US Import Duty on Packages from Korea in 2026: What You Actually Pay

If you live in the US and order from Korea in late 2026, expect to pay import duty on almost everything, however small the order. The $800 duty-free allowance ended on August 29, 2025. As of October 4, 2026, most Korean-made goods are charged a combined rate of 12.5% of their value, under a tariff that took effect on July 24, 2026. Chinese-made goods bought in Korea pay much more. This guide gives the dates, the math, the carrier fees, and three worked examples.

This article is general information, not legal or tax advice. Tariff rules changed several times in the past year, and only US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) decides what a shipment owes. Check cbp.gov before a large purchase.

The short version

Question	Answer as of October 4, 2026
Is there still an $800 duty-free allowance?	No. Suspended for all countries from August 29, 2025
Rate on most Korean-made goods	12.5% combined, since July 24, 2026
What decides the rate	Where the product was made and what it is, not where you bought it
Chinese-made goods bought in Korea	Charged as Chinese goods. Rates stack
Books and recorded music	Reported as exempt from the new tariff as informational materials
Who collects	Express carriers bill you or the sender. Postal parcels now need a formal filing
Extra fees	Carriers charge for advancing duty, about $17 minimum
HaulKorea to the US	Duty is included in the price. Nothing to pay on delivery

What changed: a dated timeline

Rules moved four times in about a year. Each row gives the date and what it meant for a package from Korea.

Date	What happened	Effect on a Korea-to-US parcel
Before Aug 29, 2025	Parcels worth $800 or less entered duty-free under the de minimis rule	Most personal orders paid nothing
Jul 30, 2025	Executive order signed suspending de minimis treatment	Announced one month ahead
Aug 29, 2025	Suspension took effect for all countries	Every parcel became dutiable. One Korean retailer told US customers to expect 15% of the goods' value
Aug 29, 2025 to Feb 28, 2026	Transition period for postal parcels: a flat $80, $160 or $200 per package, or a percentage of value	Postal services could choose either method
Dec 4, 2025	Federal Register notice implemented the US–Korea trade deal, with a 15% baseline applied retroactively to November 14, 2025	Korea's rate fixed at 15%
Feb 20, 2026	Supreme Court ruled that the emergency-powers law (IEEPA) does not authorize tariffs	The 15% Korea rate lost its legal basis
Feb 24, 2026	A 10% global surcharge under Section 122 of the Trade Act replaced it. De minimis stayed suspended	Rate dropped to 10%, limited by law to 150 days
Jul 24, 2026	Section 122 expired. Section 301 "forced labor" tariffs on 60 economies began the same day. CBP's new postal entry process also started	Korean goods: 12.5% combined

Two points are easy to miss. The court ruling did not bring back the $800 allowance; an executive order kept the suspension in place. And a law-firm summary of CBP's postal rule says the de minimis exemption is scheduled for statutory repeal on July 1, 2027, so it is not expected to return.

The rate on Korean-made goods right now

On July 23, 2026, the US Trade Representative announced tariffs under Section 301 on economies it found lacking an enforced ban on forced-labor imports. The notice was published in the Federal Register on July 28, 2026, with effect from 12:01 a.m. Eastern on July 24.

For Korea, USTR describes the rate as "net of" the normal most-favored-nation (MFN) duty. Summaries from EY, Greenberg Traurig and Zonos agree on how that works:

• If a Korean product's normal duty is below 12.5%, the new tariff tops it up so the combined total is 12.5%.
• If its normal duty is 12.5% or higher, nothing is added. You pay the normal duty only.

So for most things people order from Korea, the practical rate is 12.5% of the declared value. Some clothing and footwear already carry normal duties above that and pay their usual rate.

Exemptions. The same summaries list informational materials among the exempt categories. Under US law that term has covered publications, posters, photographs, records, tapes and CDs. Products under separate Section 232 tariffs, such as steel, aluminum and autos, are handled under those rules instead.

Compared with earlier in the year: 15% from late 2025, 10% from February 24, then 12.5% from July 24. An increase of the Section 122 rate to 15% was announced in February; we could not confirm it took effect.

Country of origin vs country of shipment

This is the most expensive misunderstanding. CBP's guidance is plain: duty depends on the item's tariff classification and its country of origin, meaning where it was manufactured, not where you bought it.

A phone case made in China and sold by a Korean store is a Chinese product when it reaches US customs. That matters because China's treatment under the July 2026 measure is different. According to Greenberg Traurig and Zonos, the 12.5% for China is added on top of normal duty, and it also stacks with the older Section 301 tariffs on Chinese goods. Zonos gives this example: 3% normal duty + 25% existing China tariff + 12.5% new tariff = 40.5%.

Plenty of things sold in Korean stores are made elsewhere: character goods, phone accessories, small electronics, some stationery and many fashion items. The product page usually states 제조국 (jejoguk, country of manufacture) in the details table. Check it before you order.

How the duty is calculated

1. Declared value. Duty is a percentage of the value of the goods as declared on the customs paperwork, in US dollars. This is the price paid for the items.
2. Classification. Each item gets a Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) code, which sets its normal duty rate.
3. Origin. The country of manufacture determines which additional tariffs apply.
4. Add it up. Duty = declared value × the combined rate for that code and origin.

Under-declaring value to reduce duty is illegal, and CBP notes that the importer, meaning you, is ultimately responsible. HaulKorea declares the real purchase price.

Three worked examples

These examples show duty only, with no service fees. For round numbers we use ₩1,400 = $1. That is an illustrative rate, not today's rate. The normal-duty figures are assumptions for the example; real HTS rates vary by product.

Example 1: Korean-made skincare, ₩70,000 ($50) Assume normal duty is 0%. Combined rate for Korea: 12.5%. Duty = $50 × 12.5% = $6.25

Example 2: Korean-made jacket, ₩140,000 ($100) Assume normal duty is 16%. That is above 12.5%, so nothing is added. Duty = $100 × 16% = $16.00

Example 3: Chinese-made wireless accessory bought from a Korean store, ₩140,000 ($100) Assume 3% normal duty, plus the existing 25% China tariff, plus the new 12.5%. Duty = $100 × 40.5% = $40.50

	Item value	Origin	Rate used	Duty
Skincare	$50	Korea	12.5%	$6.25
Jacket	$100	Korea	16%	$16.00
Accessory	$100	China	40.5%	$40.50

The same $100 spent in the same Korean store can produce $16 or $40.50 in duty, purely because of where the item was made.

A K-pop album or a novel would, on the reported exemption for informational materials, owe no additional tariff. Treat that as likely, not guaranteed, especially for album packages that include merchandise.

How duty gets collected: postal vs express

Express carriers (FedEx, UPS, DHL). CBP explains that courier companies use customs brokers to clear your parcel. The carrier pays the duty to CBP so the parcel keeps moving, then recovers it. If the sender prepaid, you see nothing. If not, you get a bill, sometimes after delivery.

Postal (EMS, K-Packet and similar, handed to USPS). This route changed most. From August 2025 to February 2026, postal services could use the flat per-package duty. On July 24, 2026, CBP's new international mail entry process began. According to Troutman Pepper Locke and Forvis Mazars, mail shipments worth $2,500 or less now need an entry filed by the owner, the purchaser or a licensed US customs broker, with a customs bond and a monthly duty payment. Foreign postal operators can no longer file. We could not confirm how this plays out for an individual receiving a single EMS parcel. Expect delays and ask the sender how duty will be handled before you choose postal shipping.

Brokerage, disbursement and advancement fees

Duty is not the only charge. When a carrier pays duty on your behalf, it adds a fee, called a disbursement, advancement or duties-and-taxes-paid fee depending on the carrier.

Carrier	Reported US fee for advancing duty	As of
FedEx	2.5% of duty and tax, minimum $17.50	July 20, 2026
UPS	2% of duty and tax, minimum $17.00	June 2026
DHL Express	Charges a comparable fee; amount not confirmed	—

These figures come from a logistics provider's summary, not the carriers' own rate sheets, so confirm before relying on them.

The minimum is what hurts on small orders. In Example 1, the duty is $6.25, but a $17.50 minimum fee would nearly quadruple the cost of clearing customs. Buyers of Korean books reported exactly this in April 2026: a FedEx notice for duty plus a disbursement fee after delivery, and in one case a storage fee for a two-day hold.

DDP vs DDU: who pays, and when

• DDP (Delivered Duty Paid). The seller or shipper pays duty and carrier fees in advance and builds them into your price. The parcel arrives with nothing to pay.
• DDU (Delivered Duty Unpaid), also called DAP. You, the recipient, pay duty and fees to the carrier before or after delivery.

With DDU you carry the uncertainty: the rate may have changed, the carrier may classify the item differently than you expected, and the advancement fee is added. With DDP the uncertainty sits with the shipper.

HaulKorea ships to the US on a duty-included basis. The total you see before paying covers duty, and there is nothing to pay at delivery. For every other country, duty is not included and the recipient pays it locally.

How this works when you order through HaulKorea

1. Copy the product address from the Korean store. 2.3. Select options. If the page lists the country of manufacture, we use it.
2. See one total covering the item, shipping and US duty.
3. Pay once with PayPal. If actual weight is lower than estimated, the shipping difference is refunded.
4. Get inspection photos from our Korean warehouse.
5. Receive tracking. Delivery time:.

[[QUOTE_EXAMPLE: 한국산 화장품 ₩70,000 상당을 미국으로 보낼 때 관세 포함 총액 예시]] Fee details are on the pricing page.

Things that go wrong, and how to avoid them

Assuming "bought in Korea" means "Korean rate." Check the country of manufacture. A Chinese-made item can cost three times the duty.

Ordering a cheap item by express, duty unpaid. A minimum advancement fee can exceed the duty itself. Combine small items into one shipment or use a duty-included service.

Refusing a parcel to avoid the bill. The carrier may still charge return shipping, and the seller may not refund outbound shipping.

Relying on an old article. Anything written before July 24, 2026 that quotes 10%, 15% or a flat $80 postal fee is out of date.

Mixed boxes. A box with a duty-exempt book and a dutiable keyring is assessed item by item. An accurate itemized declaration keeps the exempt part exempt.

Restricted goods. Food, cosmetics, supplements and anything with batteries can face rules from other US agencies in addition to duty.

Other countries, briefly

HaulKorea does not include duty for these destinations. Rules vary and change, so use the official sites.

Country	What we could confirm	Official source
UK	Gifts worth £39 or less are free of duty and import VAT. Customs duty applies when goods are worth more than £135	gov.uk
EU	The Council agreed on December 12, 2025 to a fixed €3 customs duty on small parcels under €150 from July 1, 2026. Korean retailers that ship to the EU now tell customers the duty is charged per declared item type and paid by the recipient. VAT is separate	consilium.europa.eu and your national customs site
Canada	For courier imports from countries other than the US and Mexico, duty and tax are waived only at CAD 20 or less	cbsa-asfc.gc.ca
Australia	Secondary sources cite an AUD 1,000 threshold. Confirm with the Australian Border Force	abf.gov.au
Japan	Goods with a total customs value of ¥10,000 or less are exempt from duty and consumption tax. Changes are under discussion	customs.go.jp

FAQ

Do I have to pay customs on a package from Korea to the US in 2026? In most cases, yes. The $800 duty-free allowance has been suspended since August 29, 2025, so even a small order is dutiable.

What is the tariff on Korean goods right now? As of October 4, 2026, most Korean-made goods pay a combined 12.5%. Items whose normal duty is already 12.5% or more pay their normal duty.

Did the Supreme Court ruling bring back the $800 exemption? No. The February 20, 2026 ruling ended tariffs based on IEEPA, but the de minimis suspension was kept by executive order.

Is duty based on where I bought the item or where it was made? Where it was made. A Chinese-made product bought from a Korean store is charged as a Chinese product.

Are K-pop albums and books taxed? Law-firm summaries of the July 2026 tariff list informational materials as exempt, and books have no regular US duty. Bundled merchandise may be treated differently.

Why did FedEx or UPS send me a bill after delivery? The carrier paid duty to CBP to release your parcel and is recovering it, plus an advancement fee. That happens when the shipment was sent duty unpaid.

Does HaulKorea charge duty separately for US orders? No. US duty is part of the total you pay up front. For other countries, duty is not included and is paid by the recipient.

Planning a Korea order with the duty already counted

Check where each item was made, add 12.5% for Korean goods, and remember the carrier's fee if you ship duty unpaid. Or get one total with duty inside it. Related reading: purchasing agent vs package forwarding, and store guides for YES24 and Kyobo.