COVID-19 Service Updates for USPS, UPS, FedEx, DHL Express | Overview

As the world faces disruptions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, carriers continue to provide essential services, operating under a state of emergency and shelter in place orders recently issued in the U.S. and other countries. Major carriers, including USPS, UPS, FedEx, and DHL Express, are coordinating with international governments and health organizations to adapt to the changing situation.

Visit the World Health Organization for information about COVID-19 health concerns.

USPS Updates for COVID-19

Effective April 3, 2020, and until further notice, USPS has suspended services to specific international destinations. 20 destination countries will no longer accept USPS shipments originating from the United States.

To prevent you from accidentally shipping to a restricted destination, ShippingEasy will not allow USPS postage purchases for shipments destined for a currently restricted country. 

Effective September 22, 2020, and until further notice, Canada Post, utilized by the USPS to handle final delivery of shipments to Canada, has advised that the delivery procedure changes previously announced remain in effect.

Items requiring a signature, proof of age, or the collection of customs fees will continue to be delivered directly to a nearby post office for pickup by the customer. Additionally, Canada Post has recently restored the 15-day limit for customers to retrieve their parcels after receiving a card with instructions. Items will be returned to the sender if they are not collected within 15 days. Force majeure remains for all international letter-post, parcel-post, and Express Mail Service (EMS) items.

Note, service suspension to a particular country will not affect the delivery of Military Mail.

The suspension affects all USPS international services available from ShippingEasy, including:

• Priority Mail Express International
• Priority Mail International
• First-Class Mail International
• First-Class Package International Service
• International Priority Airmail
• International Surface Air Lift

Any items shipped to restricted destinations will be returned to the sender.

USPS will refund postage if a package is returned due to service suspension. ShippingEasy users can cancel a label for a refund through ShippingEasy. All other customers should reach out to the shipping solution used to provide postage or contact your local USPS for information and to request a refund.

If you are entitled to a refund, but the refund was denied, you may appeal the decision. Mail the original physical label to Commercial Payment at the address below, along with an explanation that this label was returned due to the international service suspension.
If the exact numerical value of postage paid is not displayed, you must submit the corresponding transaction log.

Commercial Payment
US Postal Service
475 L’Enfant Plaza
SW Rm 3436
Washington DC 20260-4110

UPS Updates for COVID-19

Effective April 3, 2020, and until further notice, UPS has suspended delivery services to specific international destinations. Local regulations may further affect both domestic and international delivery.

Any parcels that cannot be delivered will be returned to the sender.

Effective April 5, 2020, and until further notice, UPS will assess a temporary Peak Surcharge on international shipments from the U.S. to specific countries. Refer to UPS.com for Peak Surcharge details.

Effective March 26, 2020, and until further notice, UPS will suspend its UPS Money Back Guarantee (also known as UPS Service Guarantee).

UPS will follow new guidelines for collecting signatures. To reduce person-to-person contact, drivers can sign for customers when packages require a signature. Parcels that cannot be signed for will be marked with the code CV19 plus 11 digits of the recipient's name as proof of delivery.

FedEx Updates for COVID-19

Effective April 2, 2020, and until further notice, FedEx has suspended delivery services to specific international destinations.

Effective April 6, 2020, and until further notice, FedEx will assess a temporary Surcharge on all FedEx Express international shipments from the U.S. to specific countries. Refer to FedEx.com for Surcharge details.

As of April 2, 2020, and until further notice, FedEx will suspend its money-back guarantee for many services, including all FedEx Express, FedEx Ground, and FedEx Freight services.

FedEx will follow new guidelines for collecting signatures. Recipients may be asked to verify their name, rather than sign for a parcel. Surcharges still apply for signature services, as FedEx is still collecting recipient information. In addition, Adult Signature still requires a government-issued photo ID, and a physical signature may still be required.

DHL Express Updates for COVID-19

Effective April 3, 2020, and until further notice, DHL Express has suspended delivery services to specific international destinations.

Contact your account manager for the operational status of your country.

To ensure successful residential deliveries, DHL Express recommends that recipients register at www.ondemand.dhl.com, where they can choose preferred delivery options, including non-contact delivery.

Effective April 1, 2020, and until further notice, DHL Express will assess an Emergency Situation Surcharge on all Time Definite International (TDI) shipments. Surcharges do not apply to Day Definite International (DDI) shipments, Time Definite Domestic (TDD) shipments, Life Science and Healthcare customers, nor DHL Medical Express (WMX) shipments. Refer to DHL.com for Emergency Situation Surcharge details.

COVID-19 Service Restrictions by Destination Country

Each carrier maintains its own list of service restrictions and affected countries, which may change at any time and without notice. Refer to individual carrier websites for the latest restrictions:

• USPS
• UPS
• FedEx
• DHL Express

Legend of Country Restrictions

Carrier Restrictions by Destination Country