The short answer
Put the 9 required pieces of information on your invoice or any other document, sign and date it, and give it to whoever clears the parcel. For a commercial shipment worth US$2,500 or less, the importer doesn’t have to hand customs a copy, but must have it when the claim is made. The catch is how you ship: Chit Chats, UPS and Purolator say they file CUSMA claims, and Canada Post can only claim them against the normal duty, not the 10% tariff, according to its duty partner.
There is no official CUSMA form. The certification of origin can go on your invoice or any other document, as long as it has the required data elements, including the 6-digit HS code of the good.
As of Oct 26, 2026 · Source: Trade Commissioner Service, Step-by-step guide to CUSMA compliance (updated August 28, 2026)
Exact words from the source
"There is no official form, but specific data elements under Annex 5-A of the CUSMA must be included. The certification can appear on an invoice or any other document and must include:"
US rules checked October 29, 2026 Estimates, not legal advice. Confirm with a licensed customs broker.
What the certification must say
The 9 things a CUSMA certification must say
- Who is certifying: the importer, the exporter or the producer
- The certifier's name, title, address (with country), phone and email
- The exporter's name, address (with country), email and phone, if not the certifier
- The producer's name, address (with country), email and phone, if different (or "Various")
- The importer's name, address, email and phone, if known (or "Various")
- The legal name, address, phone and email of the person signing
- A description of the good, detailed enough to match the invoice and its HS code
- Its tariff classification, to at least 6 digits
- The rule of origin it qualifies under
Then this statement, word for word, signed and dated:
"I certify that the goods described in this document qualify as originating and the information contained in this document is true and accurate. I assume responsibility for proving such representations and agree to maintain and present upon request or to make available during a verification visit, documentation necessary to support this certification."
Plain-language summary of 19 CFR 182.12(a)(4), with the statement from (a)(5). Three more apply only sometimes: a set line for goods on the regulation's Schedule II, the invoice number for a single shipment (if known), and the blanket period when one certification covers many shipments. As of Oct 26, 2026 · Source: eCFR, 19 CFR 182.12
The importer, the exporter or the producer can fill in the certification of origin. It must be signed and dated, in English, French or Spanish.
As of Oct 26, 2026 · Source: eCFR, 19 CFR 182.12
Does my product qualify? The rules of origin
“Made in Canada” isn’t enough on its own. A product is “CUSMA compliant” when it meets the rule of origin for its code:
A good qualifies for CUSMA only if it meets the rules of origin, and "made in Canada" alone doesn't settle it. The usual ways: it is wholly obtained here (grown, mined or raised); imported materials are under 10% of its value; or it meets the product-specific rule for its HS code (a change of tariff code, a share of value added in North America, or set processing steps).
As of Oct 26, 2026 · Source: Trade Commissioner Service, Step-by-step guide to CUSMA compliance (updated August 28, 2026)
Exact words from the source
"A good only qualifies for CUSMA preferential tariff treatment if it meets the rules of origin."
For certainty, you or your US importer can ask US customs (CBP) for an advance ruling on your product's code or on whether it qualifies.
As of Oct 26, 2026 · Source: Trade Commissioner Service, Step-by-step guide to CUSMA compliance (updated August 28, 2026)
Who makes the claim
The US importer claims CUSMA when the goods enter the US, using the certification you provide. On a parcel, that is whoever clears it for your customer.
As of Oct 26, 2026 · Source: Trade Commissioner Service, Step-by-step guide to CUSMA compliance (updated August 28, 2026)
Exact words from the source
"The U.S. importer must claim the CUSMA benefit (preferential tariff treatment) when the goods are imported into the U.S."
One certification for a year of shipments
CUSMA needs no special form. A certification of origin in any format works if it has the nine required data elements. One certification can cover identical goods for up to 12 months, and records must be kept 5 years.
As of Oct 26, 2026 · Source: eCFR, 19 CFR 182.12
Exact words from the source
"Need not be in a prescribed format but must be in writing or must be transmitted electronically pursuant to any electronic means authorized by CBP for that purpose"
Chit Chats, one of the channels that files claims, sets a shorter limit of its own: "CUSMA certificates are valid for one year." (Chit Chats).
Do I send it with every parcel?
For commercial shipments of originating goods worth US$2,500 or less, the importer does not have to submit a copy of the certification. The claim and the records still apply.
As of Oct 26, 2026 · Source: eCFR, 19 CFR 182.14
Exact words from the source
"an importer will not be required to submit a copy of a certification of origin under § 182.12 for: ... A commercial importation for which the value of the originating goods does not exceed $2,500 in U.S. dollars."
Which ways of shipping apply the claim
The law lets you claim CUSMA on any parcel. In practice the company that clears it has to file the claim. Say they do: Chit Chats, UPS and Purolator. Not yet: Canada Post. Not published: Stallion Express, FedEx and DHL Express.
Our reading, not a rulingThe same CUSMA-qualifying item pays the 10% Section 301 tariff when sent by Canada Post (its duty partner Zonos confirms a CUSMA claim there removes the normal duty but not the 10%), and 0% when sent by a courier or consolidator that files the CUSMA claim.
As of Oct 29, 2026 · Source: Our reading of the USTR notice and Zonos
Vendor statementZonos, Canada Post's duty partner, told us in writing on October 29, 2026 that since October 22 a CUSMA claim on a Canada Post shipment under US$2,500 brings the normal duty to 0%, but does not currently remove the 10% Section 301 tariff, and it has no date for that. Its public page was contradicting itself and Zonos says it is being corrected.
As of Oct 29, 2026 · Source: Zonos Customer Success Manager, email to Honest Fees, 2026-10-29 (page: zonos.com/canada-post)
Mail has a second catch coming. Once CBP’s new mail rules apply, a CUSMA claim on a mailed parcel needs formal entry:
Mail: the stricter entry rules start January 20, 2027
From CBP's compliance date, a mailed parcel that owes a chapter 99 tariff (like the 10% or the 50%), needs FDA or other agency data (food, cosmetics), or claims CUSMA needs formal entry. For parcels worth US$2,500 or less, CBP's voluntary Entry Type 13 test (running since September 22, 2026) is an optional electronic alternative to formal entry. (as of Oct 29, 2026, CBP rule, Federal Register 2026-12669)
CBP moved the start of those mail rules to January 20, 2027. Until then, mail keeps the current entry process. (as of Oct 29, 2026, CBP notice, Federal Register 2026-21600 (October 22, 2026))
What CUSMA doesn’t remove
A CUSMA claim takes away the normal duty and the 10% tariff. It doesn’t help with these:
A listed set of Canadian products pays 50% (Section 338), on top of other duties. The lists go well beyond alcohol, dairy and cars: some bags, leather goods, paper, wood articles and syrups are on them. We found no CUSMA exemption in the proclamations.
As of Oct 29, 2026 · Source: Proclamation, Federal Register 2026-14997
Goods under Section 232 tariffs (steel, aluminum and copper articles, cars, light trucks and their parts, wood products, heavier vehicles and parts, semiconductors) do not pay the 10%. They pay their Section 232 rate instead.
As of Oct 29, 2026 · Source: USTR notice, Federal Register 2026-15181
Keep your records
Keep the records that show your goods qualify for at least 6 years after you ship them. CBSA or US customs can audit them.
As of Oct 26, 2026 · Source: Trade Commissioner Service, Step-by-step guide to CUSMA compliance (updated August 28, 2026)
Exact words from the source
"Keep all documentation supporting the origin for at least 6 years after the exportation of the good. Traders may be audited by CBSA (for imports into Canada) or U.S. CBP (for imports into the U.S)."
Is CUSMA still in effect?
CUSMA (called USMCA in the US) replaced NAFTA in July 2020. It gives duty-free treatment to goods that qualify on over 98% of tariff lines between Canada and the US.
As of Oct 26, 2026 · Source: Trade Commissioner Service, Step-by-step guide to CUSMA compliance (updated August 28, 2026)
CUSMA is in force. At the July 1, 2026 joint review the US did not agree to a new 16-year term, so the agreement now gets reviewed every year.
As of Oct 29, 2026 · Source: USTR notice, Federal Register 2026-20341
To see what a CUSMA claim saves on your own order, try the duty and fee estimator with “Qualifies for CUSMA” set to yes, then no. For the rate your product pays without it, see which rate your product pays, and for every channel’s customs fees, the cheapest way to ship to the US.