If your products are classified as dangerous goods by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) or the International Maritime Organization (IMO), you must attach the appropriate dangerous goods form to your shipment. Shipping dangerous goods or hazardous materials can be difficult. Before doing this, the appropriate employees in your company should be trained in proper packaging, labeling, and documentation of these shipments. While pro forma invoices don`t carry much legal weight in the US, Europe, and South America, you may only be able to clear customs with a pro forma invoice. In these cases, the document must clearly state the following to go through the Automated Export System (AES) and clarify customs: The commercial invoice is a legal document between the exporter and the buyer (in this case, the foreign buyer) in which the goods sold and the amount to be paid by the customer are clearly indicated. The commercial invoice is one of the most important documents used by customs when determining customs duties. A commercial invoice is an invoice for goods from the seller to the buyer. These documents are often used by governments to determine the true value of goods when setting tariffs. Governments that use the commercial invoice to control imports often specify the form, content, number of copies, language to be used and other characteristics.
In some cases, countries recognize that imported products meet their regulatory requirements if they can be legally sold in the United States or if they are manufactured using standards developed by U.S.-based standards development organizations. In such cases, this can eliminate the need for additional testing and certification before the product can be placed on the foreign market. More information can be found on our website and in the video on foreign regulations. There are many types of BOLs in the international shipping industry: before the goods are shipped, a pro forma invoice is issued by the exporter, informing the buyer of the goods to be shipped, their value and other important specifications. It can also be used as a sales quote or quote. The IATA form – the consignor`s declaration for dangerous goods – is required for air transport. There is another version of the form for maritime transport. These forms must also be completed by a person trained to handle the transport of dangerous goods. An order is the official declaration of receipt of an order.
This document contains the details of the transaction, the parties involved, the nature of the products involved and the date of the transaction. The guidelines define the responsibilities of sellers and buyers. Specifically, they identify who is responsible for payment and shipping management, insurance, documentation, customs clearance, etc. Multimodal BOLs or combined BOLs serve as a single contract documenting goods transported by more than one mode of transport. When it comes to selling and shipping your products outside the United States, there are standard documents used for export. To find out what documents are required for an export shipment, the best place to start is your foreign customer/importer or freight forwarder. By obtaining correct information, you help your customer to efficiently clear the goods in the target market. Many countries have a website with information on key trade laws. However, a small mistake can be enough to have costly consequences for your shipment. Instead of talking to each country`s trade mission, there are other ways to get help.
Some countries require a Certificate of Origin for your shipments to determine which country the goods are from. These certificates of origin usually have to be signed by a semi-official organization such as a chamber of commerce or the consulate of a country. A Certificate of Origin may be required even if you provided the country of origin information on your commercial invoice. Depending on the type of product, type of transaction (i.e. standard or temporary shipping), and destination country, you may need to submit additional export documents. This may be a generic certificate of origin or a certificate of origin, an ATA Carnet, a letter of credit or other documents. For more information, see Special Documents Used in Export Transactions. With over 200 shipping solutions, Easyship is your dedicated shipping partner. Our hybrid solutions enable international shipping for brands and e-commerce businesses, taking your goods on the last mile. We make it easy to create documents. Our tool generates shipping labels, packing slips and customs declarations for you. They only print what the mail needs.
It is a legal and official document issued by the government. Exporters require a permit to ship certain items and in certain quantities. Some countries only require this document under certain conditions, while for others it may be a requirement. Also check out the Country Commercial Guides, created by our domestic trade exports to U.S. embassies abroad. Each guide contains chapters on how to do business with a particular country. Chapters include “Selling U.S. Goods and Services” and Customs Regulations and Standards, which highlight requirements and documentation of interest to a particular country.