New free trade agreements facilitate small business and online e-commerce transactions. Canada's many trade agreements is making it easier than ever to ship goods duty free to Canada and duty from Canada to most the world's major economies.
Most Favour Nation (MFN) tariff rates are generally applicable for goods trading between Canada and other countries. Goods that meet the rules of origin of a specific trade agreement can benefit from preferential duty free import.
Building an international logistics network is never more important. From e-commerce online retailers to businesses accessing suppliers and selling their products. The low value duty free thresholds to Europe, Australia, Mexico and Australia primarily benefit e-commerce direct sales direct to consumers.
Canada's many free trade agreements benefit businesses importing and exporting goods. With the exception of China and India (albeit large exceptions!), goods from all the worlds major economies can benefit from preferential duty free import. And claiming these benefits has been made easier by (in most cases) not requiring a separate certificate of origin.
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Canada has free trade agreements with the USA and Mexico (USMCA CUSMA T-MEC), 10 countries in the Asia Pacific region (CPTPP), and 27 European countries and several stand alone agreements including with South Korea.
Canada's newest free trade agreements make it easier for companies to get the benefit of duty free entry for smaller orders. Many regular shippers are not aware that preferential duty free entry is available for the goods they sell internationally.
Advantages of Canada's Free Trade Agreements include:
One of the key features of Canada's newest free trade agreements is how they facilitate international shipping for small businesses as well as small packages (i.e. E-Commerce).
Disclaimer: The information in Jet Worldwide online content, including this post, is for general information only.
In order to qualify for lower tariffs under CETA, a product must be "originating" from either Canada or EU country. This means that the product must have undergone sufficient production or transformation in Canada or the EU to qualify as a domestic product of that country.
Just purchasing and shipping between Canada and European Union countries does not grant country of origin status for preferential duty free import.
There are two main methods for determining origin under CETA: The change of tariff classification method and the regional value content method.
Read More: Useful information explaining import duty and calculation
There are also specific rules of origin for certain sectors, such as textiles and apparel, automotive, and chemicals, which may have different requirements for determining origin. It is important to verify compliance with the consignee/ importer and regulatory authorities prior to shipping.
Read More: Country from where goods ship versus country of origin
When is a certificate of origin necessary
The country of origin determines if preferential duty free import applies. The country of origin is also supports regulatory actions such as quarantine and import quotas.
Read more: Understanding a certificate of origin.
Country of origin rules in Canadian Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) are the primary determinate into whether the goods can benefit from duty free import (or other preferential treatment). While there can be exceptions, most qualifying goods benefit from the the elimination of import duty.
Some important aspects include:
View Video: North American Free Trade Agreement
Jet helps Canadian companies build durable, efficient import processes into the product listing.
We provides transparency and best in class international shipping solutions for parcels, pallets and online orders shipping.
Canada's FTA's help Canada to increase its exports, by providing better access to different markets around the world, making Canadian goods and services more competitive.
List of countries with Free Trade Agreements and access Preferential duty free import.
Canada has overlapping free trade agreements with some countries, most notably Mexico (CUSMA and CPTPP). Importers can freely choose which agreement they wish to use but can only choose and it must be done at time of import.
For shipments from Mexico, some experts prefer using CPTPP versus CUSMA due to more favourable origin rules.
The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), formerly known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), is a trade agreement between 11 countries: Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam.
The overlap of trade agreements mostly seem to occur with CPTPP countries and include;
Each trade agreement has rules of origin to determine whether a product qualifies for duty-free import. These rules specify the minimum percentage of the product that must originate from one or more of the CUSMA countries in order to qualify for the preferential treatment.
The rules of origin have two main categories: general rules and sector-specific rules.
Simply purchasing a good from a country that has a free trade agreement with Canadas does not necessarily qualify them (as “wholly obtain or production entirely”) for preferential duty free import.
Canadian origin goods can gain a competitive advantage with duty free import to their customers in Europe, CPTPP countries, South Korea, USA and Mexico.
Most Favour Nation (MFN) tariff rates are generally applicable for goods between Canada and other countries.Goods that meet the rules of origin of a specific trade agreement can benefit from preferential duty free import. The MFN tariff rates apply to goods that do not meet the rules of origin (non-originating goods) even when there is a free trade agreement.
As it is often cause for confusion, it is important to clarify that from where an order is "shipping from" does not automatically qualify the goods for preferential duty free status.
Country of origin refers to where the country of manufacture.
For example: An item made in China but shipping from Canada to a European Union country will not qualify as Canada origin / preferential duty free entry under CETA free trade provisions.
Read More About Shipping to the UK and the Canada UK Trade Continuity Act
We strongly recommend that companies confirm regulatory compliance with authorities before shipping.Ultimately, the shipper/ exporter/ importer are the parties responsible for origin declarations and they should not depend solely on "googling".
As hard as we strive to be as informative as possible to assist shippers - including our industry leading blog - we always refer shippers to the actual regulations and regulators. The good news is that the Canadian and other government agencies generally happy to promote exports and assist both exporters and importers.
The default option for shipping internationally from Canada is delivery duty unpaid. Common carriers use the term EXW. This assigns import costs to the receiver/ importer. Although goods may qualify for duty free entry, the CIF value are still subject to value add tax and other import fees.
Shippers from Canada can choose to pay the import fees on behalf of the receiver via a Delivery Duty Paid (DDP) options that many carriers offer. Incoterms and shipping terms for cross border transactions
The disadvantage of paying import fees on behalf of the receiver is that the bulk of the import fees are often from a value add tax that the importing business may otherwise be able to claim back.
All of Canada's major trade deals, NAFTA (USMCA/ CUSMA/ T-MEC), CPTPP and CETA, include provisions to assist small companies to take advantage of free trade provisions. Most notable of the benefits is the easier process for country of origin declarations.
Canada's recent trade agreements allow for origin certifications directly on the shipping documents. Separate certificate of origins are generally no longer necessary.
Jet Worldwide works with Canadian artisans who sell local products internationally. Sell and ship goods for duty free import to major international markets.
The grand daddy of all major trade agreements the new NAFTA keeps the same basic provisions but with additional benefits.
Here is a sample origin statement:
“I hereby certify that the goods in this shipment qualifies as an originating good for the purposes of preferential tariff treatment under USMCA/T-MEC/CUSMA.”
Different duty assessment for goods shipping via USPS or Correos Mexican Post versus Courier.
Useful Information: Common Canadian Import Fees you must consider.
A lesser known but important trade deal for Canada is with the European Free Trade Association or EFTA. The EFTA is an intergovernmental trading bloc that includes Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland. The EFTA-Canada free trade agreement facilitates trade and allows for preferential duty free clearance for qualifying goods between Canada and EFTA countries.
For imports not exceeding $3,300 to Canada, the requirement for proof of origin is not necessary at import. However, the requirement on the importer to maintain records remains.
Imports from Least Developed Countries (LDCs) can benefit from preferential duty rates. These programs cover different products and criteria. These programs are:
Generally, the world is moving towards updating processes to accommodate individual online orders. Jet Worldwide helps companies understand and take advantage of the opportunities for reaching new international markets AND finding new international suppliers.
CETA European Canadian Free Trade Agreement
New NAFTA Free Trade USMCA/ CUSMA/ TMEC
There are a few options for shipping international freight to and from Canada.
Some options include:
When choosing a shipping method, you will need to consider factors such as the size and weight of your freight, the time frame in which you need it to arrive, and your budget. It may be helpful to compare quotes from different carriers to find the best option for your needs.
Importers - even importing from a free trade partner - must both have an import number and register in CARM.
This CBSA portal enables importers to assign a broker and requires a surety bond (or deposit). Learn more about CARM.