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Export Documents

The United States is the UK's largest single export market by value. Billions of pounds of British goods — food and drink, clothing, homeware, publishing, tech — cross the Atlantic every year, most of them via courier or air freight. The documentation requirements for US exports are different from EU exports in several important ways, and getting them right from the start avoids clearance delays and additional costs at the US border.

The Core Documents for US Exports

Commercial invoice. The commercial invoice is the primary document for US customs clearance. US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has specific requirements for what the invoice must contain — more prescriptive in some respects than EU requirements:

• Full name and address of the seller (UK exporter) and buyer (US importer)
• Detailed description of the goods — sufficient for CBP to classify them. "Clothing" is not sufficient; "women's woven cotton blouses, long sleeve" is.
• HTS (Harmonised Tariff Schedule) code — the US equivalent of the UK commodity code. Note that the US uses a 10-digit HTS code which differs from the UK's commodity code in its last four digits; confirm the correct US code for your goods.
• Country of origin — where the goods were manufactured
• Declared value in US dollars
• Quantity and unit of measure
• Currency of transaction

There is no equivalent of the TCA statement on origin for US exports — the US has no free trade agreement with the UK. The US-UK Economic Prosperity Deal agreed in May 2025 gives preferential treatment to specific sectors (cars, aerospace, steel and aluminium), but it is not an FTA, and most UK goods still pay the US baseline tariff described below. Origin is simply declared on the commercial invoice and used by CBP to assess the duties that apply.

Packing list. Required alongside the commercial invoice. Must match the invoice item for item — quantities, weights, and descriptions should be consistent. See what a packing list must include for the full field list.

Air Waybill (AWB) or Bill of Lading. The transport document issued by the carrier. For air freight and courier shipments, this is the Air Waybill. CBP uses this to track the shipment through the clearance process.

Duty on Every Shipment: The $800 De Minimis Threshold Is Gone

For years the US applied a de minimis threshold of $800: shipments below that value entered duty-free with minimal paperwork, and many small UK sellers built their US pricing around it. That regime has ended. The US suspended duty-free de minimis treatment for all countries from 29 August 2025, and a further executive order in February 2026 continued the suspension. Every shipment from the UK is now dutiable, whatever its declared value.

In practice, this means even a £40 Etsy or Shopify order attracts US duty on arrival. The courier collects the duty — plus its own processing fee — from the recipient, or from you if you ship DDP. Since 28 February 2026, shipments sent through the postal network are assessed using an ad valorem method: a percentage of the package's value, set by the country of origin, rather than a flat per-item charge.

What UK goods actually pay: the standard Column 1 MFN rate for the product, plus a baseline tariff of roughly 10% that has applied to most UK goods since April 2025. The legal basis for that baseline has shifted more than once — the Supreme Court struck down the original IEEPA tariffs in February 2026, the administration reimposed a 10% tariff days later under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, and the Court of International Trade ruled against the Section 122 tariff in May 2026, though it remains in force while the government appeals. The May 2025 Economic Prosperity Deal gives UK-built cars a 100,000-vehicle annual quota at 10%, duty-free treatment for aerospace goods, and specific arrangements for steel and aluminium — but leaves the roughly 10% baseline in place for most other goods. Check the current rate for your product shortly before quoting a landed cost: this area has changed several times since 2025 and may change again as the litigation runs its course.

FDA Registration for Regulated Products

If your goods fall under US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulation, additional requirements apply before your shipment can enter the USA:

• Food and beverages: your facility must be registered with the FDA, and prior notice of shipment must be filed before the goods arrive. Unregistered food shipments are refused entry.
• Cosmetics: currently subject to FDA registration requirements under the Modernisation of Cosmetics Regulation Act (MoCRA) for facilities and products.
• Dietary supplements: subject to FDA manufacturing and labelling requirements; US-specific compliance is required.
• Medical devices: require FDA 510(k) clearance or other regulatory pathway before sale in the USA.

Standard consumer goods — clothing, homeware, jewellery, stationery, most tech accessories — are not FDA-regulated and do not require registration. If you're unsure whether your product is regulated, check the FDA's product-specific guidance before shipping.

Certificate of Origin: Not Required for Most US Exports

Unlike Middle East exports — where a formal Chamber of Commerce certificate of origin is typically required — the USA does not routinely require a certificate of origin for most standard commercial goods. Country of origin is simply declared on the commercial invoice. A formal certificate may be requested for specific goods or circumstances, but it is not a standard requirement for UK exports to the US.

This makes US export documentation simpler than some other major markets in terms of origin certification. The complexity is instead in the commercial invoice requirements (particularly the HTS code and value in USD) and any FDA registration obligations for regulated product categories. See the full guide to which export documents you need for how US requirements compare to EU and Middle East.

When to Use a US Customs Broker

For most shipments valued above $2,500, a formal CBP entry is required, filed by a licensed US customs broker on behalf of your US buyer. Below that, the courier typically clears the goods through an informal entry — but with de minimis suspended, duty is charged either way. If you're selling B2B to US businesses at higher values, or shipping regular commercial volumes, your US buyer should have a customs broker relationship — but as the UK exporter, you still need to provide accurate documentation for the broker to work with.

For high-value, complex, or regulated goods, working with a UK freight forwarder experienced in US trade is strongly recommended for your first shipments. ClearDocs generates correctly structured commercial invoices and packing lists — the core documents that every US shipment needs, regardless of value.