The new Agreement has several names:

• CUSMA (Canada-US-Mexico Agreement)​
• USMCA (US-Mexico-Canada Agreement)​
• ACEUM (Accord Canada-Etats-Unis-Mexique)
• T-MEC (Tratado entre Mexico, Estados Unidos y Canada)

CUSMA has specific rules of origin that apply to each good, which are not always the same rules that applied under NAFTA. In addition, CUSMA replaced the NAFTA Certificate of Origin with a CUSMA certification of origin. Therefore, for shipments entered into commerce on or after 1 July 2020, an importer should ensure that it has confirmed that its goods meet the relevant CUSMA rules of origin and that it has a sufficient CUSMA certification of origin in its possession, as well as all required back-up documentation to support preferential treatment claims. The CUSMA certification of origin may be completed by the importer, exporter, or producer of the goods, and may be in any form/format as long as it contains 9 minimum data elements, as outlined below:

• Which party is making the certification (importer, exporter or producer)
• Certifier details: name, title, address, phone#, email
• Exporter details: name, address, email, phone#
• Producer details: name, address, email, phone#
• Importer details: name, address, email, phone#
• Description and HTSUS# (to, at least, the 6-digit level)
• Origin Criteria
• Blanket period (if applicable)
• Signature and date, including the following statement: ‘I certify that the goods described in this document qualify as originating, and the information contained in this document is true and accurate. I assume responsibility for proving such representations, and agree to maintain and present upon request or to make available during a verification visit, documentation necessary to support this certification.’

Prior to completing the certification, you must ensure that your goods qualify for preferential treatment under the applicable CUSMA rules of origin. Commodity-specific rules of origin may be found in the text of the agreement, here:

• United States
• Canada
• Mexico

UPS has created a sample of what can be used as a CUSMA certification of origin (i.e., the CUSMA certification of origin form) that contains fields for the above-named data elements, and is available here.

This certification should be completed for each shipment and included with your other shipping documents. A printed copy of the new form may be attached to the shipment or attached electronically using the ‘Upload My Forms’ feature for ups.com shipping or through WorldShip.

• The ‘Upload My Forms’ capabilities may be enabled by enrolling in Paperless Invoice on ups.com.
• On ups.com, the CUSMA certification of origin form will be available during shipment processing for your completion.
• For WorldShip, the form may be accessed through the International Forms Library.
• For other shipping applications, please contact your vendor for the new processes

Alternatively, you may complete a blanket certification, which will cover all shipments of goods that you confirm qualify for preferential treatment under the CUSMA rules of origin up to 1 year. If you opt to utilize a blanket certification, please follow these instructions to ensure that your brokerage representative receives it:

• US Imports: Send via email to: CUSMA@ups.com
• CA Imports: Send via email to: CUSMAprocessing@ups.com
• MX Imports: Send via email to: TMEC@ups.com

For goods under a certain low value threshold (subject to certain exemptions), a certification of origin with the nine data elements is not required; however, a written representation certifying that the good(s) qualifies as an CUSMA originating good(s) (such as ‘I hereby certify that the good covered by this shipment qualifies as an originating good for the purposes of preferential tariff treatment under the CUSMA’) must still be provided and it is still your responsibility to confirm that the relevant goods qualify for CUSMA preferential treatment under the CUSMA rules of origin (and maintain all necessary back-up origin verification documentation). Low value thresholds for each country are:

• US$ 1,000 for goods destined to Mexico from Canada or US
• US$ 2,500 for goods destined to US from Canada or Mexico
• CAD$ 3,300 for goods destined to Canada from US or Mexico

Please note that if the relevant government agency of the importing CUSMA party (e.g., Canada Border Services Agency for Canada) determines that an importation under one of these thresholds is part of a series of importations carried out or planned for purposes of evading compliance with preference requirements, the importer may be required to submit a certification of origin.