UPS introduced a temporary “Surge Emergency Fee” on April 19 covering a broad range of import and export shipments linked to the United States.
Shipments between the US and most international markets now face a surcharge of $0.23 per pound.
Shipments from China and Hong Kong to the US face a higher surcharge of $0.32 per pound.
The fee applies until further notice across several services, including UPS Worldwide Express, UPS Worldwide Express Saver, UPS Worldwide Express Plus, UPS Worldwide Expedited, UPS Worldwide Saver Pallet and UPS Express Freight Time of Day.
The new surcharge does not apply to shipments between the US and certain Middle East countries, as UPS had already introduced a $1.34 per pound surge fee on those lanes from March 22.
UPS also implemented a $1.50 per pound fee for shipments between the US and both Israel and the United Arab Emirates on the same date.
Temporary surcharges are not new for UPS customers. In 2024, the company introduced a temporary fee on China-to-US imports, while additional surcharges were also applied during the 2025 peak holiday season.
UPS did not provide a specific reason for the latest fee but said it remains committed to meeting customer needs without compromising service quality or delivery times.
Industry analysts noted that parcel shipping cost pressure is increasingly emerging through surcharges rather than only through annual base rate increases.
With the Iran conflict pushing oil prices higher, shippers are also dealing with rising fuel surcharges, which are applied on top of many emergency fees.
