Between 13 and 27 October 2026, four things moved on the trade policy and customs side that affect cargo moving to or through the United States and the EU. USTR published a proposal (not a final decision) to extend the suspension of Section 301 port fees on China-linked ships to 9 January 2027. CBP pushed a postal formal-entry compliance date to 20 January 2027. The White House changed which Canadian products carry the 50 percent Section 338 duty from 30 October. And the EU's 2 euro handling fee, set by a Commission delegated act, applies from 1 November. This update is as of 27 October 2026 and builds on our 6 October update and the 13 October update, without repeating them.
What moved between 13 and 27 October 2026
| Item | What happened | Status on 27 Oct | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Port fees, China-linked ships | USTR proposed a two-month extension of the suspension | Proposal, comments open | Federal Register, 26 Oct (91 FR 67388) |
| CBP postal formal entry | Compliance date moved from 22 Oct 2026 to 20 Jan 2027 | Final rule | Federal Register, 22 Oct (RIN 1685-AA45) |
| CBP Entry Type 13 test | Filings accepted without complete electronic PGA data | In effect from 22 Oct | Federal Register, 22 Oct (91 FR 66707) |
| Canada Section 338 duties | Product scope modified | Proclaimed, applies from 30 Oct | White House, 23 Oct |
| Wind turbines, Section 232 | Proclamation directs negotiations | No new rate in the text we read | White House, 22 Oct |
| USMCA "U.S. content" | Commerce guidance to CBP | In effect from 14 Oct | Federal Register, 14 Oct (91 FR 65162) |
| EU handling fee | 2 euro per item, delegated act | Applies from 1 Nov | Commission, delegated act text |
Is the US port fee on China-linked ships coming back on 10 November?
Not on the current paper, but the extension is not final. On 26 October USTR published a notice titled "Request for Comments on Further Suspension of Section 301 Action: China's Targeting of the Maritime, Logistics, and Shipbuilding Sectors for Dominance." Its Federal Register abstract says USTR proposes extending the current suspension by two months, through 9 January 2027, to allow further negotiation with China. The present suspension ends at 11:59 p.m. Eastern on 9 November 2026.
Trade press reports (gCaptain, 23 October, and Seatrade Maritime) say comments are due by 5 p.m. Eastern on 30 October 2026 under docket USTR-2026-0694, and that the suspension would cover fees on Chinese-owned, Chinese-operated and Chinese-built vessels plus certain foreign-built vehicle carriers, and the suspended duties on ship-to-shore cranes and cargo-handling equipment. We read the abstract and dates on the Federal Register record; the docket and scope details above come from those reports, so check the notice itself.
Two points are still open. First, the notice, as reported, does not say whether China will extend its own suspension of reciprocal fees on US-linked ships. China's Ministry of Transport announced its one-year suspension in November 2025, and we found no extension announcement. Second, USTR has not said at what level the fee schedule would resume afterwards. For the background, see US-China vessel port fees are suspended, not gone.
Common misconception: the 23 September remark by the US Treasury Secretary that the wider truce would run to 10 January 2027 was not itself the legal extension. Until a final USTR notice appears in the Federal Register, the written end date for the port fee suspension is 9 November. The Section 301 product exclusions (the 178 exclusions, including those under HTS 9903.88.69) also run through 9 November under USTR's December 2025 notice, and we found no further extension.
CBP and postal shipments: a new compliance date and a test change
On 22 October CBP published two documents on mail shipments. The final rule extends the compliance date for 19 CFR 145.12(a)(2)(v) and (vi), the postal formal-entry provisions from the June 2026 interim final rule, to 20 January 2027. According to a law-firm summary (Diaz Trade Law), the original date was 22 October 2026, the provisions cover postal shipments subject to partner government agency (PGA) requirements, Chapter 98 or 99 duties, or duty-free claims, and CBP issued the rule without notice and comment under the good-cause exception because importers, brokers and logistics providers needed time to update systems. CBP says the delay does not change current informal mail entry processes and early compliance is allowed.
The second document modifies CBP's test of the electronic informal entry for mail, Entry Type 13. From 22 October the Federal Register abstract says entries may be transmitted with or without electronic PGA data. Filers whose shipments carry PGA requirements can still transmit the data, and the same law-firm summary notes that Chapter 98/99 and duty-free claims still need their additional data.
Neither document touches the separate proposed low-value shipments rule published on 8 October (docket USCBP-2026-0298), which would require a bond on type 11 and 13 entries and other changes. Comments close 7 December 2026. We found no notice extending that deadline and no public hearing in the sources we checked. For how the current regime works, see Section 321 de minimis and Type 86 entry.
Canada: Section 338 duty lists change on 30 October
On 23 October the White House issued a proclamation titled "Further Modifying the Scope of Products of Canada Subject to the Additional Duties Imposed to Offset Canadian Discrimination Against the Commerce of the United States With Respect to Motor Vehicles." It amends Proclamation 11048 of 20 July 2026, itself amended by Proclamation 11065 of 8 September 2026. Products in Annex I, Part A come out of the 50 percent duty, products in Annex I, Part B go in, and Annex II changes the Harmonized Tariff Schedule.
- Effective: goods entered for consumption, or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption, on or after 12:01 a.m. Eastern on 30 October 2026.
- Stacking: the proclamation says the duties apply in addition to Section 232 duties.
- USMCA and transit: the text we read does not mention USMCA preference or any transition rule for goods already shipped. The entry date decides.
- Scope: the annexes are PDFs. The industry body RVIA reports 22 HTS codes removed and 100 added, including flooring, sealants, wood panels and air conditioners. We could not read the annex text, so check each tariff line.
Section 232: wind turbines, and Commerce guidance on U.S. content
On 22 October a proclamation, "Adjusting Imports of Wind Turbines and Their Parts and Components into the United States," found under Section 232 that these imports threaten to impair national security. The text we read directs Commerce and USTR to negotiate with trading partners, requires an update within 180 days and says it does not modify existing tariffs under Proclamation 9704. It sets no new duty rate and lists no HTS codes. Read the proclamation before assuming any new duty applies.
Separately, on 14 October Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security published guidance to CBP on how to assess "U.S. content" in USMCA-qualifying products from Canada and Mexico for tariffs under clause (2)(D) of Proclamation 11032 of 1 June 2026. It applies to goods entered from 12:01 a.m. Eastern on 14 October. As summarised by GHY International, U.S. content includes the value of parts wholly obtained, produced or substantially transformed in the United States, plus US-melted steel, US-smelted aluminum and US-smelted copper to the extent not already counted. Commentators note that it gives no calculation method, so product questions go to CBP. For the wider US tariff picture, see US tariffs in 2026 after the IEEPA ruling.
EU: the 2 euro handling fee applies from 1 November
The Commission adopted a delegated act on 21 September 2026 (Commission reference C(2026) 6694, Council document ST 13480/26). Article 1 sets the Union handling fee at EUR 2 per item. Article 2 provides that it enters into force on publication in the Official Journal and applies from the tenth day after. Trade summaries (Dimweigh, Lovguiden) report publication on 22 October; the Commission's customs reform page states that from 1 November 2026 the EU applies the 2 euro fee. The regulation number is cited as 2026/2152 by only some sources and differently on the Commission page, so we do not rely on it.
- What it covers: the recitals describe goods in distance sales to customers in the EU customs territory, including special fiscal territories. The explanatory memorandum says distance sales above EUR 150 are also subject to the fee.
- Relation to the 3 euro duty: the temporary EUR 3 customs duty per item on consignments up to EUR 150, under Council Regulation (EU) 2026/382, has applied since 1 July 2026. The handling fee is a separate charge. See EU de minimis removal 2026.
- Open points: who bears the fee commercially, how "item" is counted and the VAT treatment are described differently by different summaries. Use the Commission's 7 October guidance and your broker.
A CBP filing message: Section 301 exclusions
CSMS 70261629 (22 October) updates CBP guidance on a conforming amendment to five Section 301 China product exclusions, all under HTS 9903.88.69, so they match ten-digit statistical categories changed on 1 July 2026. ACE accepts the change from 6 p.m. on 23 October. Filers should not also submit the corresponding Chapter 99 Section 301 number when claiming the exclusion. To recover duty paid on earlier entries, CBP points to a post summary correction while the window is open, or a protest of liquidation once it has passed.
Dates coming up
| What | Date | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Comments close on port fee suspension proposal | 30 Oct 2026, 5 p.m. ET | Press reports of USTR notice |
| Canada Section 338 scope change applies | 30 Oct 2026, 12:01 a.m. ET | White House proclamation |
| EU Union handling fee of EUR 2 per item | 1 Nov 2026 | European Commission |
| Current port fee suspension and Section 301 exclusions end | 9 Nov 2026, 11:59 p.m. ET | USTR notices |
| Comments on USTR's CBAM notice | 9 Nov 2026 | USTR, via our 13 Oct update |
| CBP supply chain disclosure request for comment | 1 Dec 2026 | Federal Register, via our 6 Oct update |
| CBP low-value shipments proposal comments close | 7 Dec 2026 | Federal Register, 8 Oct |
| EUDR application (large and medium operators) | 30 Dec 2026 | European Commission |
| Proposed end of extended port fee suspension | 9 Jan 2027 | USTR proposal |
| CBP postal formal-entry compliance date | 20 Jan 2027 | Federal Register, 22 Oct |
What did not move
- Section 301 China review: after USTR's 7 October notice that the 2018 actions continue, we found no follow-up notice in the Federal Register feed through 26 October.
- EUDR: the Commission's page (28 January 2026) gives 30 December 2026 for large and medium operators and 30 June 2027 for micro operators in the main table. We found no new Commission action in the window. See EUDR explained for freight.
- CBAM and UK customs: we found no new deadline or change in the window. The UK's low-value relief reform runs to 2028 under a July 2026 policy paper reported by law firms.
- IEEPA refunds and Section 122: we saw no CBP or court notice in the window that we could confirm from a primary source.
What to do next
- For US-bound cargo on China-linked ships arriving after 9 November, decide whether to comment by 30 October, and ask carriers in writing how a resumed fee would be billed if no final notice appears.
- For Canadian goods entering on or after 30 October, have your broker check the tariff lines against Annex I, Parts A and B and confirm stacking with Section 232.
- For mail or e-commerce flows into the US, note the 20 January 2027 postal date and the 7 December comment deadline, and check whether you need a customs broker for the filing model you expect.
- For EU-bound parcels, ask who pays the 2 euro fee from 1 November and how it appears on the invoice.
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This is general information as of 27 October 2026, not legal, tax, financial or customs advice. Several items above are proposals or secondary summaries and may change. Confirm current rules with the issuing authority (USTR, CBP, the White House, the European Commission) or a licensed customs broker or trade lawyer.
