The 2026 Importer of Record Landscape: Why the Duty-Free Era Ended, and What It Costs to Get Compliance Wrong
For most of the last decade, the dominant force in cross-border trade was frictionlessness. Thresholds rose, parcels flowed, and the importer of record was a box on a customs form that, for low-value goods, barely mattered. That era is over. Across 2025 and 2026, the world’s largest economies dismantled the duty-free treatment of low-value imports, […]
Importer of Record for Data Centre Equipment: Clearing Transformers, Cooling, and Power Hardware Against a Build Deadline
A data centre does not go live when the servers arrive. It goes live when the power and cooling are in place, and that is the equipment most likely to be stuck at a border. The transformers, switchgear, uninterruptible power supplies, chillers, and liquid-cooling systems that a facility runs on are heavy, high in value, […]
The EU De Minimis Importer of Record Problem: Why Parcels Without a Declarant Will Be Returned From 1 July 2026
Most of the coverage of the EU de minimis change has fixated on a small number: the new flat duty on low-value parcels. That misses the part that actually breaks supply chains. From 1 July 2026, the EU removes the long-standing duty-free threshold on low-value imports, but the more consequential shift sits underneath it: the […]
Section 122 Tariffs Survive on Appeal: Why Importers Are Still Paying a Duty a Court Called Unlawful
Importers are now in an unusual and expensive position. On 11 June 2026, the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit stayed a lower court ruling that had struck down the Section 122 tariffs, which means the government can continue collecting the surcharge on most imports while it appeals. The surcharge was introduced at […]
Brazil Section 301 Tariff 2026: USTR Proposes 25% Duty With a July 1 Deadline Every US Importer Must Act On
On June 1, 2026, the Office of the United States Trade Representative determined that a range of Brazil’s trade practices are actionable under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, and proposed a 25% tariff on goods of Brazil in response. The proposal is not yet final. It is open for public comment until […]
Customs Enforcement Executive Order 2026: New IOR Bond and Vetting Rules Every US Importer Must Act On
On June 3, 2026, President Trump signed an executive order titled “Strengthening Customs Enforcement” that rewrites the rules for every Importer of Record bringing goods into the United States. This is not a tariff. It is a structural overhaul of who is allowed to act as an IOR, what financial backing they must hold, how […]
29 Days Until the EU Parcel Tax: Why DHL, FedEx and UPS Are Sounding the Alarm for All EU Importers
On May 22, 2026, the CEOs of DHL Express Europe, FedEx Europe, and UPS EMEA signed a joint letter to European Union finance ministers warning that the planned €3 flat-rate duty on all parcels valued below €150, taking effect July 1, 2026, risks clogging EU border checks and disrupting supply chains across the bloc if […]
2026 Atlantic Hurricane Season: What IT Hardware, Medtech and Equipment Importers Must Do Before August
The 2026 Atlantic hurricane season starts today, June 1. NOAA’s official forecast predicts 8 to 14 named storms, 3 to 6 hurricanes, and 1 to 3 major hurricanes. The agency assigns 55% probability to a below-normal season driven by El Niño. Colorado State University aligns closely: 13 named storms, 6 hurricanes, 2 major storms. Both […]
CBP Customs Audit 2026: How AI Targeting Works and What IT, Medtech and Equipment Importers Must Do Now
The numbers define the scale of what is happening. In FY2024, CBP collected $117.7 million from importer audits across the full year. By June 2025, FY25 collections had already reached $192.77 million from 348 completed audits, with $37.88 million of that from penalties and liquidated damages alone. The full FY2025 figure reached $235.46 million according […]
ICS2 Stop Words 2026: Why Your EU Customs Description Is Getting Rejected and Exactly What to File Instead
An ICS2 stop words 2026 rejection does not announce itself in advance. The booking was confirmed. The freight forwarder filed the Entry Summary Declaration before the goods arrived at the EU border. And then the ICS2 Common Repository rejected the filing automatically. The goods are held. The delivery window is missed. The IT hardware sitting […]