Document checks before an international shipment.

The documents an international shipment usually needs, the consistency checks that reduce customs queries, and when to check them.

Customs authorities and banks read shipping documents side by side. When the invoice, packing list and transport document disagree with each other, or with the goods, the result is often a query, an inspection or a hold while corrections are made. Most of these problems can be found earlier, when the documents are still drafts and the goods have not yet left.

The usual document set

Requirements vary by product and destination, but most international shipments involve some or all of the following:

• Commercial invoice: seller, buyer, description of the goods, quantity, unit price, total value, currency and the Incoterms rule.
• Packing list: the contents of each package, with package counts, weights and dimensions.
• Transport document: a bill of lading or sea waybill for ocean freight, or an air waybill for air freight.
• Certificate of origin: evidence of where the goods were produced.
• Product certificates: for example health, phytosanitary or halal certificates for food, certificates of analysis, or conformity certificates for electronics.
• Import licence or permit: where the destination requires one, as many do for alcoholic beverages.

The importer’s customs broker can confirm exactly which documents the destination expects for each product.

Check that the documents agree

Before the goods ship, compare the drafts against each other and against the order:

• names and addresses of the seller, buyer, consignee and notify party are identical on every document;
• the product description is the same throughout and specific enough to classify;
• quantities, package counts and gross and net weights match across the invoice, packing list and transport document;
• the tariff classification agreed with the importer’s broker is used consistently;
• values, currency and the Incoterms rule match the contract;
• shipping marks and numbers on the documents match those on the cartons;
• container and seal numbers on the transport document match the loaded container.

Every document should describe the actual goods and the actual transaction.

Describe and classify the goods properly

Customs classify goods using the Harmonized System. The first six digits of an HS code are shared internationally; each country adds further digits for its own tariff. The importer is normally responsible for classification at the destination, so agree the code with the importer’s broker rather than reusing one from another market.

A vague description such as “foodstuffs” or “electronic goods” invites questions. Name the product, its main material or ingredient and its use, in terms that match the classification.

Get origin right

The certificate of origin states where the goods were produced, not where they were shipped from or who sold them. Non-preferential certificates are usually issued by a chamber of commerce in the producing country. Claiming a reduced duty rate under a trade agreement normally requires a specific proof of origin that meets that agreement’s rules. If the goods pass through a third country, keep the documents that show their origin is unchanged.

Watch the timing

Some documents can only be issued at certain points. Health and phytosanitary certificates may require an inspection by the exporting country’s authority before loading. A bill of lading is issued once the goods are on board. Originals of some documents are needed to release the goods, and a letter of credit pays only against documents that comply with its terms.

Allow time for these steps in the plan, send drafts to the buyer and broker before shipment, and dispatch any originals by courier early enough to arrive before the goods.

Agree who prepares and who checks

Each document should have a named owner. The seller usually prepares the invoice and packing list; the carrier or forwarder issues the transport document; certificates come from authorities, chambers or laboratories. Agree in advance who prepares each one, who reviews the drafts and how corrections are made. A simple checklist shared between seller, buyer and broker is often enough.

If you are discussing an order with DMS, tell us which documents your broker expects. We can agree who provides each one before the order is confirmed.