10 January 2022
Canadian Custom Brokerage

Canada-United States-Mexico New Trade Agreement (CUSMA) comes into effect – July 1st 2020

The new Canada-United States-Mexico Trade Agreement (CUSMA) comes into effect on July 1st, 2020, replacing the age-old North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

This new agreement has a different title in each participating country.

  • Canada: Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) or Accord Canada-États-Unis-Méxique (ACEUM)
  • The U.S.: United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA)
  • Mexico : Tratado Mexico, Estados Unidos, Canada (T-MEC)

There are many improvements in the new agreement including:

  • Permitting producers, exporters or importers to certify a qualification, which was previously limited to only exporters;
  • The elimination of formal certificates of origin to be replaced by unformatted certification of origin based on 9 minimum data elements, which can be included on the commercial invoice or separate document (see below);
  • New Specific Rules of Origin;
  • Increase to the De Minimis thresholds.
  • An increase from 1 to 4 years for filing claims for reimbursement of CUSMA rights.

For imported goods (Customs Clearance) on or after July 1st, 2020, NAFTA certificates will not be accepted, and importers must have valid CUSMA certification of origin in order to benefit from the preferential right.

Please visit the client section of our website for the CUSMA certification forms we have prepared.

As the CUSMA specific rules of origin have changed since NAFTA, certifiers will want and need to determine if their goods qualify for the preferential duty under CUSMA.

For this the Axxess Customs Consulting Group can:

  • Assist in identifying NAFTA qualifying goods and dutiable goods that would benefit from CUSMA certification;
  • Conduct CUSMA Origin Analysis to determine if goods qualify;
  • Verify if CUSMA certifications are completed properly; and/or
  • Assist in the preparation/obtention of CUSMA certifications.

We have prepared a Q&A to guide you through the various changes, consult it HERE.

Should you have any questions on this matter or require CUSMA services, please do not hesitate to contact your Axxess Account Executive or the Axxess Customs Consulting Group.

1-866-449-9377 or consultation-mtl@axxessintl.com

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