To send a letter from Canada to the USA, use Canada Post for the paper in your hand, or a US print-and-mail service if the recipient accepts a printed copy. Start with what must arrive: the original document, a copy, or a mailing with a particular record. That choice determines which services are suitable.
An envelope with two sheets: size, cost and delivery#
For this example, fold two sheets of paper into a 220 × 110 mm envelope, with no other enclosures. Weigh it after sealing: the price below applies only up to 30 g.
- Size: That envelope fits Standard Letter-post. Keep it no thicker than 5 mm. Standard envelopes can be up to 245 × 156 mm and 50 g, but the lowest price covers only the first 30 g.
- Postage: C$1.75 in stamps for Standard Letter-post to the USA, excluding taxes. Supply your own paper and envelope.
- Delivery: Canada Post’s US delivery standard is 4–6 business days, not guaranteed. Its current USA service alert warns of possible delays.
Extra sheets or thicker paper can move you into a higher price band. Weigh the finished envelope rather than choosing postage from the sheet count.
Sources: size limits (opens in new tab); US stamp prices (opens in new tab); delivery standard (opens in new tab); current service alerts (opens in new tab). Checked October 25, 2026.
Choose the route that meets the recipient’s requirements#
Choose by what the recipient needs
Your mailing | Starting point | What to confirm |
|---|---|---|
Ordinary correspondence | Canada Post Letter-post | Check that the contents, size and weight qualify. |
Original document with mailing and delivery records | Ask Canada Post about Xpresspost–USA | Canada Post provides its U.S.-bound registered service through Xpresspost–USA. |
A printed copy is acceptable | Compare US printing with Canada Post | Postmarkr requires an authorized, usable US return address. |
Goods, a book or a collectible card | Check Canada Post’s merchandise requirements | An envelope does not make merchandise eligible for Letter-post. |
Canada Post’s Letter-post overview (opens in new tab) covers correspondence mailed from Canada to other countries. For proof of mailing and delivery information, its Registered Mail guidance (opens in new tab) directs U.S.-bound senders to Xpresspost–USA. That service supplies a mailing receipt, tracking and delivery confirmation, and the name of the person who accepted delivery; a signature image is available on request. If the recipient names a required service, confirm that the proposed option meets their instructions before buying it.
Check the contents before buying postage#
Ordinary correspondence and documents with no commercial value are different from merchandise. Canada Post’s U.S. shipping FAQ (opens in new tab) lists invoices and statements as documents, but books and trading cards as merchandise. Adding a collectible card changes the task even if everything still fits in an envelope.
Canada Post says Letter-post documents of no monetary value need no customs documentation (opens in new tab). Keep that exception tied to the service and contents: it does not cover every paper item or every shipping product. If you include goods, follow the current merchandise process in the U.S. shipping FAQ before purchasing postage.
Get the postage for your finished envelope#
Assemble the cover letter, documents and envelope first. Weigh the complete piece and measure its length, width and thickness. Compare it with Canada Post’s Letter-post size requirements (opens in new tab); a large or thick envelope may fall into a different category from a standard letter.
For ordinary postage, open Canada Post’s stamp prices (opens in new tab), select U.S., choose the matching standard or non-standard/oversize category, and use the finished weight. The page’s sheet counts are only a guide: paper and envelope choices change the actual weight. Listed prices exclude taxes.
To compare available services, open Find a Rate (opens in new tab). Its instructions (opens in new tab) walk through these inputs:
- Your actual Canadian sending address.
- USA as the destination country, followed by the recipient’s address.
- Letter as the mailing type, with the finished item’s weight and the other details the tool requests.
- View rates, then check the service, total and any required mailing or delivery record.
Already have stamps? Match their postage value to the current U.S. rate for your piece. A PERMANENT stamp represents domestic postage; its presence does not by itself establish that a U.S.-bound envelope has enough postage. Have the counter confirm the amount if you are unsure.
Example: mailing a completed form from Montréal#
Suppose an office in Chicago asks you to return a completed form with your original ink signature. Print the cover letter, include the signed original, and weigh them in the envelope you will use. Quote that finished piece for the office’s actual address. A scan printed in the US would produce a copy, so it would not satisfy this request.
If the office also asks for a mailing receipt and delivery confirmation, bring those instructions to the counter: “This contains an original signed form for the USA. I need a mailing receipt and delivery confirmation. Please quote the suitable service and explain which records I will receive.” Ask about Xpresspost–USA and retain the receipt with a copy of what you sent. The example does not assume a price, delivery date or verified recipient address.
Write the US address in the right order#
Canada Post’s U.S. addressing guidance (opens in new tab) puts the recipient first, followed by the delivery address, then the city, state abbreviation and ZIP Code. Put the country alone on the final line. Copy apartment, suite or department details from the recipient’s instructions.
Fictional address example — not verified for delivery
TAYLOR REED
123 EXAMPLE ROAD
CHICAGO IL 60601
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Leave two spaces between the state abbreviation and ZIP Code. Keep the address lines left-aligned. Put a usable Canadian return address separately in the top-left corner or along the top of the back, following Canada Post’s envelope guidance (opens in new tab).
For more apartment and business-address examples, see the envelope-addressing guide. The destination country line is the extra step for mail originating in Canada; it does not replace the state or ZIP Code.
When a US print-and-mail service fits#
If the recipient accepts a printed copy, Postmarkr can print your PDF and arrange US letter mailing. This creates new paper in the US; it cannot carry the original in your hand or a physical enclosure. Postmarkr requires a usable US return address that you are authorized to use, with an arrangement for handling returns. Your Canadian address does not meet that requirement.
Keep Canadian contact details in the letter if the recipient needs to reply to you there. Those details serve a different purpose from the US return address on an undeliverable envelope. If you have no suitable US return address, use the Canada-origin route.
Prepare a US Letter PDF and inspect the mailing preview. If your file is A4 and Postmarkr offers fit-to-Letter, you can use it and check the result; export a US Letter file yourself if fitting is unavailable or unsuitable. Check every content page and the separate address page that Postmarkr adds.
Review the complete Postmarkr price, including the address page, before payment. Compare that total and any payment conversion charge with the Canadian route’s printing, envelope, postage and chosen service. Postmarkr does not currently offer Certified Mail for new sends. US printing is not automatically cheaper or faster, and it is unsuitable when the recipient requires an original or an unavailable service.
Hand over the letter and keep the right record#
For eligible Letter-post paid by stamps, Canada Post allows deposit in a street letter box or at a post office (opens in new tab). Use the counter when you need the service and records discussed above. If timing matters, check the current service estimate and collection arrangements before sending; include preparation or printing time in your plan.
Save a copy of the document, the address used, and the mailing records your chosen service supplies. A payment receipt alone does not establish postal handoff or delivery. Before sending, check the contents, address and selected service against the recipient’s instructions. Complete the handoff through your chosen service and retain the records it supplies. For the wider original-versus-copy decision, see the abroad-to-USA mailing guide.