Customs

Declarable Goods. Ensure your items meet the requirements for declarable goods, including but not limited to:

• Books
• Equipment
• Software (including printed material on discs)
• Computers
• Chemicals and Biological items (including free samples)
• All returns

If you are unsure whether your package is considered a “Declarable Good”, please contact customs@uwindsor.ca

Shipping Address. All imports should be shipped directly to campus. Ensure the employee name appears at the top of the shipping address, followed by the department name and on campus location:

Employee Name
Name of Your Department, Building and Office
University of Windsor
2601 Union Street
Windsor, ON
N9B 3P4

It is recommended to group multiple shipments from the same sender into a single shipment whenever possible. Doing so not only ensures timely delivery of all items, but also reduces duty and courier fees charged to your program/project accounts.

U.S. Warehouse. In the unlikely event that packages either cannot be shipped to a Canadian address, or shipping to Canada is extremely cost-prohibitive, the goods may be eligible for shipment to the University’s U.S. warehouse in Michigan. In order to determine if your shipment is eligible for use of the U.S. warehouse, you must contact customs@uwindsor.ca.

Note all warehouse-usage related charges including space rental, courier fees, brokerage fees and additional duty will be charged to the recipient.

Perishable or rush shipments delivered to the U.S. warehouse should be scheduled for the beginning of the week whenever possible. Recipients must coordinate delivery of perishable goods or rush shipments with warehouse staff a minimum of 1 business day prior to planned delivery. Wednesday morning is the final day that perishable or rush shipments can arrive at the warehouse in order to be cleared by customs and delivered to campus prior to the weekend.

Personal Items. Under no circumstances should personal items be shipped to the University’s mailing addresses or in any way be associated with the University of Windsor (including listing the University on shipping documents). Personal items being shipped to the University's U.S. warehouse will be disposed of.

The documents below must be submitted as attachments when completing the customs import form (outlined in Step #3).  It is the responsibility of the recipient to both a) request these documents from their vendor/shipper, and b) ensure the documentation is correct. Missing or incorrect forms are the most common reason for both delays and non-refundable incorrect CBSA duty/GST assessments.

          A. Commercial Invoice. This document is required for all imports, per CUSMA/USMCA regulations as of July 2020. It is provided by the vendor/manufacturer and must include:

• Basic summary description of goods
• Detailed description of shipment contents (generic descriptions cannot be used, i.e. machine parts, samples, plastic items etc.  They must be described accurately, specifically, and with standard simplified language in order to ensure proper classification is applied)
• Address of shipper
• Country of origin (itemized)
• Value of goods (itemized)

Note that a copy of an email from the vendor will not be accepted by CBSA.

Example of an acceptable Commercial Invoice can be accessed here.

           B. Completed CUSMA Certification Form. The CUSMA/USMCA certification form applies to imported goods that originate (made) in Canada, US, or Mexico, and will relieve the duty on applicable goods.  The recipient, vendor, or manufacturer can complete this form; we suggest that the vendor complete the certification as they would need to be consulted in the event of a CUSMA/USMCA claim review by CBSA.  The form contains an option to complete a blanket CUSMA/USMCA certification, valid for up to one year, on the same goods from the same vendor.  Note that the country of origin denotes where the goods were manufactured and not from where they were shipped. It is also important to note that NAFTA forms are no longer valid.  

CUSMA form can be accessed here.

If your import originates outside of Canada/USA/Mexico, please ensure you work with your vendor/shipper to arrange any customs documentation that might be necessary for entry to Canada.

Only University of Windsor employees have access to the customs form. It is the responsibility of the University recipient to collect the required documents and submit the customs form.

A University of Windsor customs import form submission is required for all goods entering Canada regardless of:

• a) country of origin,
• b) shipment method, 
• c) courier/shipper,
• d) prior exceptions under previous trade agreements, or
• e) if you have been contacted by the University's customs team or have received your shipment already.  

In order to ensure a smooth import and delivery process, the customs import form should be submitted as soon as the item is purchased/ordered/shipped. There is a field on the form that will allow you to attach the documents outlined in Step #2 above.

Failure to submit a customs import form with accompanying documentation may result in your shipment being delayed or denied clearance by CBSA, and/or incorrect assignment of non-refundable duty/GST and other customs fees. Submission of a customs import form is not negotiable.

Form can be accessed here.

Ensure you request the shipment’s tracking information from your vendor, sender, or courier.  Neither the Procurement Department nor our customs brokerage Thompson Ahern has access to your vendor’s shipment timelines or delivery estimates.

Monitor your tracking for changes or issues with your shipment to share with relavent parties: recipients in your department for receiving updates, Distribution Services for on campus delivery updates, or the customs team for customs related updates. 

For perishable, urgent, or shipments with atypical conditions, share the instructions, tracking information, and customs form ticket number with customs@uwindsor.ca

Items will be cleared by CBSA according to the information you have submitted in Steps #2 and #3 above.  

Please note that once the shipment has reached CBSA for processing, the Procurement Department does not have the ability to either provide status updates or expedite CBSA’s clearance procedures.  As long as all steps in this customs process have been correctly followed by the recipient, the shipment should be efficiently cleared through customs with the assistance of our customs broker.

Items will be delivered according to the address information you provided to the shipper.  

If a shipment’s tracking status is listed as delivered but you are not in possession of the items, first check with your department; in most cases the items have been received by a department representative.  If your department confirms that it has not yet received the delivered items, please contact Distribution Services at repair@uwindsor.ca.

The University strives to provide prompt service, however due to circumstances beyond our control (traffic, mechanical breakdowns, customs delays, etc.) we cannot guarantee goods will arrive on campus before Distribution Services closes for the day.