Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA)

As part of our ongoing compliance efforts, please review the following important points about CUSMA (Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement) — also known as USMCA (in the U.S.) and T-MEC (in Mexico).

🔹 1. What is CUSMA?

CUSMA is a free trade agreement between Canada, the United States, and Mexico, designed to reduce or eliminate customs duties on qualifying goods traded between the three countries.

🔹 2. How to Check if Your Item Qualifies

You can determine if your product qualifies under CUSMA by:

• Looking up your HTS Code (Harmonized Tariff Schedule) here: HTS Code Search – USITC

• Checking the Special Rate column — if you see “S” or “S+”, your product may qualify for CUSMA duty-free treatment.

In this example, a photograph with HS code of 8306.30.00.00 has S (USCMA) under the Special rate column, hence this product qualifies for duty-free treatment.

🔹 3. Certificate of Origin Requirements

To claim duty-free benefits, a valid Certificate of Origin must be completed and provided upon broker or CBP request.
It must contain the following 9 mandatory data elements:

1. Importer, Exporter, or Producer Certification of Origin

2. Certifier details (Name, Title, Address, Contact)

3. Exporter details (Name, Address, Contact)

4. Producer details (Name, Address, Contact)

5. Importer details (Name, Address, Contact)

6. Description and HS Code of the good(s)

7. Origin criteria (CUSMA-specific)

8. Blanket period (if applicable)

9. Authorized signature and date

You can create one by:

• Filling out the attached sample fillable PDF form.

🔹 4. Additional Charges to Consider

Even if duties are waived under USMCA, you may still be responsible for:

• Tariff

• Customs processing fees

• Brokerage fees
  
  
  
  
  
  

🔹 5. Next Steps

• At the moment, certificates of origin should be ready and provided to Stallion upon broker or CBP request.

• We are working closely with our customs broker to determine how certificates of origin can be validated so that duty/tariff exemptions are applied correctly when qualified.

• ​We’ll share updates as soon as processes are finalized.
  

✅ By ensuring proper classification and completing the Certificate of Origin accurately, you can avoid unnecessary duty charges and benefit from CUSMA exemptions.