🎯 In 30 seconds: The US has free trade agreements (FTAs) with 20 countries. If your product “originates” under the agreement’s rules, your buyer in one of those countries can often import it at a lower duty, frequently zero. That price edge costs you only paperwork: check the rule of origin for your HS code, keep the records, and give the buyer a certification of origin.
The 20 partner countries
trade.gov lists 14 agreements with 20 countries in force:
| USMCA | Canada, Mexico |
| CAFTA-DR | Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua |
| Single-country FTAs | Australia, Bahrain, Chile, Colombia, Israel, Jordan, Korea, Morocco, Oman, Panama, Peru, Singapore |
USMCA status, October 2026: at the six-year joint review on July 1, 2026, the US did not agree to extend the agreement. It stays in force and now goes through annual reviews, with talks continuing. Rules of origin, especially for autos and steel, could tighten, so check the current text before relying on it.
In 2026 the US also signed several “Agreements on Reciprocal Trade”, for example with El Salvador and Guatemala in January 2026. These are not on trade.gov’s FTA list. Ask your trade specialist whether one changes the rate for your product.
How an FTA cuts the buyer’s duty
Worked example with made-up rates: a buyer in Colombia orders $20,000 of your pumps. Their normal duty on that HS code is 10%, so $2,000. Under the US-Colombia FTA the rate on that code has phased to 0%. If your pumps qualify, the buyer saves $2,000 on every order of that size. A competitor shipping from a non-FTA country still pays the $2,000.
The free FTA Tariff Tool on trade.gov shows, for each partner and HS code, the starting rate, the yearly phase-out and when it hits zero, plus the product-specific rule of origin.
Rules of origin
“Made in USA” on the box is not enough. The product has to meet the agreement’s rule for its HS code. trade.gov describes three common kinds:
- Wholly obtained: grown, mined or made entirely in the FTA countries.
- Tariff shift: the imported parts must change HS classification when you make the final product. If they do, trade.gov notes the amount of non-FTA parts does not matter.
- Regional value content (RVC): a set share of the value must come from FTA countries, calculated by a method the agreement names (build-up, build-down, net cost or transaction value).
Some rules let you use either test, or require both. trade.gov’s example: wooden furniture under the US-Chile FTA can qualify by a simple heading change, or by a subheading change plus RVC of 35% (build-up) or 45% (build-down).
Certificates of origin
Requirements vary by agreement. USMCA has no required form: a certification with a minimum set of data elements, on an invoice or separate page, is enough. trade.gov says the CAFTA-DR and Australia agreements also do not require a specific certificate, though the importer may ask for a format. The importer usually claims the preference, but the certification often comes from you.
Separately, some non-FTA buyers ask for a generic certificate of origin, often stamped by a chamber of commerce. That proves where goods were made but does not lower duty on its own.
Step by step
- Find the 6-digit HS code (see the classification page).
- Open the FTA Tariff Tool, pick the buyer’s country, enter the code.
- Compare the FTA rate with the normal rate. No gap, no need to bother.
- Read the rule of origin. List each input and where it came from.
- If it qualifies, prepare the certification and keep the supporting records.
- Put the duty savings in your pitch. It is a real selling point.
More on the full export path: Start a Business.