India Post Issues Guidelines for PGA-Regulated Shipments to USA

The Office Memorandum dated 25 September 2026 from the Department of Posts, IR & GB Division provides comprehensive instructions for handling Partner Government Agency (PGA)-regulated shipments destined for the United States of America (USA).

Key points:

PGA Data Requirements: Shipments regulated by U.S. agencies (FDA, CPSC, USDA, etc.) must include product-level details such as FDA product codes, prior notice numbers, registration numbers, intended use, phytosanitary/veterinary certificates, and country-of-origin data.
Sender Responsibility: Senders/exporters must ensure accurate and complete information. Misdeclaration or omission can lead to detention, seizure, penalties, or refusal by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
Medicines & Pharmaceuticals: Import of medicines for personal use is highly restricted. Shipments must include prescriptions from U.S.-registered practitioners, personal-use declarations, and must not exceed a 90-day supply. Medicines cannot be misdeclared as gifts.
CBP Entry Type 13: Effective 22 October 2026, CBP will implement stricter data validation and compliance checks, especially for medicines, food, and plant/animal products.
Compliance & Dissemination: All Circles, Foreign Post Offices, Dak Ghar Niryat Kendras, and contractual customers must widely disseminate these instructions to exporters, MSMEs, ODOP producers, and e-commerce sellers.
Liability: The Department of Posts will not be responsible for regulatory non-compliance; all consequences rest with the sender/exporter.

This OM ensures alignment with U.S. regulatory requirements, minimizing risks of shipment delays or penalties.