Is the Zonos Prepay app available for Japan Post shipments to the U.S.?

Yes. Japan Post is available in the Zonos Prepay app as of April 14, 2026. Shippers can download the app and use it to pay U.S. duties, generate a shipping label, and print documentation before heading to the post office.

When do I need to use the Prepay app for Japan Post shipments?

Use the Prepay app anytime you ship something valued at $800 USD or less to the United States via Japan Post. Exceptions include documents and gifts valued under $100 USD, which do not require the app. Shipments over $800 USD to the U.S. do not require duties to be prepaid.

What do I need to do before I go to the Japan Post office?

Before heading to the post office, use the Zonos Prepay app to: 1) Pay duties upfront and get your Declaration ID. 2) Create your shipping label in the app. 3) Print your label and any required shipping documentation. At the post office, drop off your shipment and pay for postage. The postal clerk will scan your label at drop-off.

Do I need to use the Prepay app for letters and documents?

No, letters and documents are not subject to duties and therefore do not require you to use the Prepay mobile app. Use the app for standard shipments, gifts, and returns for shipments under $800 USD.

Can I enter my item information manually instead of taking a photo?

No. For Japan Post shipments, a photo of your items is required. Manual item entry is not available. Simply snap a photo of all the items you are shipping and the app will auto-fill the details. You can review and edit any auto-filled information before confirming.

Keep shipping to the U.S. with Japan Post + Zonos

Q: How much does it cost to use the Zonos Prepay app?

There are no subscription costs. There is a postal clearance fee charged per shipment, which is clearly calculated and shown alongside the duty calculation in the app. Payment is processed in Japanese yen (JPY).

A U.S. executive order now requires duties to be paid on postal shipments under $800 USD before clearing into the U.S. Japan Post has partnered with Zonos to offer solutions for both individual shippers and businesses.

Japan Post + Zonos

Japan Post + Zonos solutions

Choose your solution

Pick the path that fits how you ship. Choose Individuals if you ship from the post office counter, or Businesses if you ship with a Japan Post Later Pay Number.

Individuals can use the Zonos Prepay app to ship to the U.S.

Japan Post has worked with Zonos to offer the Prepay mobile app as a fast, easy way for casual shippers to continue shipping to the U.S. while meeting the new requirements. Using the app, you'll pay duties upfront, generate your shipping label, and print it — all before arriving at the post office. Japan Post is available in the Prepay app as of April 14, 2026.

Use the Zonos Prepay app before going to the counter

Anytime you ship something under $800 USD to the U.S. via Japan Post, use the Zonos Prepay mobile app to pay duties upfront and generate your shipping label. Gifts under $100 USD are exempt and do not require the app.
Print your shipping label and documentation from the app before heading to the post office.
Drop off your package at the post office and pay for postage. When the post delivers your item to the U.S. recipient, they will not be asked to pay duties at the time of delivery.

Download for iOS

Download for Android

Use on web

How much does it cost?

There are no subscription costs.

There is a postal clearance fee charged per shipment, which is clearly calculated and shown alongside the duty calculation in the app. Payment is processed in Japanese yen (JPY).

Watch the video tutorial

Step-by-step

Download the app and create an account

Download the Zonos Prepay app to use when shipping to the U.S. There are no subscription costs—just pay as you go. The app will only prompt for duty payment (and include a clearance/processing fee) when you use it to ship an item to the U.S.

Take a photo of your items

Select your package type, select Japan Post, and click 'Continue'. Then snap a photo of the items you are shipping. A photo is required for Japan Post shipments; manual item entry is not available.

Let AI magically suggest complete customs information

Zonos' patent-pending AI tools automatically suggest required customs information from your photo, saving everyone time and streamlining processes. Shippers should review the suggested information and click Edit to make any adjustments needed.

Pay duties

The app will automatically calculate the applicable duties and postal clearance fees, and prompt for payment. Payment can be made directly in the app in Japanese yen (JPY). Duty payments made via the Zonos Prepay app are guaranteed—no additional duties will be charged to you or the recipient.

Print your label and drop off at the post office

After paying duties, create and print your shipping label directly from the app. You must create the label within 5 days of paying duties — if you don't, the card authorization expires (you won't be charged) and you'll need to start the process over. Bring your printed label to the post office and pay for postage.

Businesses can use a Zonos Verified Account to ship to the U.S.

What is a Verified Account?

A Verified Account is a free account you set up with Zonos. You'll get free access to tools to calculate U.S. duties and get HTS codes, but its main purpose is to let your business keep shipping to the U.S. via Japan Post. You link it to your Japan Post business account with your Later Pay Number, and Zonos bills you directly for the duties and clearance fees on those U.S.-bound shipments — so your parcels clear customs and your recipients are never charged at delivery.

What you get

Ship to the U.S. via your Japan Post business account, tied to your Later Pay Number — after the shipment, Zonos invoices you directly for the duties and clearance fees.

Print Japan Post labels with the Ship&co App and API, available now — with the Zonos Dashboard and Zonos API coming soon.

Item Quoter: a free tool to calculate U.S. duties and get HTS codes for your products.

Get set up in 3 steps

Full setup instructions are available in the Verified Account setup guide.

Create an account

Create account

Add your payment method

Add a payment method to your Zonos account to fund duty remittance for your U.S.-bound shipments.

Enter your Japan Post Later Pay Number

Enter your Japan Post Later Pay Number to link your Zonos Verified Account to Japan Post, enabling label creation for U.S.-bound shipments.

Print labels your way

Once your Verified Account is set up, you can create and print Japan Post labels through any of these three options:

Your own shipping platform

Use your existing shipping platform to create and print Japan Post labels for U.S.-bound shipments. Supported platforms: Ship&co, with more coming soon.

View Ship&co guide

How to ship DDP to the U.S.

Zonos Dashboard

Upload orders via CSV, create labels in bulk or individually, attach labels to consolidation groups, and close and print manifests — all directly in the Zonos Dashboard.

Coming soon

Zonos Dashboard Japan Post labels

Zonos API

Build a custom label integration using the Zonos Labels API to create, manage, and void Japan Post labels programmatically.

Coming soon

Zonos API mutation

Calculate expected duty costs (optional)

Use the free Item Quoter in your Zonos Dashboard to calculate U.S. duties and HTS codes for your products before you ship — so you can factor duty costs into your pricing ahead of time.

Pay U.S. duties

Zonos will bill you daily for the duty (and associated postal clearance fees) on shipments associated with your Zonos Verified Account. Zonos bills you within 24 hours of getting the shipment data from Japan Post (note that this can be several days after you ship). You can view these invoices in your Dashboard.

There are no subscription costs. You are only billed for duties and clearance fees per shipment.

Who is Zonos?

Zonos is the trusted leader in cross-border technology.

For more than 16 years, we've been powering international commerce by classifying products with HS codes and calculating duties and taxes with accuracy and reliability. Today, our technology supports some of the world's largest brands, logistics providers, and thousands of ecommerce businesses.

Our mission has always been to increase trust in cross-border trade by making cross-border simple, transparent, and compliant. From APIs that integrate directly with custom setups to checkout experiences that make duty and tax collection easy for anyone, Zonos ensures international customers have good delivery experiences, building your brand in the process.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Additional information for individual shippers is available in our Prepay user guide for Japan Post. Additional information for businesses is available in the Verified Account setup guide.

As a Verified Account, what do I have access to?

Shipments and label creation
Manifests (consolidation groups)
Bulk CSV order upload
Item Quoter
Invoices
Settings (business information, billing, Later Pay Number, fulfillment centers, team members)

Do I have to pay a subscription fee for a Verified Account?

No. Your Zonos Verified Account is free to use. You're billed only for duties and the postal clearance fee on each U.S.-bound shipment.

What will I be charged by Japan Post and Zonos?

There are no additional Japan Post fees from Zonos. Business customers are invoiced directly by Zonos for duties and the postal clearance fee.

Can I use my Verified Account on shipments over $800 USD?

No. Shipments over $800 USD follow the same process they did before the recent executive order.

How are gifts over $100 USD handled?

Gifts valued over $100 USD are dutiable. Zonos calculates duties on the total gift value and bills accordingly.

Who should I contact for Verified Account or billing help?

Contact the Zonos support team at support@zonos.com.

Why aren't free trade agreements (FTAs) applied during the duty calculation?

For postal shipments into the U.S., free trade agreements are not applied during duty calculation, even though every item is assigned an HS code in the app.

Here's why: U.S. Customs does not currently require HS codes for postal shipments. Because HS codes aren't required, the operational infrastructure for postal clearance isn't set up to process FTA claims. Claiming an FTA benefit requires verified classification, certificates of origin, and a formal entry process that postal shipments don't go through. Without this operational infrastructure, FTA's cannot apply to postal shipments in practice.

Currently the only exemptions that can be applied to postal shipments (without additional infrastructure) are for "informational material". Zonos assigns an HS code to determine whether your item qualifies for this exemption, then calculates the duty if not.

This reflects how U.S. Customs currently processes postal shipments, not a limitation of the Zonos calculation.

Why was duty applied when the item's MFN rate is 0%?

Duties include both MFN (standard duty rates) and tariffs applied via executive action — a breakdown is available in our 2025 tariff guide. Since U.S. de minimis was removed, postal services collect Section 122 tariff rates (a flat 10% surcharge effective February 24, 2026) but not MFN rates.

Are postal shipments subject to MFN or Section 122 duty rates?

Postal shipments are charged Section 122 tariff rates only (a flat 10% surcharge effective February 24, 2026). MFN rates do not apply to postal clearance. Previously, IEEPA tariff rates applied — but the U.S. Supreme Court struck down IEEPA tariffs on February 20, 2026, and Section 122 replaced them. Private carriers are subject to both MFN and Section 122 duties.

Does the Zonos clearance fee apply per item in a parcel?

No. The postal clearance fee is applied per parcel, not per individual item.

If a postal shipment contains multiple items with different countries of origin, how are duties calculated?

Duties are calculated per item based on country of origin and aggregated for the shipment total.

Why are there duties on returns?

According to CBP, U.S. returns are not duty-free and require duties to be paid.

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