[Nhcoll-l] [EXTERN] De Minimis imports to the United States

Tue May 26 10:21:51 EDT 2026

Eirik and nhcoll,

To add to Dirk's comment, YES, proceed as normal. We have had numerous
imports with no implications (or added costs) evident under the De Minimis
rule using all the shipping vendors. I would like to add a few
recommendations based upon experience with archaeological, herbarium, and
zoological material.

   1. DHL, FedEx, and UPS are all fine. If using DHL as Dirk suggested,
   there are some challenges to where the port of entry will be with regard to
   the USFWS Port of Clearance. Send an early notification email if using DHL
   to the Erlanger, KY USFWS (fwsole_ercvg at fws.gov | fws.cvg at dhl.com) and
   include usfwsall at dhl.com as well. The DHL email (usfwsall) includes the
   following ports of entry: ATL – AT, CVG – ER (non-designated) and LO, JFK –
   NY, LAX – LA, MIA – MI, and ORD – CH.
      1. Page 3 of this DHL Express document gives the likelihood of the
      USA port of entry based upon the global sending location.
      2. https://dhlpro.com/media/37004/dhl-express-usa-overview_en.pdf
   2. FedEx has a USFWS designated port of entry in Memphis, TN (
   fwsole_memphis at fws.gov), and UPS has a USFWS designated port of entry in
   Louisville, KY (fwsole_louisville at fws.gov). Contact them in advance.
   3. Similar to the European Union details sent by Dirk on 04 Jul 2026 to
   the nhcoll listserv, I recommend following the guidance similar to the
   EU regulations.
      1. 28 June 2025, the new EU regulation (EU) 2019/880 on the
      introduction and import of cultural goods entered fully into force.
      2. State the value of the material is $1.00 (one-dollar value).
      3. USE A HARMONIZED TARIFF CODE IN A COVER LETTER
         1.  I declare that the goods contained in this shipment are in the
         following harmonized tariff code schedule: *HS 9705.29.00:*
         collections & collectors' pieces of zoological, botanical,
mineralogical,
         anatomical, historical, archaeological, palaeontological,
ethnographic or
         numismatic interest.
      4. DEFINE YOUR MATERIAL BASED ON THE TARIFF CODE
         1. *BOTANICAL OR HERBARIUM MATERIAL:* This shipment contains dead,
         dried, accessioned botanical museum specimens. All materials
enclosed are
         for scientific research purposes only and are exclusively
exchanged between
         scientific institutions. The specimens were collected and are
maintained
         for scientific research, have *no commercial value*, and are not
         for resale. The included species are NOT CITES or ESA listed,
or protected
         locally in the country of origin. Furthermore, the contents of this
         shipment are NOT antiquities, works of art, or regulated
cultural goods.
         2. *ZOOLOGICAL MATERIAL:* This shipment contains (COUNT) fluid
         preserved AND/OR (COUNT) dry accessioned zoological museum
specimens that
         are for scientific research purposes only and are exclusively
exchanged
         between scientific institutions. The specimens were collected and are
         maintained for scientific research, have *no commercial value*,
         and are not for resale. The included species are NOT CITES or
ESA listed or
         protected locally in the country of origin. Furthermore, the
contents of
         this shipment are NOT antiquities, works of art, or regulated cultural
         goods.
      4. *Work with your US-based collaborating institution to communicate
   with US agencies and customs in advance.*
      1. As Dirk suggested, the receiving (US-based) institution should
      communicate with USFWS and any other necessary regulatory agency, as well
      as US customs.
      2. THE US-INSTITUTION SHOULD SEND AN EARLY NOTIFICATION EMAIL TO THE
      US CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION (CBP).
         1. The incoming material and associated documentation will be
         reviewed by the CBP.
         2. They can help guide if there are other specific agencies that
         may require a check for your material.
         3. To facilitate the customs checks and help if the shipment
         arrives at a different port of entry, I recommend sending an
email to the
         CBP General email (aptlabtc at cbp.dhs.gov
         <aptlabtc at cbp.dhs.gov?subject=Biological%20Materials>). This email
         includes the US CBP Agricultural and Biological Coordinators will help
         connect you to a CBP Biological Specialist Agent at a specific port of
         entry or across ports.
         4. If any material is time-sensitive or temperature sensitive,
         this step is critical to ensure there are no delays.
         5. There can be challenges with getting clear answers from a
         shipping vendor (e.g., DHL, FedEx, UPS, etc.), but a CBP Agent will
         normally provide the US-Institution with better answers and guidance.

Sincerely,

Ben

On Tue, May 26, 2026 at 3:46 AM Dirk Neumann <d.neumann at leibniz-lib.de>
wrote:

> Hi Eirik,
>
> perfer FedEx over DHL Express; at the air hub of DHL Express in
> Erlanger/Kentucky USFWS clearance caused repeated issues, FedEx/Memphis is
> well better organised.
>
> Regarding de minimis, proceed as usual: The declared value should be 1 USD
> to avoid potential charges of value added taxes upon import. Make sure to
> contact your receiving institution in advance, as import/USFWS clearance
> must be done by the recipient/receiving institution.
>
> Hope this helps
> With best wishes
> Dirk
>
>
>
>
> Am 25.05.2026 um 10:03 schrieb Eirik Rindal:
>
> Hi,
>
>
>
> Does anybody know if this has been resolved? Is it safe to send museum
> material to the US again with the main services like DHL, FedEx etc.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Eirik Rindal, PhD
>
> https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1568-6386
>
>
>
> Natural History Museum
>
> P.O. Box 1172
> Blindern
> 0318 Oslo
>
> Norway
>
>
>
> Tlf: + 47 402 24 872
>
>
>
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> --
>
> ******
>
>
>
> *Dirk Neumann*
>
> Collection Manager, Hamburg
>
>
>
> Postal address:
>
> *Museum of Nature Hamburg*
> Leibniz Institute for the Analysis
>
> of Biodiversity Change
>
> Dirk Neumann
>
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>
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>
> *d.neumann at leibniz-lib.de <d.neumann at leibniz-lib.de>*
>
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>
> --
> Stiftung Leibniz-Institut zur Analyse des Biodiversitätswandels
> Postanschrift: Adenauerallee 127, 53113 Bonn, Germany
>
> Stiftung des öffentlichen Rechts;
> Generaldirektion: Prof. Dr. Bernhard Misof (Generaldirektor), Adrian
> Grüter (Kaufm. Geschäftsführer)
> Sitz der Stiftung: Adenauerallee 160 in Bonn
> Vorsitzender des Stiftungsrates: Dr. Michael H. Wappelhorst
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> _______________________________________________
> NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of
> Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose
> mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of
> natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to
> society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information.
> Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate.
>

-- 

*Benjamin M. Hess | EEB Museums Registrar | **EEB Museums Safety
Representative to the RMC *

University of Michigan | LSA Ecology & Evolutionary Biology | Research
Museums Center

3600 Varsity Drive, Ann Arbor MI 48108-2228

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