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Sending Mail from Japan to the US After October 2026: Acceptance at All Post Offices, and When You Need an Advance Declaration (DDP)
From 15 October 2026, Japan Post expanded acceptance of US-bound mail to, in principle, all post offices. Letters, postcards and documents need no advance declaration, personal gifts of USD 100 or less are optional until 19 January 2027, and other goods require an advance declaration and duty prepayment through an approved provider's app. This guide is based on Japan Post's notices of 14 and 23 October.
Written by Koetsu Co., Ltd.
If you have tried to send something to family or friends in the US, you may have been told that post offices could not accept US-bound mail. From 14 April 2026, Japan Post accepted some US-bound mail only at designated post offices, but from 15 October it began accepting it, in principle, at all post offices.
That does not mean everything works as it used to. At the request of US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), many items now need an advance declaration and prepayment of duties. Based on Japan Post's notices of 14 and 23 October 2026, this article sets out what is needed for each kind of item. The rules have been changing at short intervals, so always check the latest notice before you post anything.
What changed in October
According to the 14 October notice, CBP informed postal operators that an advance declaration would be required for all mail containing goods worth USD 2,500 or less, and Japan Post began accepting US-bound mail at all post offices from 15 October to match (excluding contract post offices that do not handle international mail).
A follow-up on 23 October then announced that CBP had made the advance declaration optional until 19 January 2027 for documents and for personal gifts worth USD 100 or less. The current conditions are as follows.
| What you send | Advance declaration | Duties | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| Letters, postcards, greeting cards, printed matter, EMS (documents) | Not required | Duty-free | Nothing to add |
| Personal gifts of USD 100 or less | Optional (recommended, until 19 January 2027) | Duty-free | "DDP-" plus the 13-digit number, only if declared |
| Goods of USD 100 or less that are not gifts | Required | Dutiable | "DDP-" plus the 13-digit number |
| Goods over USD 100 up to USD 2,500 (gifts included) | Required | Dutiable | "DDP-" plus the 13-digit number |
| Goods over USD 2,500 | Not required | Assessed at destination (paid by the recipient) | Nothing to add |
The duty-free and dutiable labels follow Japan Post's notice; the final decision rests with US customs. Japan Post also asks that items subject to customs inspection, such as books, calendars and game cards, be sent as small packets or EMS (goods) rather than as printed matter or EMS (documents).
The declaration is made in an app, not at the counter
The advance declaration is made through the app or service of a provider recommended by Japan Post. The notice names two: Zonos and SafePackage. Once you register, the duty amount is shown and you prepay it there. If "DDP-" and the 13-digit declaration number are not printed automatically in the top margin of the label, Japan Post asks you to write them by hand.
Keep in mind that the provider charges a fee even when no duty is due, and that cancellation after payment depends on each provider's rules. The prepayment is a transaction between the provider and the sender, and post office counters cannot help with operating the app, so questions need to go to the provider.
A checklist before you post
- Is it only letters or documents, or does it contain goods?
- If goods, is it a personal gift, or something else such as an item you sold?
- Is the total value USD 100 or less, or USD 2,500 or less?
- If a declaration is needed, have you registered and paid in an approved provider's app?
- Does the label carry "DDP-" and the 13-digit number?
- Have you described the contents specifically on the customs form?
- On the day you post, have you checked Japan Post's latest notice and the conditions table?
How to fill in the customs declaration (CN22/CN23) is covered in our article on choosing the contents category after the June 2026 change. Japan Post also says parts of the international mail conditions table for the US and US-related destinations such as Guam and Saipan are due to be revised on 1 November, so check the conditions table as well.
Watch out for "pay your customs duty" text messages
The advance declaration and duty prepayment are steps the sender takes by opening an approved provider's app. If a text message or email link asks you to pay customs duty, it may be a scam. We explain how to tell the difference in our article on fake customs duty text messages.
Koetsu takes enquiries about sourcing and shipping goods between Japan and other countries. Our personal Mercari listings and Loop KOBE (Mercari Shops) sell within Japan, however, and do not ship directly overseas. Conditions for the US may keep changing, so please read this article as a summary of Japan Post's notices as of 29 October 2026.
Sources and further reading
- Japan Post: (Update) Expansion of acceptance for mail to the United States, 23 October 2026 (Japanese)(Checked: )
- Japan Post: Expansion of acceptance for mail to the United States, 14 October 2026 (Japanese)(Checked: )
- Japan Post: (Update 3) Notice on resuming acceptance of mail to the United States, 17 July 2026 (Japanese)(Checked: )
- Japan Post: International mail conditions by country (Japanese)(Checked: )
