Forms You’ll Need When Shipping Internationally

A commercial invoice form is the primary document used for importation control, valuation and duty determination of the shipment. It’s required for all shipments containing non-documents. Our shipping tool will help you fill out your commercial invoice as you’re creating your shipping label. It is important to provide accurate and specific information in order to avoid customs delays.

The form should include:

• The Economic Operators Registration and Identity (EORI) Number, if applicable.
• Complete name and address information for both shipper and recipient.
• Phone numbers for both shipper and recipient.
• Terms of Sale (Incoterm).
• Reason for export.
• A complete description of the item.
• What the item is.
• What the item is used for.
• Harmonised Tariff Codes, if known. You can look up your tariff codes here.
• Country or territory of origin (where manufactured) for each item.
• Number of units, unit value and total value (purchase price) of each item.
• Number of parcels and total weight.
• Shipper's signature and date.

If there’s no commercial value for what’s being shipped, a fair market value must be listed.

Need help filling in a commercial invoice? We made a guide to help walk you through it.

A packing list is an optional document (mandatory for multi-package shipments) that allows shippers to give specific details on a shipment’s contents. A packing list might seem similar to a commercial invoice, but it’s not the same. A packing list should not – and will not – replace a commercial invoice. Why? Because it isn’t used by customs to determine duties and fees associated with the shipment.

Without information about the cost or value of a shipment’s contents, a packing list can still be very useful. For example, packing lists come in handy when a shipment’s contents are being forwarded to a third party, such as a customer or vendor.

A certificate of origin is a document that verifies the manufacturing country of the items being shipped, and the item’s origin and destination determine if the certificate is required. Requirement reasons could be because of established Treaty arrangements, varying duty rates and preferential duty treatment dependent on the shipment´s origin.

To check and see what forms you’ll need, use our Import and Export Regulations tool.

Rules for when a certificate is needed change frequently. Be sure to verify your specific requirements before shipping.