Tariff issues resolved for stamps and covers, states Boston 2026 organizing committee

By Linn’s Staff

In an Oct. 24 press release, Boston 2026 public relations chair Thomas Fortunato announced that, in the coming weeks, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection will issue a letter ruling that philatelic material is again free from tariffs.

Until this year, the Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTSUS) 9704 allowed for stamps and covers to be imported into the United States free of duty; however, this changed several months ago when country-specific tariffs came into effect.

According to Fortunato, “the initial ruling letter that resulted in philatelic tariffs has now been ruled void ab initio (i.e., null from the beginning) and voided.”

Fortunato said this comes after the organizing committee consulted with U.S. Customs and Border Protection over the past several weeks.

“Boston 2026 has been working with various officials of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which includes U.S. Customs and Border Protection, regarding tariffs and the exhibition,” Fortunato said in an Oct. 17 press release. “Lower-level analysts specializing in collectibles up to Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem have been consulted, along with Republican and Democratic members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.”

Further in the Oct. 17 press release Fortunato outlined two strategies the Boston 2026 organizing committee used to avoid tariffs on philatelic material and exhibits during the May 2026 show.

The first strategy involved Boston 2026 government relations chair Mick Zais presenting the case that stamps, philatelic material and exhibits are informational materials, and thus are free from tariffs under the 1994 amendment to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).

In August the Boston 2026 organizing committee appointed Zais to plan and coordinate interactions with the U.S. federal government in an effort to facilitate the entry of philatelic material into the United States (Linn’s, Sept. 22, page 5).

Zais served as the U.S. Deputy Secretary of Education and then briefly as acting Secretary of Education during the first Trump administration.

As a second strategy the Boston show committee has employed the customs broker Vantage Point to assist with acquiring temporary importation bonds for philatelic material not being sold to enter the country under a tariff-free status, according to Fortunato.

Vantage Point will provide foreign parties, such as dealers, auction houses, postal administrations and commissioners, with the appropriate instructions and documentation for importing philatelic material into the United States, Fortunato said.

In a Sept. 22 press release, Fortunato said reports of a 20 percent importation tariff for exhibits brought into the United States based on the insured value were unsubstantiated (Linn’s, Oct. 20, page 6). The organizing committee extended the deadline for philatelic exhibit applications to the end of October to allow time for final mandates to be known.

Boston 2026 World Expo will take place May 23-30, 2026, at the Boston Convention and Exposition Center. Show details and instructions to sign up for email updates can be found at www.boston2026.org and via the expo’s Facebook, X and Instagram pages.

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