A commercial invoice is an important document needed when you're shipping internationally, as commercial carriers need it to clear your package through customs. A commercial invoice is required for all international commodity shipments. In other words, it’s required for any international shipment with commercial value. Most non-document shipments are classified as commodity shipments. Shipping to foreign destinations can be tricky, but as long as you provide proper documents, shipping should go smoothly.
The sections below address completing an international shipment with a commercial invoice.
Shipping Details
This information shows on the shipping label as well as the applicable fields within the commercial invoice.
Ship Date: Shows as the Date of export on the commercial invoice.
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Sender/Shipper: Includes this information from where the shipment is being shipped:
Company name
Contact
Shipper Address
Street Address
Contact Phone or Fax Number
Email
Country
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Recipient/Consignee: Includes this information to where the shipment is being shipped:
Company Name
Street Address
Contact Name
Contact Phone or Fax Number
Email Address
Country
Shipper Reference: The reference you selected. (optional)
Carrier: The courier service used to ship (e.g., FedEx, UPS, USPS).
Total Quantity: The number of packages; this shows as Number of Pieces on the commercial invoice.
Total Weight: Weight of the package(s).
Insure Amount: If you are purchasing additional insurance.
Total Customs Amount: The customs amount for your shipment. The amount entered here must match the amount in your commercial invoice.
Shipment Contents: A short summary of the package contents. You complete more detailed information for each line item in the commercial invoice. You can also create Content Description presets. To learn more visit the help center article: Content Descriptions
Content Type: A dropdown allows you to select between different options such as Documents, Merchandise or Repaired items depending on the carrier.
Terms of Trade: A dropdown allows you to select between different options such as Deliver At Place or Deliver to Terminal depending on the carrier. Terms of trade apply to international contracts of sale. They tell the parties what to do with respect to carriage of the goods from buyer to seller and export & import clearance.
FTR: Refers to Foreign Trade Regulations exemptions. This exemption automatically populates based on the information entered.
ITN#: (If applicable) The ITN is an Automated Export System (AES) generated number assigned to a shipment confirming that the EEI was accepted and is on file in the AES. To learn more visit the help center article: Filing the Electronic Export Information EEI/ ITN.
Commercial Invoice
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Enable the checkbox to include a commercial invoice. Anything under the checkbox is included in the commercial invoice.
Receiver Tax ID/VAT NO: For companies, the tax ID is the identification number such as GST/RFC/VAT/IN/EIN/EORI or as locally required (if applicable).
Package Marks: (Optional) Can be defined as a symbol, word or number that is attached to each package for easy identification (e.g., lot numbers, production date, expiry date, net weight or handling information).
Importer of Record: This defaults to Receiver. The Importer of Record (IOR) is the party responsible for clearing the goods through customs. To learn more, visit the help center article: Importer of Record.
Description: Give a complete description of the item(s). Generic descriptions may be insufficient. What it is, what it is made of, what it is used for, style or model numbers (e.g., "Small Pink Women's Wool Sweater" would be a better description than "Clothing").
Unit value: The amount per item cost.
Quantity: How many of those items are in the package.
HTS#/B#: The HTS# is a 10-digit import classification system that is specific to the United States. The Schedule B # is a 10-digit subset of HTS codes for U.S. exporters. You can use the HTS lookup functionality to autofill the HTS/Schedule B number. Simply begin to type the item description in the HTS#B# field and a list is provided to choose from. To learn more about HTS#/B# codes visit the following link: hts.usitc.gov
(External links are maintained by third parties and are provided here as a convenience only. Descartes does not endorse, approve or make any claims as to the accuracy or reliability of the contents, which may be changed from time to time by the third party without warning.)Country of Origin: This is where the goods were manufactured or assembled for each commodity, not the country you are shipping them from if the two are different.
Total Quantity: Total amount of the item(s) in that section.
Total Weight: Total weight of the item(s) in that section.
Total Value: Total value of the item(s) in that section.
Charge Description: (optional, not available with all carriers) This is if you want to include additional costs listed on the commercial invoice such as shipping or handling.
Charge Amount: (optional, not available with all carriers) The amount you want to be listed for the service you listed in Charge Description.
Select the plus sign to add each different item within the shipment to be listed on the commercial invoice.
Upon completion of the label, the commercial invoice is included in the print options.
Review the declaration and sign it to validate the information in the commercial invoice. Most carriers like FedEx and UPS require three copies of the commercial invoice, all individually signed.