Goods rarely get stopped because of the goods. They get stopped because of paper, and importers know it. This is what has to exist, who issues it, and where it commonly goes wrong.
The commercial invoice
Issued by you. It is the basis on which customs calculates duty, so it has to match reality and match every other document in the set.
The frequent error is a description that is commercially useful but customs-useless. “Assorted goods” or a brand name alone will not clear. The description must correspond to the tariff classification you are declaring.
The packing list
Issued by you. Contents, quantities, weights and dimensions per package. It has to agree with the invoice exactly — a mismatch between the two is one of the most common reasons for physical inspection.
The bill of lading
Issued by the carrier or freight forwarder. It is simultaneously the transport contract, the receipt for the goods and, in its negotiable form, a document of title.
That last point matters: whoever holds the original negotiable bill of lading can claim the goods. Do not release originals before the payment terms you agreed have been met. This is where exporters lose entire containers.
The certificate of origin
Issued by a chamber of commerce or the competent authority in your country. It establishes where the goods were produced, which determines the duty rate applied at destination.
If any preferential treatment depends on origin, this document is what proves it. Without it, the importer pays the standard rate and your quoted landed cost was wrong.
Product-specific certificates
- Food and agricultural goods: health or phytosanitary certificate from the competent authority.
- Regulated products: conformity assessment, where the destination country requires pre-shipment verification.
- Wood packaging: ISPM 15 treatment marking on pallets and crates.
The pallet requirement is the one most often forgotten, and it stops containers at the border. Untreated wood packaging can result in the whole shipment being refused.
Insurance certificate
Required whenever the Incoterm places the insurance obligation on you, and worth having even when it does not. Check whether the destination country requires the policy to be issued locally — several do, and a foreign policy will not be accepted.
The rule that prevents most problems
Every document must tell the same story. Same description, same quantities, same weights, same names, same numbers. Customs authorities look for discrepancies between documents before they look at the goods, and any inconsistency is a reason to open the container.
Before shipping, put the invoice, the packing list and the bill of lading side by side and check them against each other line by line. It takes twenty minutes and it is the highest-return twenty minutes in the whole export process.
Leave a Reply