Quick answer
Every international package needs a USPS customs form, and only documents-only letters and large envelopes under 15.994 oz are exempt. First-Class Package International Service items worth $400 or less use PS Form 2976 or 2976-A, Priority Mail International uses PS Form 2976-A, and Priority Mail Express International uses PS Form 2976-B. You create the form online with Customs Form Online or Click-N-Ship, or hand-fill PS Form 2976-R at a Post Office counter.
Nation, an AI store builder, publishes this page. It is pre-launch, with a waitlist on withnation.ai, and the customs rules here come from USPS. See where Nation fits.
Which USPS customs form you need
The USPS customs form a package needs depends on the mail service and, for First-Class Package International Service, on what the contents are worth. Click-N-Ship and Customs Form Online produce the form for you, and the table shows which form goes with each service. It follows the International Mail Manual.
USPS rules say all customs forms must be electronically generated. Preprinted paper copies made to be filled in by hand are obsolete and prohibited. The paper form you can still fill in by hand, PS Form 2976-R, is a paper worksheet you hand in with the package at a USPS retail counter.
The two declarations are PS Form 2976, Customs Declaration (UPU form CN 22) and PS Form 2976-A, Customs Declaration and Dispatch Note (UPU form CP 72). Priority Mail Express International combines the label and the declaration in PS Form 2976-B, the Priority Mail Express International shipping label and customs form.
For this rule, documents means written, drawn, or printed information, excluding objects of merchandise. USPS lists CDs, DVDs, flash drives and other storage media, even when blank, as items that need a declared value and a customs form, along with artwork, books and printed music. So an art print or a USB drive needs a customs form even if it is light and flat. APO, FPO and DPO addresses count too: USPS says that in most cases they need a customs form.
How to fill out a USPS customs form online
The USPS customs forms page offers two online tools. Customs Form Online prints just the customs form, to save time at the Post Office counter. Click-N-Ship takes payment for postage and prints the label and the customs form together for First-Class Package International Service, Priority Mail Express International and Priority Mail International.
Pick the tool
Use Click-N-Ship to pay postage and print the label and the form yourself, then take the package to a Post Office or book a free Package Pickup. Use Customs Form Online if you only want the form ready before you go to the counter.
Enter the sender and recipient
Give full first and last names, street, city, state or province, postal code and country, plus phone and email. USPS asks that you do not use any abbreviations in names and addresses.
Choose the category
The category tells customs what kind of shipment it is (document, gift, merchandise, etc.). The counter worksheet says to check all applicable boxes specifying the category of the item(s). Your signature certifies that the particulars given in this customs declaration are correct, so pick the category that matches the contents.
Add one line per item
Each different item gets its own line: the counter worksheet says to enter only one item per line. Each line needs a description and the quantity, net weight and value for each item. Example: two identical candles can share one line with a quantity of two, while a candle and a mug need a line each.
Let the tool assign HS codes
Write a description that makes clear what the item is, what it's made of, and what its purpose is. The USPS customs forms page says that if you describe the item accurately, USPS will provide an HS Code for your customs form during processing. If you prefer, you can check the code yourself with the USPS Look Up HS Codes tool.
Enter weight and total value
Enter the total gross weight of the package and the unit (pounds or kilograms), and a separate value for every item, plus a total value for the shipment. Gross weight is the package as it will ship, box and padding included.
Sign, print and attach
The declaration needs the sender's signature and date. Print the form and attach it to the package. USPS sends you to the Post Office counter instead if you did not complete the form online or you pay with postage stamps.
How to fill out a customs declaration form, field by field
These are the fields USPS requires on every customs form, whichever tool you use, plus the ones that apply only to some shipments. All information must be in Roman letters and Arabic numerals, and you may add a translation in a language accepted in the destination country.
Item descriptions that customs accepts
USPS requires a detailed description for every item in every international package, including small personal gifts, ecommerce orders, and military and diplomatic mail (APO/DPO/FPO). USPS sums up the rule: instead of naming a general category, your description must be specific. The description has to make clear what the item is, what it's made of, and what its purpose is, and the USPS tools assign the HS code from it. USPS gives these pairs as guidance.
HS codes on a USPS customs form
HS stands for the Harmonized System, a product classification developed by the World Customs Organization (WCO). USPS describes HS tariff codes as 6-to-10-digit identifiers. The international part uses six-digit codes, and countries often add digits of their own; the United States uses a 10-digit code. USPS's own example is a power drill, which falls under HS code 8467.21.
The International Mail Manual requires at minimum the 6-digit WCO HS code for each item. If you file through Click-N-Ship or Customs Form Online and write a specific description, the tool assigns the code for you. To check a code yourself, USPS has a Look Up HS Codes tool, and the Census Bureau offers a Schedule B Commodity Search Tool for US export codes.
The responsibility stays with you either way. USPS states that the mailer remains solely responsible for the accuracy of HS codes, whichever tool or software picked the code. The codes also change: the WCO updates the HS every 5 years, so a code saved in an old spreadsheet can go out of date.
USPS customs form example: one candle sent to the UK
Example: a seller ships one hand-poured soy candle sold for $24 to a buyer in the United Kingdom by First-Class Package International Service. The order is worth less than $400, so the service is allowed and the tool prints PS Form 2976 or 2976-A. The values below are example inputs.
Before you print, check the destination in the USPS Individual Country Listings, where USPS publishes the specific customs requirements of each country.
USPS customs form PDF and filing at the Post Office
Preprinted paper copies of PS Form 2976 and 2976-A made to be filled in by hand are obsolete and prohibited. The paper form USPS still uses is PS Form 2976-R, USPS Customs Declaration and Dispatch Note. It is a paper worksheet you hand in with the package at a USPS retail counter, and it cannot be used as a stand-alone customs form. The form is available without charge at Post Office facilities, and an image of it is published at about.usps.com/forms/ps2976r.pdf. USPS asks you to fill it out fully, legibly, and completely in English using blue or black ink.
Use the counter if you did not complete the form online or you pay with postage stamps. The clerk uses your worksheet to print the barcoded customs form and puts copies of the worksheet in PS Form 2976-E, a transparent plastic envelope for customs form sets, attached to the package. USPS rules say the customer must sign the electronically generated form, and USPS keeps its copy of the worksheet for 6 years.
When a package also needs an export filing
A customs form tells the destination country what is inside. A separate US export filing, Electronic Export Information sent through the Automated Export System (AES), applies to some shipments. The International Mail Manual requires it when the value of any one type of goods is over $2,500, unless an exemption applies, and in other cases, such as when the item requires an export license under U.S. law.
Value is counted per Schedule B or tariff number, across all goods under that number mailed from the same sender to the same recipient on the same day. The federal Foreign Trade Regulations exempt goods under one Schedule B number valued at $2,500 or less. An accepted filing gets an Internal Transaction Number (ITN), which the International Mail Manual describes as the number assigned to a shipment confirming that the AES accepted the Electronic Export Information. IMM rules say the mailer must include the ITN on the customs form. Example: 300 mugs at $10 each, mailed to one buyer on one day, add up to $3,000 under one Schedule B number, which is over the threshold.
What happens if a customs form is wrong
If a package does not follow the customs form rules, USPS warns that the customs officials in the receiving country may reject, return, or potentially even destroy your package. Check the descriptions, the item values and the category before you print. A false, misleading or incomplete declaration can also lead to seizure or return of the item and/or criminal or civil penalties, according to the International Mail Manual.
Destination rules also change. USPS notes that from July 1, 2026, a package with merchandise valued up to €150 going to a country that follows EU customs rules may face new import duties and requirements.
Customs and export rules differ by destination country and by product, and they change. This page is general information, not legal or tax advice. For a specific shipment, check the USPS country listing for the destination and, for export questions, the Census Bureau's foreign trade pages.
Where Nation fits
Nation
Category: an AI store builder
Nation says one description of what you make builds the store, then agents handle orders, customers and delivery and run ads, content and social posts, with you approving the work. This guide covers USPS customs forms and points to the USPS tools for them.
Limits today
- Status: pre-launch, with a waitlist on withnation.ai.
- Pricing and fees: not announced yet.
- Shopper marketplace: no shopper marketplace has been announced.
- Track record: no independent reviews or public stores yet.
Nation publishes this page. The customs rules come from USPS, and the page does not recommend a carrier.
Describe what you makeQuestions about USPS customs forms
Which USPS customs form do I need?
The USPS customs form you need depends on the service. First-Class Package International Service items worth $400 or less use PS Form 2976 or 2976-A, Priority Mail International uses PS Form 2976-A, and Priority Mail Express International uses PS Form 2976-B. Hand-filled preprinted copies of these forms are obsolete and prohibited, so you create the form online or at a Post Office counter.
Can I fill out a USPS customs form online?
You can fill out a USPS customs form online with Customs Form Online or Click-N-Ship. Customs Form Online prints just the customs form, to save time at the Post Office. Click-N-Ship takes payment for postage and prints the label and the customs form together. USPS rules say all customs forms must be electronically generated, and the only paper option is a worksheet that a clerk turns into a printed form.
Is there a USPS customs form PDF?
The USPS customs form available as a PDF is PS Form 2976-R, USPS Customs Declaration and Dispatch Note, published at about.usps.com/forms/ps2976r.pdf. It is a worksheet: it cannot be used as a stand-alone customs form, so you hand it in at a Post Office counter and the clerk prints the barcoded form. Paper copies of PS Form 2976-R are available without charge at Post Office facilities.
Do I need an HS code on a USPS customs form?
A USPS customs form needs an HS code for each item. The International Mail Manual requires at minimum the 6-digit WCO HS code for each item. Click-N-Ship and Customs Form Online assign the code from a specific description, but the mailer remains solely responsible for the accuracy of HS codes, so check that the description matches the item.
How do I fill out a customs form for a gift?
A customs form for a gift uses the gift category and still lists every item with a specific description, quantity, net weight and value. USPS applies its detailed description rule to small personal gifts, ecommerce orders, and military and diplomatic mail (APO/DPO/FPO). Your signature certifies that the particulars given in this customs declaration are correct, so choose the category that matches what is in the box.