Export Documentation
Common Export Documents
Navigating Export Documentation: Your Comprehensive Guide
To navigate the complex world of export documentation effectively, it’s essential to start by understanding which documents are needed for your export shipment. The best place to begin is by consulting your foreign customer/importer or a trusted freight forwarder. By obtaining accurate information upfront, you’ll facilitate efficient customs clearance in your target market, ensuring a smoother export process.
Pro Forma Invoice: A pro forma invoice serves as a crucial negotiating tool between the seller and the buyer before an export shipment. This document, initiated by the seller, outlines the terms of the export transaction. It includes a detailed description of the goods, quantity, price, weight, specifications, and the seller’s commitment to deliver the products and services as agreed upon.
Commercial Invoice: The commercial invoice is a legally binding document that details the goods being sold and the amount the buyer (foreign buyer) is required to pay. It serves as a bill for the goods from the seller to the buyer and is essential for customs clearance. Governments often use commercial invoices to assess customs duties and may specify requirements regarding its form, content, and language.
Packing List: More detailed than a standard domestic packing list, an export packing list provides comprehensive information about the shipment, including details such as seller, buyer, shipment date, mode of transport, carrier, quantity, description, packaging type, weight, dimensions, and package marks. Customs officials may use the packing list to verify cargo, so it should align with the information provided in the commercial invoice.
Transportation Documents:
Air Waybill: Required for air freight shipments, an air waybill accompanies goods shipped by an international air carrier. It provides detailed information about the shipment and allows for tracking. Unlike bills of lading for ocean shipments, air waybills are not negotiable documents.
Bill of Lending: A contract between the goods’ owner and the carrier, the bill of lading is essential for ocean shipments. There are two common types: a non-negotiable straight bill of lading and a negotiable shipper’s order bill of lading, which can be used to buy, sell, or trade goods in transit.