CBP's Entry Type 13 Test Goes Live in ACE Production on September 22, 2026 — Mail Parcels Up to $2,500 Can Be Filed Electronically Instead of on the Monthly Duty Worksheet, and Test Participants Get PGA and Chapter 98/99 Formal-Entry Requirements Waived
Alongside the two interim final rules that suspended de minimis on June 24, 2026, CBP published a third Federal Register notice the same day announcing a voluntary test of a new informal entry type 13 — Informal Mail Entry — for merchandise arriving through the international postal network valued at $2,500 or less. Entry Type 13 is the electronic alternative to the manual International Mail Duty Worksheet that sellers have been filing by the 7th of each month since July 24. The test commences September 22, 2026 and runs until CBP concludes it by a further Federal Register announcement. Two things make it worth reading rather than filing away: participants file per shipment in ACE with twelve mandatory data elements instead of a monthly spreadsheet, and CBP waives the formal-entry requirements at 19 CFR 145.12(a)(2)(v) and (vi) for test participants — meaning PGA-regulated goods and Chapter 98/99 merchandise, which are excluded from the manual postal process, can move under Entry Type 13.
Real-World Impact
The scope ceiling is the same $2,500 per shipment as the manual postal informal entry process. What changes is the filing unit: a seller receiving mail parcels today reports them together on one International Mail Duty Worksheet due by the 7th of the following month, whereas Entry Type 13 is a per-shipment ACE filing carrying twelve mandatory data elements each. The trade is more filings against faster, electronic processing and a waiver of the PGA and Chapter 98/99 formal-entry requirements.
Key Points
- Federal Register notice 2026-12668, "Test of the New Electronic Informal Entry Process for Mail," published June 24, 2026 at 91 FR 38007–38009 by CBP — the third notice issued that day, alongside the two interim final rules that suspended de minimis
- The test commences September 22, 2026 and continues until concluded by an announcement published in the Federal Register; CBP accepts comments throughout the duration of the test
- Entry Type 13 covers international mail shipments valued at $2,500 or less, including shipments that would previously have been eligible for the de minimis exemption
- Eligible participants are owners and purchasers of merchandise being mailed to the United States, and licensed customs brokers properly appointed by the owner, purchaser, or consignee; carriers transporting international mail may voluntarily participate to report tracking numbers
- There is no separate application to join — participants file an informal entry type 13 electronically in ACE, with the importer of record submitting the filing
- Twelve mandatory data elements per shipment: filer code, IOR number, merchandise description, country of origin, 10-digit HTSUS classification (Chapters 1–97 plus any Chapter 98–99 line), quantity or weight where conditional, duty rate, value, total duty owed, carrier name, foreign postal tracking number, and port of arrival
- A basic importation and entry bond is required — either a single transaction bond or a continuous bond under 19 CFR 113.62 — the same bond obligation that already applies to the manual postal informal entry process
- For test participants, CBP waives the formal entry requirements at 19 CFR 145.12(a)(2)(v) for Partner Government Agency goods and 145.12(a)(2)(vi) for Chapter 98 and 99 merchandise, along with other provisions inconsistent with the test's terms
- Shipments subject to antidumping or countervailing duties, or to quotas, remain ineligible for Entry Type 13 and still require formal entry
- Deployment schedule per CBP's CSMS message on the Entry Type 13 test (INT-057 / CBP-290): the ACE certification environment on July 24, 2026 and the ACE production environment on September 22, 2026
- Participation is voluntary — the manual International Mail Duty Worksheet process that went live July 24, 2026 remains the default path for sellers who do not join the test
What You Should Do Now
- 1Read the Federal Register notice at 91 FR 38007 before September 22, 2026 and decide whether the per-shipment ACE filing is better for your volume than the monthly worksheet — the answer depends on how many mail parcels you actually receive
- 2If any of your mail-borne SKUs are FDA-, CPSC-, or USDA-regulated or classified in HTSUS Chapters 98 or 99, look closely at the waiver: those categories are excluded from the manual postal process and Entry Type 13 is the path CBP has opened for them
- 3Confirm your basic importation and entry bond is on file — single transaction or continuous under 19 CFR 113.62 — since the bond requirement carries over from the manual process and is not waived
- 4Ask your licensed customs broker whether they have built to the Entry Type 13 CATAIR specification and tested in the ACE certification environment, which opened July 24, 2026; if they have not, you cannot file under the test on day one
- 5Keep AD/CVD and quota merchandise on a formal entry path — those shipments are ineligible for Entry Type 13 and no waiver covers them
- 6Because CBP accepts comments throughout the test, file feedback if the twelve-element data set or the per-shipment model does not work for your import pattern — this test is what CBP will decide the permanent rule from