📋 The CN22 Customs Form
What it is, how to get one online, and how to fill it out, with a worked example
CN22 in one paragraph
The CN22 is the short customs declaration for low-value international items sent by post. It is a Universal Postal Union form used worldwide, and it is free. The U.S. version is PS Form 2976. The UPU value test is 300 SDR (roughly $400); above that, the longer CN23 applies. Most posts add a weight or service rule on top, covered below.
Sending from the U.S.? The green sticker is gone. USPS no longer accepts a hand-completed PS Form 2976. Its International Mail Manual lists the preprinted hard copies as obsolete and prohibited, and every customs form must now be generated electronically. You still give the same information. You just enter it online, or write it on a worksheet (PS Form 2976-R) that a clerk types in at the counter.
How to Get a CN22 Form Online
The route depends on where you are posting from. All of these are free apart from the postage itself.
From the United States
| Route | What you end up with | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| USPS Click-N-Ship | Postage and customs form printed together at home | The simplest full online route, and you can drop the parcel off or schedule a pickup. |
| USPS Customs Forms Online | A printed customs form, without postage | Use this if you plan to pay at the Post Office. It also shows the country's prohibitions and restrictions. This is the closest thing to "download a CN22." |
| Marketplace or shipping software | Form filled from the order | eBay, Etsy and mainstream shipping platforms do this. Check the description and value: they often default to the listing title, which can be too vague for customs. |
| PS Form 2976-R at the counter | A clerk-printed customs label | No printer needed. Fill in the free paper worksheet, and the clerk enters it, prints the barcoded form and has you sign. It is not a stand-alone form, so you cannot drop it in a mailbox. |
Blank "PS 2976" PDFs on third-party form sites are not a shortcut: a hand-filled copy will not be accepted. Online forms can be left at a counter, in a collection box or with a carrier pickup if the postage was not paid with stamps alone; USPS's customs forms FAQ has the detail.
From outside the United States
Many posts still use a paper CN22, and this is where a filled-in form remains normal. In the UK, for example, the Post Office guide (updated August 2026) says you can complete one online or fill in a blank by hand in block capitals, sign it and date it on the day of posting. Commonly quoted UK limits are £270 in value and 2 kg, though one shipping-software vendor reports Royal Mail moving to CN23 only, so check at the counter. Other posts are moving to electronic data at their own pace, because destinations increasingly want the customs data before the item arrives. Use your own post's site or branch, not a third-party template.
When Do You Use a CN22?
The UPU sets the value test. Each post then decides how that maps onto its services, which is why the "$400 and 4 lb" rule you see quoted is only part of the U.S. picture. In the U.S., the service you buy matters more than the weight (IMM Exhibit 123.61):
| USPS service | Customs form | Limits |
|---|---|---|
| First-Class Package International Service | PS 2976 (CN 22) or PS 2976-A | Up to 4 lb and up to $400 in value. Over $400 is not allowed on this service. |
| Priority Mail International | PS 2976-A at any value | A $20 item on this service still gets the longer form. |
| Priority Mail Express International | PS 2976-B at any value | A combined shipping label and customs form. |
| First-Class Mail International letters and flats | None for documents under 16 oz | Merchandise is not allowed in letters and flats. |
In practice the software picks the correct form from your weight, value and service. Going to a country with a USPS suspension? Check the USPS international service alerts first, because no form will get the parcel accepted.
How to Fill Out a CN22, Line by Line
These are the fields on the form, and the same questions Click-N-Ship, Customs Forms Online and the 2976-R worksheet ask you.
- Choose the category. Gift, Documents, Commercial sample, Returned goods, Sale of goods (USPS calls it Merchandise), or Other. This drives how the destination assesses duty, so be honest: a sold item marked "gift" is a false declaration.
- Describe the contents specifically. "Men's cotton T-shirt," not "clothing." "Stainless steel wristwatch," not "gift." Each distinct item gets its own line.
- Quantity. How many of each item.
- Net weight. The weight of the contents, without the box.
- Value. The actual value of the goods in the stated currency, not the postage you paid. See the note below.
- HS tariff number. Not optional on USPS goods shipments any more: the IMM treats an HS code of at least six digits as required data unless a country listing says otherwise. Paper forms from other posts may still leave it blank for private senders, but it speeds clearance. Look it up on your customs authority's tariff tool.
- Country of origin. Where the item was made, not where you posted it from. A China-made mug posted from Ohio is "China."
- Sign and date. At a USPS counter you sign the printed form. Online tools have you certify the declaration; if the printout has a signature line, sign it. On a paper CN22 elsewhere, sign in ink. An unsigned declaration can be refused.
What value do I put on a CN22? Enter the genuine value of the goods. For a gift, use fair market value (what it would cost to buy). For something you sold, use the price the buyer paid. If an item was free, such as a warranty replacement, you still declare its market value and can note "replacement, no charge" in the description. Do not write $0 to dodge duty: customs can re-value it and hold the parcel.
Worked Example
A gift from the U.S. to a friend in Germany containing a paperback book and a coffee mug:
| Field | What to enter |
|---|---|
| Category | Gift |
| Description & quantity | 1 × paperback book (fiction); 1 × ceramic coffee mug |
| Net weight | 0.4 kg book; 0.3 kg mug |
| Value | $12 book; $15 mug |
| HS code | 4901.99 book; 6912.00 mug (confirm on a tariff lookup) |
| Total value | $27 USD |
| Country of origin | USA book; China mug (or wherever each was made) |
| Signature & date | As the tool or clerk directs |
A genuine person-to-person gift at this value sits under the EU's €45 gift line, so nothing should normally be owed. The same parcel sold to a German customer would owe VAT from the first euro plus the new €3-per-item-category EU duty. The value and category you enter are what customs uses to decide.
Attaching the Form
The declaration goes on the outside of the parcel, not inside it, so it can be read without opening the box. At a U.S. counter, the clerk puts the copies in a clear PS Form 2976-E envelope stuck to the parcel. If you print at home, follow the print instructions and use one of those free envelopes where copies are needed, or tape the label flat on all four edges. Keep your sender copy or a screenshot: you will want the details if the parcel gets stuck in customs.
Related guides
Sending something worth more than $400 or using Priority Mail International? See the CN23 form. Want the forms side by side, plus the commercial invoice? See the customs forms guide. Worried about what arrives owing? Read duties, taxes & landed cost, and check the country guide for your destination. Posting into the U.S. from abroad has its own rules: see shipping to the USA.