From the USPS:
“What to Include on Your
Customs Form”
Sender Information
Do not use any abbreviations.
Name: Complete First Name and
Last Name
Address: Road Name, Number, ZIP
Code™, City, State
Contact Information: Phone, Email
Recipient Information
Do not use any abbreviations.
Name: Complete First Name and
Last Name
Address: Road Name, Number, ZIP
Code™, City, State
Contact Information: Phone, Email
Item Value
You must include a separate and
specific value for all items in your shipment. Once calculated, include a total
value for the shipment.
Item Description
When you ship internationally,
every item in your package must now have a detailed, clear, and specific
description on the customs form that makes it clear:
What the item is
What it's made of
What its purpose is
Instead of naming a general category, your
description must be specific. For example: Instead of "tools," you
must specify the type of tools, like "a screwdriver" or "power
drill." For additional information, view the Detailed Content Descriptions
for All
Packet or Package Weight
You must include the total gross
weight of the package and the unit of calculation (i.e., pounds or kilograms).
Show LessPacket or Package Weight
HS Tariff Code
As described above, Harmonized
System (HS) Tariff Codes are 6-to-10-digit identifiers linked to specific goods
descriptions. Customs authorities worldwide use them to ensure safety,
security, and efficiency in the international shipping process.
As a customer, you are
responsible for accurately describing the item you are shipping, and USPS will
provide an HS Code for your customs form during processing. While your role as
a customer is simple, Harmonized System Codes can be complex. You can learn
more about HS codes here or by reading the details below.
What is the Harmonized System? The
Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System, generally referred to as
"Harmonized System" or "HS," is a multipurpose
international product nomenclature developed by the World Customs Organization
(WCO).
The system categorizes commodity
groups by six-digit codes, creating a universal economic language for the
shipping of goods.
These codes are used for internal
taxes, trade policies, monitoring of controlled goods, rules of origin, freight
tariffs, transport statistics, price monitoring, quota controls, compilation of
national accounts, and economic research and analysis.
The WCO updates the HS every 5
years.1 Countries often add additional digits to the end of the six-digit code
to further classify products. The United States uses a 10-digit code to
classify products.2 For example, a generic description like "tools"
is not enough to narrow down an HS code. However, "power drill" is
enough to identify a specific HS code (8467.21). What are the Challenges?3
The Harmonized System is complex;
it is difficult and expensive to implement and requires extensive training.
Countries create unique
sub-classifications that do not align internationally.
The WCO recommends quantities
associated with the HS codes which do not always align with the quantities used
in industry practices that vary across countries.
Frequent revisions of the HS
result in the discontinuation or merging of some codes every five years,
causing issues in analysis and implementation across countries.
It is recognized that many of the challenges
faced by the HS are inherent and unavoidable in any multipurpose international
commodity classification.
^ You must now include the Tariff
Code on every item on every package you mail from the US because the US ended
the de Minimis Exemption on packages under $800 today. ^
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