How to ship orders to the U.S. at a post office using Zonos Prepay app

How to prepay U.S. duty (required)

The free Zonos Prepay app lets you create a customs declaration, calculate duties and pay securely in Canadian dollars (CAD) – all before visiting the post office. You’ll receive a Declaration ID and QR code to show at a Canada Post retail outlet. Without a Declaration ID, your package cannot be accepted for delivery in the U.S.

The app supports multiple payment methods including credit card, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and more and is available in both English and French.

What you can do with the Zonos app

• Take a photo of the items you're shipping or add items manually by typing a description for each item.
• Use advanced AI to calculate accurate duties associated with your items.
• Pay any required duties in Canadian dollars (CAD).
• Create a customs declaration and receive your Declaration ID to bring to a Canada Post outlet.

What is a Declaration ID?

A Declaration ID is a 13-character code that proves you've completed your customs declaration and paid the required duties.

Why a Declaration ID is required:

• Under U.S. regulations, every package entering the country by mail must have duties prepaid.
• Canada Post will scan your QR code and validate your Declaration ID at the outlet.
• Without a Declaration ID, your parcel will not be accepted for shipping into the U.S.

How to prepare your shipment to the U.S. using the Zonos Prepay app

1. Download the Zonos Prepay appavailable for iOS and Android devices.
2. Once downloaded, set up your Prepay Account:

   • Click Create an account.
   • Create an account by signing in with your Google or Apple Account.
   • Alternatively, you can just enter your email address and a password. You will then receive an email with a 6-digit verification code. Enter this code to finalize your account set up.
3. Start your shipment

   • Open the app and select the Ship icon in the bottom middle of the screen.
   • Indicate if the items are used, a gift or a document
   • Select the country where these items are made. If you do not know, select "I'm not sure."
   • Select Canada Post and click Continue.
4. Add your items To add an item to a shipment, select “Take a picture.” If you cannot provide a picture, click Add items manually to enter this information. If you need to add additional items, click the + icon in the top right of the app. The app then uses AI to detect the following information and calculate an accurate duty for your shipment:

   • Item descriptions
   • Quantity
   • Estimated value
   • Country of origin
   • HS code
5. Review your shipment

   • Confirm or adjust values and item details
   • Click Proceed to checkout.
6. Pay duties

   • Select your preferred payment method (credit card, Apple Pay®, etc.).
   • Click Pay.
7. Get your receipt

   • The app generates a receipt with your Declaration ID and QR code.
   • Click Print receipt or Share receipt to save your receipt.
8. Present the QR code with the Declaration ID (on your phone or printed) to a Canada Post outlet to complete your shipment.
   

   If your shipment includes a business name or looks like a purchase, it will not qualify as a gift – even if marked as one.

To qualify as a gift:

• The package must be sent person-to-person
• The label must include "Unsolicited Gift" in the item description

Duty charged on gifts:

• Gifts under US$100: No duty required
• Gifts US$100 or more: Duty will be charged

Shipping documents

You will need to use the Prepay app to create a Declaration ID for any documents you are shipping into the U.S. You do not need to pay duty if you're shipping documents only (e.g., legal papers, certificates, diplomas).

However, if you include goods or merchandise (even in a document envelope), the shipment will be treated like a regular parcel – and duties will apply.

Calculate duties for items beforehand

If you’re looking to know how much duty you will be charged for shipping an item to the U.S., you can use the “Calculate” feature of the Prepay app to see the HS code, duty rate and other item information.

To use the Calculate feature in the Prepay app

You then will see the duty calculation, country of origin and HS code associated with the items you took a picture of.

Using this information, you can add the duty to the item price or shipping price for your customers to pay at checkout.

Frequently asked questions