CN22 vs CN23: Which Customs Form Does Your Shopify Parcel Need?

You post orders from your Shopify store with the national post: Deutsche Post, La Poste, Royal Mail, PostNL or Swiss Post. A parcel is going outside your customs territory, the counter asks for a customs declaration, and you are holding two forms: a small green CN22 label and a bigger CN23. Which one does this parcel need, and what goes in each box?

This guide explains both forms, the value rule most guides still quote and what the UPU rules actually say today, the data each line needs, and how to prepare the form from your orders instead of writing it by hand. It is practical guidance, not customs advice. Your postal operator’s current rules decide, and what you declare stays your responsibility.

When you need a customs form at all

CN22 and CN23 are the customs declarations of the postal system, set by the Universal Postal Union (UPU). You need one when an item sent by post crosses a customs border. Inside the EU customs union there is none; between the EU and Switzerland, Norway, the UK or the US there is. EU countries and Northern Ireland count as one customs territory for goods, so the line for a UK seller runs between Great Britain and Northern Ireland as well as at the EU border.

Express couriers that are not part of the postal system usually do not use CN forms. They ask for a commercial invoice instead. If you ship with both, keep the data the same on both documents.

CN22 and CN23 in one table

	CN22	CN23
What it is	Customs declaration label	Full customs declaration
Size and place	A label stuck on the front of the item	A form attached outside the item, usually in a transparent envelope
Typical use	Small letter-post items with few, low-value lines	Parcels, and items whose contents do not fit on a CN22
Space	A few lines	More lines, plus licence, certificate and invoice references

Both forms ask for the same core facts: a detailed description, quantity, net weight, value and currency for each article, and for commercial items the HS code and country of origin. Both carry the sender’s signature and date, which confirm the sender’s liability for the item (UPU International Bureau Circular 100, 2022).

For postal parcels, the CN23 is the usual form. The Swiss customs office, for example, says parcels sent by post need a CN23 and letters a CN22, with a copy of the invoice or another document that certifies the value enclosed (BAZG: Courier, post, online shopping).

The 300 SDR rule, and what changed

Most guides say: CN22 up to a value of 300 SDR (the IMF’s Special Drawing Rights, roughly a few hundred euros or pounds), CN23 above. That rule came from Article 20-001 of the UPU Convention Regulations, which used to require CN23 forms “if the value of the contents declared by the sender exceeds 300 SDR”.

From 1 June 2023 the UPU took that value condition out of the article. The amended text asks for CN23 forms with a letter-post item if the sender prefers, and the instructions on the new CN22 say that if the contents do not fit in the space available, you must use a CN23 (UPU Circular 100, 2022, Article 20-001 and form CN 22).

In practice that means:

• Your postal operator’s rule decides. Many operators still use a value line of their own, and some use a weight line. Check their current page before you print a batch of labels.
• When in doubt, use the CN23. It holds everything a CN22 holds, and more. A parcel never has a problem because its declaration is too complete.
• A shop’s order is often a CN23 anyway. Several products, an invoice that has to travel with the goods, or anything that is not a small letter-post item, and you are past what a CN22 holds.

What to write on each line

The UPU’s instructions on the back of both forms are short and specific (UPU Circular 100, 2022):

• Detailed description of each article. “Men’s cotton shirts”, not “clothes”. General descriptions such as “spare parts”, “samples” or “food products” are not permitted.
• Quantity and the unit used.
• Net weight of each article in kg, and the total weight of the item including packaging.
• Value of each article and the total, with the currency.
• HS tariff number (six digits, from the Harmonized System) and country of origin, meaning where the goods were produced, manufactured or assembled. These are the fields the instructions recommend senders of commercial items to complete.
• Category of item. Tick “Sale of goods” for an order. “Gift” is not an acceptable reason for commercial items.
• An invoice. For commercial items, attach an invoice. The CN23 instructions say so directly.

The same instructions warn that a false or misleading declaration may lead to a fine or to seizure of the item.

Where the data comes from in Shopify

Almost every field on the form is already in your store:

Form field	Where it lives in Shopify
Description	Product title, or a plain customs description you keep
Quantity, value, currency	The order’s line items, after discounts
Net weight	The variant’s weight
HS code, country of origin	The variant’s Shipping section (Shopify: Adding HS codes)
Sender and recipient	Your store address and the order’s shipping address

The gaps are usually the HS code, the country of origin and a description that customs will accept. Our guide to Shopify HS codes and country of origin shows how to fill them in for many products at once.

Shopify’s own options

If you buy labels through Shopify Shipping in a country where it is available, Shopify fills in customs information from your products. For destinations without paperless trade, Shopify says the customs form has to be printed and secured to the outside of the parcel; you can print it from the order or in bulk from the shipping labels page (Shopify Help Center: Printing shipping documents).

If you buy postage elsewhere, at the post office counter or through your postal operator’s own online tool, you fill in the declaration there or on paper. That is where shops start copying lines from the order page into a form, one parcel at a time.

A short routine for every international parcel

1. Check the data before packing. Every line has a description, an HS code, an origin and a weight.
2. Pick the form your operator asks for. CN23 for parcels, or whenever the contents do not fit on a CN22.
3. Match the invoice to the form. Same lines, same values, same currency.
4. Put both in the pouch on the outside of the parcel, unless your operator takes the data electronically and tells you a paper copy is not needed.
5. Keep a copy of what you declared, in case the parcel is held or the buyer asks.

Where Tarifo: Commercial Invoices fits

Tarifo: Commercial Invoices is an app that creates commercial invoices, proforma invoices and CN23 forms from your Shopify orders and draft orders.

• CN23 from the order. The layout is based on the UPU CN 23 form. Descriptions, quantities, net weights, values, HS codes and countries of origin come from the order and your variants, with a reason for export such as Sale of goods or Gift.
• The invoice to go with it. Create the commercial invoice for the same orders, so the values on both match.
• One or many. Up to 250 orders per run, as one merged PDF or a ZIP with one PDF per order, in English, German or French, picked from the destination address or fixed by you.
• A check first. The pre-shipment check flags open international orders that miss an HS code, origin or weight before you print anything.

It does not create the small CN22 label, buy postage or submit anything to customs. It prepares the documents; you or your carrier submit them, and you remain responsible for what you declare. See the app’s page.

FAQ

Is CN22 or CN23 required above 300 SDR? That was the UPU rule until 1 June 2023. The UPU has since removed the value condition from its regulation, but many postal operators still apply a value or weight line of their own. Follow your operator’s current rule.

Do I need a CN23 for a parcel to Switzerland? Swiss customs says parcels sent by post need a CN23, with the invoice or another document showing the value.

Do I need a commercial invoice as well as the CN23? For commercial items, the UPU’s CN23 instructions say to attach an invoice. A sale from your shop is a commercial item.

Can I write “Gift” on the form for a shop order? No. An order from your shop is a sale of goods. The CN22 instructions say “Gift” is not an acceptable reason for commercial items.