USPS International: What customs forms do I need?

Background

When shipping internationally with USPS there are required customs forms that need to be printed and included with your shipments. Depending upon the USPS service being used there are different forms and numbers of copies required.

The great news is that when processing USPS International shipments with ShipWorks, all the forms you need will be automatically printed for you. However, you may still have questions related to how many forms should print and what forms to include with your shipment.

This article will give you more information to help make shipping internationally a bit easier.

USPS Service Updates

Alerts, Disruptions, and Suspensions to Service

USPS provides updated service alerts on their website for any situation affecting USPS parcel delivery.

Unless otherwise noted, service suspensions to a particular country do not affect the delivery of military and diplomatic mail.

International Mail Service Suspensions - Effective: March 3, 2026

The Postal Service™ is temporarily suspending acceptance of items destined to the following countries, due to logistics impacts resulting from the conflict in the Middle East. Customers, please refrain from mailing items addressed to the countries listed here until further notice:

Algeria, Armenia, Bahrain, Djibouti, Eritrea, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Kuwait, Libya, Madagascar, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Seychelles, Syria, Tanzania, United Arab Emirates

USPS International Shipping Update: HS Codes Required

As of September 1, 2025, the U.S. Postal Service will require all international commercial shipments to include a six-digit Harmonized System (HS) code on customs declarations for each item, regardless of mail class.

The HS code system, created by the World Customs Organization, is used by customs authorities worldwide to classify goods and assess tariffs. This update aligns USPS mailing standards with new Universal Postal Union (UPU) regulations, also taking effect Sept 1, requiring all member countries to enforce six-digit HS codes for commercial goods.

For a full list of Harmonization Codes, use the Harmonized Tariff Schedule search.

How do I process an international shipment?

We have an article to help you with the process of shipping internationally in ShipWorks. Take a look.

How many copies of the Customs Form(s) do I need?

Some services will yield three customs forms/labels, and others only one.

Three (3) customs forms:

Priority Mail Express International
Priority Mail International (with exceptions noted below)

One (1) customs form:

Priority Mail International
Small Flat-Rate Box
Flat-Rate Envelopes
First-Class Mail International
Military Mail (APO, DPO, FPO, MPO), U.S. Territories, and Freely Associated States
Select international destinations, including:
- Australia
- Canada
- Costa Rica

I have multiple copies of the Customs Forms. What do I do with them?

For shipments that produce three copies of the label, put them in a plastic sleeve affixed to the exterior of the package. Order customs forms sleeves for FREE from the USPS.

Where can I get even more information?

USPS has more information found here.

Which Customs Forms are Used by the USPS?

Still Need Help?

Please feel free to reach out to one of our awesome Technical Support Representatives in St. Louis. We are happy to help.

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