To fill out a Canada Post customs form for an international shipment, choose the CN22 short form if your parcel is worth less than $500 CAD or the longer customs declaration 43-074-172 if it’s worth more, then complete it with full sender and recipient addresses, a specific description of every item, quantities and weights, honest values in Canadian dollars, the reason for export, and a six-digit Harmonized System code for each item. The form goes in a transparent sleeve on the outside of the package so customs officials can read it without opening the parcel.
Which Form You Need
Canada Post uses two customs documents, and the line between them is $500 CAD in declared value. Items worth less than that use the CN22 (Canada Post form 43-074-253), a compact label with room for a short description, value, and weight. Anything above $500 CAD needs the fuller declaration 43-074-172, which has space for detailed descriptions, HS codes, and additional sender and recipient information.1Canada Post. Customs Requirements
Tracked Packet (USA or International) and Small Packet services default to the CN22, but if your declared value crosses $500 CAD you still have to attach the 43-074-172 on those services.1Canada Post. Customs Requirements When you’re near the threshold, use the fuller form. Customs never rejects a parcel for too much detail.
What to Have Ready Before You Start
Gather everything before you open the form. You’ll need:
- Complete legal names, street addresses, cities, provinces or states, postal codes, and countries for both the sender and the recipient. Add phone numbers and email addresses where the form allows, since customs agencies sometimes contact recipients directly. Note that many countries won’t accept P.O. box addresses for parcels.
- Specific item descriptions. “Cotton men’s dress shirt, blue, size L” clears customs. “Clothing” or “gift” does not. Vague descriptions are the most common reason a package is pulled for manual inspection.
- Quantity and weight for each distinct item, listed on its own line. Two books and a scarf is three line items.
- Fair market value in Canadian dollars — what the item sells for, not what you’d like it to be worth. For used goods, estimate current replacement cost. For gifts, use what the item would cost new.
- The reason for export: gift, commercial goods, document, or returned item. Pick the one that honestly fits.
Under-declaring value to help your recipient avoid import taxes is a violation of international trade rules and can lead to the parcel being seized, the goods destroyed, or fines against the recipient. Customs officials routinely compare declared values against retail databases, and a $400 laptop declared at $50 is an obvious flag.
The Harmonized System Code Field
Every product shipped internationally is classified under the Harmonized System, a set of six-digit codes maintained by the World Customs Organization. The same six digits identify the same category in every country that uses the system, which is effectively every country you’d ship to.2International Trade Administration. Harmonized System (HS) Codes
Canada Post has a free lookup tool: pick the destination country, type in a plain description like “wool scarf” or “ceramic mug,” and the tool returns the matching six-digit code. It also flags special requirements for the destination.3Canada Post. Find a Harmonized System Code Some countries extend the code to ten digits for their own tariff schedules, but Canada Post only requires the six-digit base on the customs form.2International Trade Administration. Harmonized System (HS) Codes
On the 43-074-172, the code goes in the tariff number field. The CN22 doesn’t always have a dedicated HS code field, but adding one in the description area speeds processing. A wrong code can also change the duty rate your recipient pays, so it’s worth taking a minute to look it up rather than guessing.
Filling Out the Form Online or at the Counter
You have two paths. The faster one is Canada Post’s online customs form tool. Enter the sender and recipient addresses, the reason for shipping, and a description of each item with quantity and value, and the system generates a printable customs declaration with the barcode Canada Post needs to process the parcel.4Canada Post. Customs Form Print it on standard white paper and make sure every barcode is sharp. Smudged or faded barcodes can’t be scanned and will hold your shipment up.
The second path is walking into any Canada Post retail location and filling out the paper form at the counter. The clerk’s system prints an indicia and barcoded label and pairs it with the correct customs declaration.5Canada Post. Required Customs Documentation If the shipment is over $500 CAD, a commercial invoice may also be required, especially if the destination country demands one.6Canada Post. International Shipping Made Simple
Either way, the declaration has to be attached to the outside of the package in a transparent sleeve so customs officials can read it without opening the parcel. Don’t tuck it inside the box. The clerk at the counter will weigh the parcel and confirm the weight matches your declaration. A mismatch between declared and actual weight can cause the parcel to be returned.
What the Form Won’t Fix
A well-completed declaration doesn’t help if the contents aren’t allowed. Canada Post prohibits mailing anything explosive, highly flammable, radioactive, or otherwise dangerous through international mail.7Canada Post. Prohibited Items Overview Several everyday items trip senders up:
- Standalone lithium batteries, and devices packed with loose lithium batteries, cannot go to any international destination outside the United States. For U.S.-bound parcels, only devices with batteries already installed (up to four cells or two battery packs) are accepted, and the batteries must be declared on the customs form. Lithium-powered vehicles like hoverboards and e-bikes are banned on all routes.8Canada Post. ABCs of Mailing – Batteries
- Alcohol exports have to satisfy both Canadian export rules and the destination country’s import rules. Only certain postal administrations accept alcohol at all.9Canada Post. Intoxicating Beverages
- Many countries ban imports of food, seeds, animal products, or cultural artifacts. Canada Post’s international destination listing lets you check a specific country’s limits before you ship.10Canada Post. International Destination Listing
After the Form Is Scanned
Once the clerk scans the customs barcode, the data enters Canada Post’s international mail system and a tracking number appears on your receipt. The electronic declaration is transmitted to the destination country’s customs agency before the parcel arrives, so officials can flag anything that needs a closer look.
Clearance times vary. The Canada Border Services Agency says most routine mail items are released after initial inspection, sometimes in under a day, but delays happen when documentation is incomplete, contents look suspicious, or customs is processing high volumes.11Canada Border Services Agency. Importing by Mail Once a parcel is in customs, Canada Post cannot intervene, and neither can the sender.12Canada Post. My Package Is in Customs. What Can I Do?
The value you put on the declaration is also what the destination country uses to calculate duties and taxes at delivery. And if you’re using Canada Post’s optional coverage, the declared value on the customs form and the insured value on the shipping label have to match. If either is blank or the two disagree, a claim can be reduced or denied. Documents and food shipments are excluded from insurance coverage entirely, and Small Packet service doesn’t include standard liability coverage at all.13Canada Post. Parcel Services – U.S. and International – Coverage Options