Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA)

CUSMA, also known as the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement, is a free trade agreement that replaced NAFTA in July 2020. CUSMA provides preferential, duty-free treatment on specific goods that meet the rules of origin, determining the extent of North American production required for a product to be considered. 

CUSMA-approved products are not eligible when shipped through Chit Chats International Tracked to the U.S. These shipments will still be subject to applicable tariffs. To benefit from the CUSMA agreement, please use USPS-based DDP postage options such as Chit Chats U.S. Edge or Chit Chats U.S. Select.


How to Check if Your Item Qualifies

You can determine if your product qualifies under CUSMA by:

  1. Looking up your 10 digit HTS Code (Harmonized Tariff Schedule) on the official US site here
  2. Check the Special Rate column — if you see “S” or “S+”, your product may qualify for CUSMA duty-free treatment OR if it shows Free in the General Duty column.
    1. If the item is not eligible under CUSMA, for country of origin Canada, you will see base rate duty + Canada blanket tariff.
CUSMA applies to countries of origin being Canada, the U.S., and Mexico. Determine the COO of your product HERE. How to label COO.

How to submit CUSMA certification

To access  preferential, duty-free treatment and exemption from blanket tariffs (as applicable) on CUSMA eligible items, you'll need to submit the required details through your Chit Chats account. This must be done for each eligible HTS Code. Once your submission is approved, you'll receive an email notification, and the preferential duty-free rates will automatically appear when you purchase DDP postage for that HTS Code. After submission and there are no errors, please expect same day approval. 

NOTE: CUSMA Certification is done by product (country of origin and HTS code) - not by shipment and not by SKU. A product can have different prices or sets but as long as it has the same 10 digit HTS code and country of origin for a CUSMA approved product, you only need one certification for that product. Our system will automatically calculate it as CUSMA approved.

Validity is for one year and done by product. If you would like to add any other additional products, simply submit a new request.


Please follow the steps below:

  1. Go to Settings > Shipping > CUSMA Certification to fill out your CUSMA form. Remember to sign the CUSMA pdf before submitting to Chit Chats. You can now sign digitally with our e-sign feature.

  2. After submission and there are no errors, please expect same day approval. 

  3. Once your submission is approved, you'll receive an email notification, and the preferential duty-free rates and exemption from blanket tariffs (as applicable) will automatically appear on our platform when you purchase DDP (delivered duties paid) postage (the only postage available for U.S. shipments that are CUSMA approved - duties will be exempt) for that 10 digit HTS Code and country of origin.

    • Email subject line title: "CUSMA Request Updates - [Client] Request #####"

    • Body of email

  4. When dropping off or sending shipments to Chit Chats, it’s not mandatory to attach documents to your package, it’s a good idea to include the CUSMA certification in an envelope affixed to the parcel. Make sure to also keep a copy accessible in case it’s requested by U.S. customs. Learn more.


Please ensure shipments are properly labelled with Country of Origin (COO).  Important things to consider

  • Validity is for one year and done by product. If you would like to add any other additional products, simply submit a new request.

  • No refunds or credits will be issued for duties/reciprocal tariffs if postage is purchased before CUSMA approval. You can void any unused postage and repurchase after approval to see the exemptions.


Here are common CUSMA related frequently asked questions.


Reference this step by step tutorial for more information on how to submit your CUSMA Certification:

Note that we have implemented a digital signature to eliminate the need to download, sign and upload the certification form as noted in the video below. If you have already begun the process, please ensure you digitally sign on the 'basic information' step.




Tip: While it’s not mandatory to attach documents to your package, it’s a good idea to include the CUSMA certification in an envelope affixed to the parcel. Make sure to also keep a copy accessible in case it’s requested by U.S. customs.


Additional Fees

Even if the item is duty- free under CUSMA there will be other fees associated to the shipment which is outlined below 

  • Tariff (reciprocal tariffs may still apply depending on the item) 

  • Customs Processing fee - is a flat fee (1.35 USD flat fee*) per shipment, covering administrative costs for informal entry into the U.S.

  • Broker Line Item fee - is the fee for our broker to process the individual line items in the shipment (0.15 USD / line item*). Example: You are shipping 1 tshirt, 2 mugs and 3 pen = 3 shipment items

Read more about CUSMA Certification and how it may affect you here.