May 14, 2020
The certificates of origin for good imported under the tariff preference of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) will not be valid for goods imported under a tariff preference of the new Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA).
CUSMA is scheduled to enter into force on July 1, 2020, replacing the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and there will be no transition period.
Unlike the NAFTA Certificate of Origin, the CUSMA certification of origin is not an actual form that can be filled-in. It is similar in a sense, in that it has very specific data requirements that have to be supplied on the document produced by a party to the transaction. As is the case for the NAFTA certificate, the CUSMA document can also be issued for a blanked period.
Before issuing a CUSMA origin certification document one should make sure that the goods qualify under the rules of origin requirements of the new agreement. For many goods there will be no difference between the NAFTA and CUSMA rules of origin, but this has to be ascertained for all goods.
The Canada Border Services Agency has a web page that gives details on how to prepare a valid certification of origin for goods imported under CUSMA.
- Certifying the origin of goods
Additional information on CUSMA is available on CBSA's website: The Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement: What importers need to know
Do not hesitate to contact our offices should you require additional information.