Exporting to the USA: customs and regulatory requirements to anticipate

Customs duties applicable to your shipments

1/ Application of the General Tariff Rate

Every product imported into the United States is subject to a general tariff rate.

This rate, also known as the general/MFN rate, varies depending on the product type and the country of manufacture.

You can look up the general/MFN rate applicable to your goods directly on the U.S. HTS website.

2/ Application of an Additional Section 301 Duty

The United States imposes an additional duty on goods manufactured in 60 targeted countries for failing to prohibit or effectively enforce the prohibition of imports of products made with forced labor.

This Section 301 duty is added to the general/MFN rate applicable to the product.

3/ Section 301 Duty Caps

For goods manufactured in the European Union, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, and Switzerland, the Section 301 duty is capped and not applied at a flat rate.

The applicable caps are as follows:

10% for the European Union and Taiwan;

12.5% for Japan, South Korea, and Switzerland.

4/ Products Already Subject to Section 232 Duties

Products already subject to Section 232 duties are exempt from the new Section 301 measures.

This applies in particular to certain categories of steel, aluminum, automobiles, and auto parts.

For these products, the specific Section 232 tariffs continue to apply in addition to the general/MFN rate.

Example of a product manufactured in China containing brass:

MFN rate: 5%

Section 232 tariff: 200%

Theoretical Section 301 tariff: 12.5% (not applied)

Total applied duty: 205%

5/ Products Eligible for Exemption

Products included in the exemption lists published by U.S. authorities continue to be subject to their current treatment.

Example of an exempt product:

MFN rate: 0%

Theoretical Section 301 duty: 0%

Total applied duty: 0%

For your shipments to the United States, Colissimo offers two shipping methods:

• With the DDP option (Delivered Duty Paid), customs duties and taxes are advanced by FedEx to the American customs authority, then recharged to you by Colissimo. Your customers receive their parcels with no additional charges at delivery. This is the most seamless option for the customer experience.

• With DAP (Delivered At Place), customs duties and taxes are billed directly to the recipient by FedEx at the time of delivery.

Mandatory data for all your shipments

• The shipper's EORI number in SIREN format (FR + 9 digits). This format has been mandatory since July 1, 2026. As a result, the SIRET format is no longer accepted by French customs: all packages listed with an EORI SIRET number number will be held at customs, with a risk of delivery delays and financial penalties related to parcel storage by your Pôle d'Action Économique. If you do not yet have an EORI SIREN number, contact your Pôle d'Action Économique or apply for one now here. (It is also advisable to add your VAT number in the Customs Reference field.)
• The recipient's mobile phone number
• The name of the State or Province corresponding to the delivery address
• The entry of 10-digit HS codes
• The designation and very detailed composition of each item, mandatorily in English


The country of manufacture of each item (not the country of dispatch), using the MID code or the full name and address of the manufacturer after each item description, in the case of different manufacturers. For a single manufacturer, refer to the specificities of your postage solution below.

Option 1: You regularly ship to the United States

Tip: to simplify your declarations, register your products now in the CPSC Product Registry. Once your references are registered, the data to be submitted for each item in the parcel is limited to: the product identifier (Product ID), the certifier identifier (Certifier ID), the version identification (Version ID).

Where should you enter this information when preparing your shipments  ?

You must upload a CPSC supplementary form for each package in your postage tool when preparing your shipment. This form must include, for each item, the information required by CPSC regulations. Download the blank form here for goods already registered in the CPSC (3 pieces of information to provide per item). Please note: the “Tracking Number” field should not be filled out; the “Commercial Description” column must be completed in English; and the contact information requested below the item table refers to the e-commerce seller and exporter.

Example : 

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Option 2: You occasionally ship to the United States

Seven items are required for each shipment in question if you choose not to register your products with the CPSC Product Registry:  

1. Global Trade Item Number (product identifier, e.g., GTIN)
2. Date of manufacture of the finished product
3. Each CPSC rule for which the product has been certified under Part 1110 of Title 16 of the CFR
4. Name and full address of the manufacturer, producers, or assemblers
5. Date of the most recent test for compliance with applicable CPSC rules
6. Name and full address of the compliance testing facilities
7. Contact information and details of the organization that maintains records of compliance test results

Where should you enter this information when preparing your shipments?

You must upload a CPSC supplementary form for each package in your shipping software when preparing your shipment. This form must include, for each item, the information required by CPSC regulations. Download the form for goods not registered with the CPSC here. Please note: Do not fill in the “Tracking Number” field, and descriptions must be in English.

Special case: the "Disclaim Message Set"

If a product is ultimately not regulated by the CPSC but is potentially flagged as such by the customs system, a "Disclaim Message Set" must be submitted. The Disclaim allows you to officially declare to customs that the product falls outside the CPSC's scope. The absence of information is interpreted as missing data, not as an exemption, which may result in: a hold, a suspension, or a request for additional information.
The Disclaim confirms that:

• the product is not regulated by the CPSC (Disclaimer Code A)
• or the data is not required under the agency's guidelines (Disclaimer Code B)

The "Disclaim Message Set" must include a non-applicability code (Disclaimer Code A or B) and an Intended Use Code.

How do I submit the supplementary form ?

You must upload the supplementary form to your Colissimo postage solution when preparing to frank your package:
- In the Web Service for postage and in the e-commerce modules
Use the Documents Web Service to upload this supplementary form by selecting the “Other” category
- On Coliship 
Upload the supplementary form immediately by clicking the “Import my documents” button in the pop-up window that appears once you’ve completed the postage process:

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