A commercial invoice, like other kinds of invoice, is a document which a service provider sends to a client as a bill for the goods or merchandise being sold. A commercial export invoice is a commercial invoice primarily issued when an individual or an organization exports goods internationally.
Commercial Invoice Template For Export
International Commercial Invoice Template
When trading outside of the country, service providers use a commercial export invoice for customs purposes. A commercial export business invoice contains information needed for the preparation of the other documents necessary for an export to be approved and legalized.
What to Include in a Commercial Export Invoice
A commercial export invoice is a document which carries the agreement between a service provider and a client upon an export process. It may include the following contents:
- An printable invoice number unique for each invoice.
- Date the invoice was prepared.
- Reason or reasons for export.
- Service provider’s name, company address, contact information, and tax identification number (if any).
- Client’s name, company and personal address, contact information, and tax identification number (if any).
- Address of shipment destination, date and time of shipment and arrival (may include the mode of shipment).
- Instructions for shipment.
- Description of the merchandise provided, including name of items, country of origin, currency, grade or quality, product classification, quantity, price per unit, etc.
- Terms of sale.
- Terms of payment, including the total payable amount and due date of payment (along with sales tax or discounts, if any).
- Any additional certifications, statements, or requirements by the buyer’s country.
Importance of a Commercial Export Invoice
A commercial export free invoice typically serves many importance to a service provider who specializes in exporting. Here are some of them:
- For inspection purposes and customs clearance.
- Serves as a customer’s claim slip or document.
- Can be used as a basic statement of transaction.
- Proof that the service provider has rendered the correct product to the customer.
- Can be used to determine proof of the value and quality of goods.
- Serves as one of the preliminary documents before export.
- Can be used for accounting purposes (applicable for both the service provider and customer).
- For bank transactions and/or negotiation of documents.
How to Prepare a Commercial Export Invoice
A commercial export simple invoice includes information necessary for a shipment to be cleared for export. Here are a few things to keep in mind when preparing for a commercial export invoice.
- Assign an invoice number unique for each invoice.
- Decide for the invoice template or design.
- Create your own template using tools such as reports in Microsoft Excel.
- Complete the invoice using the correct information regarding the export.
- Input additional details about the transaction.
- Provide a detailed description for each item along with the individual unit prices.
- Give the total amount for all the items provided.
- Sign your commercial export invoice.
- Create a back up copy for your invoice.
- Review for any errors. You need to make sure the information you included in your invoice is accurate.
- Check for additional supporting documents. This will depend on the requirements given by the country of destination or other authorities assigned to keep track of the shipment.
