When you have a shipment that must go across borders from the United States into
Canada there are many documents and forms that must be filled out and accompany that shipment. If you are not familiar with the documents and forms you should locate and use a New York courier service that is. Most courier services located in New York State will be familiar with everything that has to be filled out and sent with your shipment. Cross border shipping is not anything new; however, the forms do change regularly. It is in the best interest of the New York courier service to know these forms and to help you fill them all out properly. If the proper paperwork does not accompany the shipment it will hold up the courier service making them late delivering their other orders. The shipment could also be sent back, meaning the courier service will have to make an extra trip.
If you plan on doing a lot of cross border shipping, it is needless to say it should be one of your priorities to learn the forms needed and to stay on top of any new form requirements. This will save you and your courier service time. Depending on how much the value is of your shipment you may be required to fill out special forms and documentation. For any small value you will need to have an invoice for each item in your shipment. The invoice must list the price or value of the items and what each item is. If your courier does not carry the documentation, and there is a good chance they won't, they should be able to tell you where you can get the proper documentation. Chances are good you will be able to download all the forms and documents off of the internet.
Don't forget about the NAFTA agreement. If you have a shipment that falls under this agreement, that means more paperwork for you to do. If you are new to shipping to Canada tell your courier service and ask them to help you with all the different documentation. Ask them to check and make sure you have all the documents and forms filled out properly. Courier services like to keep their clients happy so they should have no objection to helping you. The little bit of time they spend helping you now means less time wasted at the border.