Overview:
For months, Palau residents have been unable to mail packages to the United States, leaving holiday gifts and small business shipments stranded. A U.S. executive order ending duty-free treatment has grounded postal services, with no firm restart date yet in sight.
By: Laurel Marewibuel
KOROR, Palau (December 18, 2025) — For three months, families and small businesses across the Pacific island nation of Palau have been unable to ship packages through the mail, sidelined by a U.S. executive order that ended duty-free treatment for low-value imports.
The disruption stems from Executive Order 14324, signed this year by President Donald J. Trump, suspending de minimis exemptions for goods headed to America. Surech Bells, operations manager of the Republic of Palau Postal Service, explained: “This year, President Donald J. Trump signed US Executive Order #14324 Suspending Duty-Free de minimis treatment for all goods bound for the U.S. The Republic of Palau Postal Service (RPPS) is working with qualified third-party agents of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to establish an agreement to collect applicable duties required for compliance with U.S. import regulations.”
Residents have shown patience despite the frustration of sending letters only. “We have received periodic questions and the general public is understanding of the complicated process as we progress to resolve all the issues involved,” Bells said.
But with the holidays here, patience is getting frayed. “We have been patient, but three months?,” exclaimed a customer over the length of time that this is taking. “ It’s Christmas season now and I was looking forward to sending some gifts from home to my daughter and grandkids in the States. It does not make sense that it would take three months,” she added.
A firm timeline remains uncertain amid bureaucratic hurdles, though officials hope to resume early next year.
“Given the complexity of the process, we’re hoping to resume early next year,” said Bells. Top leaders are driving the fix. “The Postmaster General and the Office of the President are collaborating with USPS officials to address the issue. Initial steps include assessing challenges and coordinating efforts to implement solutions,” Bells added.
Once services restart, the team will tackle any backlog and share updates through familiar channels. “We post our notices on our Facebook page and on our bulletin in our lobby at the post office,” she said.
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