Go To Great Panes

Go To Great Panes, Kathryn Maloney ©2009


Do I need a customs form?

I’ve heard this question many times unfortunately the answer folks get is rarely accurate. The misunderstandings are sometimes perpetuated by postal clerks, so going to the post office for answers is not always more helpful than asking in the forums.

The short answer is:

It doesn’t matter:
• how light or heavy it is,
• how big or small,
• if it is a gift or something you sold.

If there is something that might require either duty or taxes (like sales tax) to be paid on it, it needs a form. Personally, I don’t know which goods are charged tax in different countries, so all our packages get forms. Plus it can speed the way through customs if a package does get stopped (and an enclosure with the price will help too).

You can see that answer directly on the US Postal Service website and be confident you have the right answer–the key is not to just look at the chart, but also the fine print below it:

The fine print:

In both of the above options, the important point is about “potentially dutiable contents”–if it has any, then it should have a customs form.

The page has chart that tells you which customs form you need based on:

• type of mail service you are using (First Class International, Priority Mail International, etc.), and
• the declared value of the items in the package (this doesn’t include postage–so don’t add that in).

If you are having trouble seeing where it says you need a customs form, these images have those parts highlighted in yellow for First Class International and Priority Mail International:

First Class International

Priority Mail International

So the only packages that can travel internationally without a customs form are shipped First Class International and are either:

• Under 16 oz and have no potentially dutiable contents,
• Over 16 oz, have no potentially dutiable contents and are shipped via ‘known mailer”.

If you are looking to print First Class International labels without a paid subscription service, check out the following post–the customs form gets printed right on the label automatically too: