The change, which applies to all international commercial shipments, aligns the agency with new Universal Postal Union regulations.
The U.S. Postal Service will require international commercial shipments to provide a six-digit Harmonized System code starting Sept. 1, according to an agency bulletin published Aug. 7.
The appropriate HS codes must be included on the customs declaration for each item in a particular shipment, regardless of mail class, per the bulletin. The HS code system, developed by the World Customs Organization, allows customs authorities to classify goods and assess tariffs.
