It is important to make the necessary arrangements for customs brokerage prior to shipping your package. Here is how to know when you need a customs broker.
When do I need a customs broker to clear my shipments?
As a Canadian business that sends international shipments, there will be a time when you ask “Do I need a customs broker for my shipment?” and that is a really great question. Below are tips from our team of experts to help guide you.
Exporting from Canada to USA
- If you are shipping goods valued under $800.00 USD from Canada into the US, you do not need a customs broker as no formal custom procedures are required.
- FedEx Ground Services – If a shipment exceeds a value of $800.00 USD, a customs broker is required. If you do not have your own custom broker, you can contact FedEx Trade Network at asucanada@ftn.fedex.com to open brokerage account. Please note that this process can take 24-48 hours.
- Purolator, UPS, and FedEx Express Services – Whichever courier you select, will be the one automatically clearing the shipment on your behalf.
Importing from USA to Canada
- FedEx Ground Services – If you are importing goods valued under $20.00 CDN from the US to Canada, you do not need to go through formal custom procedures. Therefore no broker is required. If the value exceeds $20.00 CDN, a custom broker is required. If you do not have an existing custom broker, you can contact FedEx Trade Network (asucanada@ftn.fedex.com) to open a brokerage account. This process can take 24-48 hours.
- For goods entering Canada exceeding $20.00 CDN, a customs broker is required to clear the goods into Canada – regardless of the courier and service selected.
It is important to make the necessary arrangements for customs brokerage prior to shipping your package. If you do not have a customs broker in place at the time of shipping, you will be contacted directly by UPS or FedEx to make the arrangements – thus resulting in a delay for the delivery. If you have your own customs broker, make sure that the broker’s name and contact information is indicated on the commercial invoice. For more tips on import and export shipments, click here or visit our blog to read more on topics such as customs brokerage from the United States to Canada.
If you are a FlagShip customer, feel free to give us a call if you ever have any questions on your international shipments. We will make sure your shipping is stress-free. If you do not have an account, click here to sign-up for a free account and see for yourself, how FlagShip makes shipping easy,
If you have any questions, please contact us at support@flagshipcompany.com or 1-866-320-8383.