipping rates from Guam to the 50 US states have increased significantly. Our shipping rates have been adjusted to reflect the changes in policy. Effective immediately," Crowns Guam said on their website.

H.R. 5960

Moylan, an original co-sponsor of H.R. 5960, the Territorial De Minimis Exemption Act, said he is "actively" engaging federal partners on the issue, pointing toward H.R. 5960, introduced by Delegate Kimberlyn King-Hinds.

"The bill would permanently restore the $800 de minimis treatment for articles originating in Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, and the U.S. Virgin Islands and entering the U.S. customs territory," Moylan said.

The legislation also calls for the federal government to consider the impacts on U.S. territory residents.

"Importantly, the legislation also directs the federal government, when implementing broadly applicable trade policy changes, to consider the effects on U.S. territories and avoid policies that effectively treat goods originating in the territories as though they were imports from foreign countries," Moylan said.