New Tariff Codes

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.  ^