Print International Customs Forms | How To

ShippingEasy Content Team

Updated November 10, 2023 17:38

We know international shipping can be tricky, so we have created a process that mirrors the steps for domestic shipping.

Within ShippingEasy, you can print customs forms (also known as commercial invoices) for USPS, UPS, and FedEx shipments.

Each carrier has options to print or send customs forms automatically if you meet the following requirements:

USPS Customs Forms: print automatically if you have ConnectEasy configured. If not, a PDF is generated from READY TO PRINT.
UPS Commercial Invoices: sent automatically to UPS electronically with UPS Paperless Invoicing (EDI). If you are shipping to a country that does not accept EDI, you can print forms on SHIPMENT HISTORY.
FedEx Commercial Invoices: print automatically if you have Electronic Trade Documents. If not, or if you are shipping to a country that does not accept an ETD, invoices must be printed from SHIPMENT HISTORY.

Value Added Tax For Shipments to UK and EU

For shipments going to the UK and EU, review our article on Value Added Tax (VAT and Import One-Stop-Shop (IOSS) numbers.

Before Printing Customs Forms

Review these steps before printing your customs form to ensure your documents are correct:

Review or update your LABEL settings to ensure that customs forms print in the correct format.
Fill out your INTERNATIONAL SHIPMENT settings so that ShippingEasy can automatically complete customs forms.
Purchase the international label by selecting a carrier, service, and package in the Order Details slide out.

If you set up your INTERNATIONAL SHIPMENTS settings, you likely will not need to adjust the customs Information. All the same, it is important to review the information for accuracy. This will help avoid any delays through customs.

Print USPS Customs Forms

If ConnectEasy is enabled for international postage, the customs forms will automatically print to your designated printer. Learn more about configuring ConnectEasy.

If you do not have ConnectEasy set up for international postage, the customs forms will await you on the READY TO PRINT page.

Click SHIPPING from the side navigation bar and choose READY TO PRINT.
Click on the Print icon to the right of the order in the "Purchased Labels" box on the READY TO PRINT page.
Apply your customs forms to your package. A new tab will open in your browser for you to print, or the label will be saved to your downloads folder. Open the PDF and print it to your preferred printer.

Label Contains Customs

The customs form information will be combined on the label.

Number of customs form

Some services will yield three customs forms, known as the CP72 form, and others only one, known as the CN22 form. Learn more about the difference between these types of customs forms.

For shipments that produce three copies of the label, put them in a plastic sleeve affixed to the exterior of the package

Services with three CP72 customs forms:

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

Example of CP72

Services with one custom form:

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

Example of CN22:

Example of USPS CN22 customs declaration form

Print UPS International Commercial Invoices

UPS Paperless Invoicing is a free service from UPS that eliminates paper invoices by electronically transferring your shipping information to UPS, thereby expediting the clearance process for Customs officials.

UPS Paperless Invoicing is automatically enabled for ShippingEasy UPS One Balance. International labels that use paperless invoicing will show "EDI" on the label:

UPS international label that uses paperless invoicing, showing EDI marked

UPS Paperless Invoice Labels Must Be Shipped Within 14 Days

UPS requires international packages that use paperless invoicing (EDI) be shipped within 14 days of creating the label. This ensures the shipment details are still in their system during the parcel’s transit to its destination. If a package has not been shipped within 14 days of label creation, UPS recommends voiding the label and creating a new one to decrease the chances of holds at customs.

Print UPS Commercial Invoices with ShippingEasy:

If you are shipping to a country that does not support paperless invoicing, you can print your customs forms/commercial invoices directly from the ShippingEasy app.

Click SHIPPING from the side navigation bar and choose SHIPMENT HISTORY.
Select "Download Customs Forms/UPS High Value Report" from the order Actions to the right of the shipment. Learn more about the UPS High Value Report.

A new tab will open in your browser for you to print, or the label will be saved to your downloads folder. Open the PDF and print it to your preferred printer.

If ConnectEasy is enabled for international postage, the customs forms will automatically print to your designated printer.

The Commercial Invoice will look similar to this:

Tax ID Numbers Submitted Electronically

The Tax Identification Numbers are submitted electronically and not displayed on the label. Learn how to set up your International Settings.

Print FedEx International Commercial Invoices

If you have verified with FedEx that you have Electronic Trade Document (ETD) support enabled on your FedEx account, ShippingEasy can send the ETD data to FedEx automatically.

Set up FedEx Electronic Trade Documents in ShippingEasy:

Account Requirements

Verify with your FedEx account manager that your account has FedEx ETD enabled.

Click the Manage Account link for your FedEx account in ShippingEasy.
Fill out the following fields:
- Check the box to Send Electronic Trade Documents (ETD).
- Upload your signature image.
- Upload your letterhead images.
Click Save. Your international FedEx labels will print "ETD" below the service name.

Not all FedEx destinations allow ETD (electronic trade documents) when importing into the country. Check if a destination allows ETD.

If you do not have ETD enabled on your FedEx account or are shipping to a country that does not accept an ETD, you must print customs forms.

Origin Tax ID

The origin ID is an internal designation for the account set by FedEx to determine route information. For further information, please reach out to FedEx.

Print Commercial Invoices in ShippingEasy:

Go to the SHIPPING tab and select SHIPMENT HISTORY.
Select Download Customs Form"from the order Actions next to the shipment.