BOSTON 2026 Importation Tariff Issues Resolved

Thomas M. Fortunato, BOSTON 2026 Public Relations Chair, reports from BOSTON 2026.

Until this year, stamps and covers could be imported into the United States under Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTSUS) 9704 free of duty. However, several months ago, new country specific tariffs came into effect. This affected philatelic material, which in turn, resulted in the global philatelic community fearing that foreign participants at the upcoming Boston 2026 World Expo would experience unacceptably high costs.

After close consultation with US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) over the past several weeks, the Boston 2026 Organizing Committee is pleased to announce that stamps and covers are, once again, tariff free for entry into the US. Specifically, the initial ruling letter that resulted in philatelic tariffs has now been ruled void ab initio (i.e., null from the beginning) and voided. A new ruling letter holding that philatelic material covered by HTSUS 9704 is again tariff free will be issued by the CBP in the next few weeks.

To ensure the free and smooth entry of philatelic material for the show, the show organizers have hired a customs brokerage firm, Vantage Point Services. They will provide foreign parties (i.e., dealers, auction houses, postal administrations and commissioners) importing philatelic material with the appropriate instructions and documentation for entry into the US. The customs broker offers support at multiple ports of entry, including Boston, New York, Miami, San Francisco and Los Angeles.

The Press Release: https://fepanews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/PR-2025-10-24-Importation-Tariff-Issues-Resolved.pdf

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