CN22 and CN23 are postal declarations. The required form depends on the postal product, value, destination and purchase channel. Do not apply a generic international threshold to every Canada Post service. Follow the selected service’s instructions and verify electronic customs data.
Plan your shipment
CN22 and CN23: what are they?
CN22 and CN23 are forms standardized by the Universal Postal Union, the body that coordinates national postal networks. They declare to the destination country what is inside an international postal parcel: what the goods are, how many, how much they weigh, what they are worth and where they were made. That is what a customs officer reads to decide whether the shipment clears freely, gets taxed, or gets held for inspection.
The key thing to remember: both forms belong to the postal world. They accompany Canada Post international shipments (Small Packet, International Parcel, Xpresspost International and similar services). A parcel handed to a courier follows a different documentary logic, that of the commercial invoice, even though the information being declared is essentially the same.
CN22 vs CN23: what is the difference?
CN22 and CN23 are postal declarations. The required form depends on the postal product, value, destination and purchase channel. Do not apply a generic international threshold to every Canada Post service. Follow the selected service’s instructions and verify electronic customs data.
| Criterion | CN22 | CN23 |
|---|---|---|
| Format | Short declaration | Detailed declaration |
| Form selection | Depends on postal product, value and channel | Depends on postal product, value and channel |
| Additional documents | Check the service instructions | Check the service instructions |
| Electronic transmission | Check channel requirements | Check channel requirements |
CN22 and CN23 are postal declarations. The required form depends on the postal product, value, destination and purchase channel. Do not apply a generic international threshold to every Canada Post service. Follow the selected service’s instructions and verify electronic customs data.
Do not guess which form you owe. When you buy an international label online, the customs declaration is produced from the details you enter: contents, quantity, weight, value, country of origin. Check those fields at the rate and label step, because they, and not the form itself, decide the customs outcome.
What if I ship by courier instead of by post?
Then you will never see a CN22 or a CN23. Couriers work from a commercial invoice, usually generated alongside the label and transmitted electronically to customs before the parcel arrives. This is the single most common point of confusion for Canadian SMBs: they go looking for a CN22 for a FedEx or UPS shipment when the expected document simply goes by another name.
| You ship via | Customs document expected |
|---|---|
| International postal service | Follow product requirements for CN22/CN23 and electronic data |
| International courier | Check commercial invoice and goods-specific documents |
| Documents without goods | Confirm shipment classification and service requirements |
The good news: the underlying information is identical in both worlds. A precise description, an honest value, an accurate country of origin and a relevant HS code work just as well on a CN23 as on a commercial invoice. Switching carriers does not mean relearning customs, only letting the system produce the right template.
What has to appear on the declaration
Whether the form is short or long, customs is always looking for the same handful of things. It is the quality of those fields, not the choice of template, that decides whether your parcel moves without friction.
- A precise description of the contents: write what it actually is. Men's cotton sweater, not clothing. Aluminum bicycle replacement part, not part.
- The quantity and net weight of each item type, in units consistent with the rest of your label.
- The declared value and the currency. Declare the real transaction value, even if the item was discounted or is being sent as a replacement.
- The country of origin, meaning the country of manufacture and not the country the parcel leaves from. An item made elsewhere but shipped from Canada does not have Canada as its origin.
- The HS code where it is requested, to classify the goods. Our HS-code reading guide explains how to find one and sanity-check it.
- The shipment category: sold goods, gift, commercial sample, returned goods or other. That box steers how customs handles the parcel.
- Complete sender and recipient details, plus the date and a signature where the form calls for one.
Mistakes that get a parcel held or returned
Incorrect description, value, origin or classification can cause a hold. The form and electronic transmission must also meet service requirements; no single dominant cause of delays is established here.
- A vague description. Goods, sample, gift or part tells a customs officer nothing and invites a manual inspection.
- An under-declared value meant to reduce duty. This is the classic cause of a hold, a penalty or a return to sender, and insurance generally will not pay beyond the declared value anyway.
- The country of shipment written in place of the country of manufacture.
- Declared contents that do not match what is actually in the box, for instance after adding one last item without updating the declaration.
- Approximate weight or dimensions, which trigger a carrier adjustment on top of the customs questions.
- Ticking gift for a commercial shipment. Gift rules are strict and vary by country, so check before you tick.
Ship internationally without drowning in paperwork
In practice, a Canadian SMB does not have to choose between CN22, CN23 and a commercial invoice. It has to enter the contents of the parcel correctly once, then let the platform produce whatever document the chosen carrier expects. That is also the right moment to compare: depending on the lane and the weight, a postal service and a courier service offer very different price-and-arrival-date trade-offs, and the customs document simply follows the choice.
With a free MesColis account and no contract, you see Canada Post, Purolator, UPS, FedEx and others side by side for the same parcel, each with its estimated delivery date. We do not claim to be cheapest on every lane: the point is to see the options together and let the actual numbers decide, while the customs declaration fills itself from details you have already entered.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a CN22 and a CN23?
CN22 and CN23 are postal declarations. The required form depends on the postal product, value, destination and purchase channel. Do not apply a generic international threshold to every Canada Post service. Follow the selected service’s instructions and verify electronic customs data.
Do I need a CN22 for a FedEx, UPS or DHL shipment?
No. CN22 and CN23 are postal forms. A courier shipment travels with a commercial invoice, usually produced with the label and transmitted electronically to customs. The declared information is the same: description, quantity, value, country of origin and HS code.
Do I have to fill the declaration in by hand?
Rarely, if you buy your label online. The parcel details you enter generate the declaration, which prints along with the label. Filling a paper form by hand is mostly a post-office-counter scenario now.
What happens if I declare too low a value?
You expose the shipment to a hold, a penalty or a return to sender, and your recourse if it is lost is generally capped at the declared value. Declaring the real transaction value is as much a protection as an obligation.