Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2016
Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2016 is a US customs law that raised the de minimis threshold from $200 to $800, created EAPA evasion investigations, modernized drawback and closed the forced labor consumptive demand exception.
What it requires
Section 901 let shipments valued at $800 or less per person per day enter free of duty and taxes from March 10, 2016. That exemption has been suspended for all countries and modes since August 29, 2025, and CBP published interim final rules on June 24, 2026 requiring formal or informal entry for low-value goods, including mail. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act repeals the statutory $800 exemption effective July 1, 2027. TFTEA's drawback, EAPA and CTPAT provisions remain in force.
Why it matters
TFTEA's $800 threshold built the direct-to-consumer cross-border model, and its suspension forced that model to change. Until August 2025 an overseas seller could ship single parcels to US shoppers with minimal data and no duty; now every parcel needs an entry and duty payment. Many brands responded by importing in bulk into US warehouses and fulfilling domestically, shifting volume to 3PLs. Operators still rely on TFTEA's drawback rules to recover up to 99 percent of duties on exported or destroyed goods, a tool that matters more as tariffs rise.
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Not legal advice.