Duties

Certificate of origin: what US imports require

Independent site, not a government agency or a customs broker. General information, not legal advice or customs advice.

Try the claim in the tool to see what it saves, then read what the certification must contain.

What an origin claim can save

Other articles of plastics and articles of other materials of headings 3901 to 3914 > Other > Other

Where the goods were made, not where they ship from.

Price paid for the goods, without international freight and insurance.

Claim the Mexico trade agreement?

Duties and customs fees

$1,577

3926.90.99: duties $1,530, 15.3% of value

Ordinary duty (5.3%)
Column 1 General		$530
Section 301, 60 economies (10%)
Heading 9903.05.55		$1,000
Merchandise processing fee
0.3464% of value, min $34.58, max $670.86		$35
Harbor maintenance fee
0.125% of value, ocean cargo at covered ports		$13

Rates of 2026 HTS Revision 22, read on 2026-11-02. Antidumping and countervailing duties, state taxes and USTR exclusions are not included. Estimate, not a customs ruling. Everything you enter stays in this browser: nothing is sent or stored.

Link to this calculation · Method

Most US imports need no certificate of origin at all. You declare the origin at entry, and you must be able to back it up. A certificate matters when you claim a lower rate under a trade agreement. For USMCA, 19 CFR 182.12 does not prescribe a form. A certification may be written on an invoice or any other document, or sent electronically, and it may be completed by the importer, the exporter or the producer. It must be in the importer’s possession when the claim is made, and it must include specified data elements, such as who certifies, the names and addresses of the parties, a description of the good and its HS classification, and the origin criterion. The importer submits it at CBP’s request. An invoice issued in a non-USMCA country cannot carry it. Other agreements have their own rules, so read the rule for yours. Read on November 2, 2026.

Merchandise processing fee

Fee for this entry

$69.28

Entryformal
Before limits$69.28
Harbor fee, ocean$25.00

Amounts for fiscal year 2027, from 1 October 2026. Goods over $250 that owe an additional duty in chapter 99 cannot use an informal entry, so the formal fee applies.

Open the import duty calculator →

Rates read by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method and sources

What a claim changes

In the tool above, try Mexico with the claim on and off. Without it, a plastic article on 3926.90.99 owes $1,530 (15.3%) on $10,000 at 5.3% plus the 10% country duty. With a good USMCA claim, the Special column removes ordinary duty, note 52(g) and (h) remove the country duty for goods entered free, and 19 CFR 24.23 removes the processing fee. That is a large saving, and it is the reason for careful records.

Data a USMCA certification needs

  • Whether the certifier is the importer, exporter or producer.
  • Certifier’s name, title, address, telephone and email.
  • Exporter’s and producer’s details, and the importer’s where known.
  • A description of the good and its HS code at six digits.
  • The origin criterion applied.
  • The blanket period, if it covers several shipments.
  • A signature and date, with the statement the rule requires.

Read the full list in the rule. This summary does not replace it.

Where to read next

Read origin rules first, then the agreement’s rules for your code. The agreements page lists the symbols in the tariff.

Questions importers ask

Who can sign a USMCA certification of origin?

Under 19 CFR 182.11 and 182.12, the importer, the exporter or the producer may complete it. It must be signed and dated by a responsible official of that party, or by an authorized agent where the rule allows. It can be written or electronic, with no set form. The importer has to hold it when the claim is made, and to provide it if CBP asks.

How long does a USMCA certification last?

Under 19 CFR 182.12, a certification that is properly completed, signed and dated is accepted as valid for four years from the date it was completed. It can cover a single shipment, or multiple shipments of identical goods within a blanket period of no more than 12 months, set out in the certification. Check the period on yours against your entries before you make each claim.

What happens if I find out that my certification was wrong?

Under 19 CFR 182.11, an importer with reason to believe a certification is inaccurate or invalid must promptly and voluntarily correct the claim, pay any duties that may be due, and submit a statement to CBP. Acting first generally puts you in a better position than waiting for CBP to find it. Keep the records of the correction with the entry file.

Check next

Country of origin rules

Substantial transformation, textile rules, and what origin changes on the bill.

Trade agreements and column 2

Tariff symbols by partner, what a claim removes, and column 2 countries.

Merchandise processing fee

The fiscal 2027 MPF, its limits, and the harbor maintenance fee.

Customs broker cost

No official scale of fees: what to ask and where to add it.

Official sources behind this page

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Independent publisher of a reference to US import duties: the tariff schedule, additional duties by origin, customs fees and freight measures, with free calculators

Tariff and notices read on · Editorial policy · Contact

US tariff schedule 2026, read in the USITC files and the Federal Register, last checked on