About Invoice Document (Docs Invoice)

Docs Invoice: Invoice / Proforma / Commercial Invoice Terminology & Definitions Relating (For Reference Only)
Under invoice Issues: could lead to MET/CE Exams and  it could lead to other exam.  Look below and for shipping exams details.

Proforma invoice  vs commercial invoice:
Pro Forma invoice is before you pay your supplier/factory
Commercial Invoice is issue Two/Three day before your shipment is about to leave Foreign Port.
Requirements, criteria, or format of a commercial invoice, bill of sale, receipt that must be provided when clearing or filing entry documents. (from CBP.gov)

Invoice from your Factory/Supplier:
In respect of international shipping of Air/Ocean/Sea Freight from the USA, you always will be asked by international shipping companies that support your international shipment to provide some sort of Commercial Invoice before your goods be accepted to your international shipment. Commercial invoice is the mandatory international shipping document that will be required by origins and destinations customs.

Note: In certain circumstances, particularly when you are shipping household goods or personal items from the USA, a valued Packing List may substitute your commercial invoice. Properly filed valued packing list in international shipping actually reflects all information provided in ocean freight proforma commercial invoices. However, when your ocean freight international shipment will enter destination country's commerce zone of certain countries, the destinations customs may ask you to transfer your valued packing list initially submitted at origin into a form of commercial invoice anyway.

Commercial Invoices in international shipping of  Air/Ocean/Sea Freight , besides other points, are used by origins and destinations customs in purpose to control legality of commodity and assign duty, taxes etc (if any) on international ocean freight shipments at the origins and destinations.

In international shipping using  Air/Ocean/Sea Freight services, commercial invoices may be the original commercial invoices obtained from your merchant or proforma commercial invoices. In proforma commercial invoices shippers describe commodity and assign value of internationally shipped goods by themselves.

In international shipping of ocean freight commercial invoices submitted at origin in forms sufficient to origin Customs may not always be sufficient for destination customs.
You should not really worry about that. Upon destination customs request to provide international shipping documents in a proper form, having a copy of your commercial invoice originally submitted at origin, you or your Customs Broker will always be able to transform the international shipping document into the format required by the destination customs.

Suggestions on filing Commercial Invoices to international ocean freight shipments from the USA:

  1. If your international shipment contains commercial freight, then at a time of purchase, always request from your merchant a commercial invoice in a form acceptable for the international shipping. Then email or fax copy of the invoice to international shipping company that supports your international shipment.
  2. If for any reasons you experience difficulties on obtaining an invoice in form of commercial invoice acceptable to the international shipping, then ask your international shipping company that supports your international shipment for an acceptable form of the international shipping document. Properly fill it out based on information that you have and submit it back to the international shipping company.
  3. If you are shipping household goods or personal effects, then file your Valued Packing List, which may be considered a Proforma Commercial Invoice, in a standard form acceptable by Customs in your country.

General requirements on format of Commercial Invoices in international shipping of ocean freight from and to the USA

Commercial Invoices for international shipping of  Air/Ocean/Sea Freight from and to the USA must be in English. It must provide the following information (See the Section 141.86 of U.S. Customs regulations on international shipping merchandises to the USA for more detailed requirements):

  • The port of entry to which the goods are designated;
  • Shippers (sellers) and Buyers full name, address and contact information;
  • Detailed description of goods;
  • The quantities in weight and measures;
    •Value of each item in USD based on exchange rate on the date of export;
  • The country of origin of the goods; and
  • All goods or services furnished for the production of goods being imported not included in the invoice price (if any)

 

Our online form of Proforma Commercial Invoice for international shipping  Air/Ocean/Sea Freight from the USA

Commercial international shippers: Request from your merchant an invoice in form acceptable by international shipping companies to international shipping by sea. Then fax or e-mail to us a copy of the invoice as a part of your international shipping documents.

Otherwise, our clients should be able to fill out and submit a Valued Packing List as its Proforma Commercial Invoice online via link in our shipping instructions using a standard form acceptable by U.S. Customs. Upon your booking request online in our website, we will e-mail to you this link with our shipping instructions. You may try the fully working version of the form of the international shipping document in this link.

Notice: Each international shipping document for your international ocean freight submitted via our shipping instructions is unique. It is generated individually for your international ocean freight shipment and pre-formatted based on the information that you had provided when booked your international ocean freight shipment online.

IMPORTANT: While submitting your international shipping documents online double-check all info in the document. If you see any errors or typos, then urgently re-submit the document or ask us to correct it via e-mail. During submitting your international shipping documents for your international ocean freight shipment online you will have several opportunities to edit and re-submit the shipping documents. However, as soon as shipping documents are submitted to the ocean freight carrier, all further corrections are possible only at a time when you recover your international shipment at the destination.

Importers are responsible for all fees, US Laws & International Laws.

Under Invoicing / Overinvoice Issues:

Under invoicing occurs when importer & exporter conspirers artificially lowing true value on the commercial invoice to submit to Customs and by lowing the duty/tax that need
to be paid, and creating second invoice for importer & exporter only.

 

  1. Your chances of being caught by U.S. Customs in the act of under invoicing have increased dramatically. U.S. Customs has intensified its import/export enforcement efforts
    by implementing the inbound/Outbound Compliance Program which entered the Enforced Compliance Phase on July 1, 1997
  2. US and Many countries have established comparable value systems for imports/exports.
  3. The entered goods may be confiscated by Customs & Importer/Exporter may be Penalized/fined/black-listed/imprisonment as conspirator and co-conspirator +
    Importer/Exporter may be prosecuted under money laundering.
  4. It may cause you payment problems, especially if you are operating on an open account or collection basis.
  5. Transport insurance is based on commercial invoice value. If you under invoice and your goods are damaged or lost, your insurance claim on the value of the goods will be
    based on the artificially low value shown on the commercial invoice
  6. It may also cause more shipping exams on the shipment(s).  Exams could cost $100's and $1,000's, and delaying import/export shipment(s) for days.
  7. You could search all the issues of Under invoicing on www.google.com and/or www.cbp.gov website.

Importing Close-Out items Issues:

Do to Under invoicing occurs with some of the importer & exporter, you need clarified that your shipment is Close-Out.

  1. Importer need to provided All the email communications between your supplier/factory & you, that is close-out
  2. Importer need to provided how it was paid to supplier, if wired, please email copy.
  3. Signed affidavit that you are not relate (No relationship) it to your supplier/factory.
  4. Your supplier/factory need to stated why, when & how it became close-out with Signed Affidavit.
  5. All info that may help us/US Customs to understand.
  6. It may also cause more shipment customs examination.  Exams could cost $100's and $1,000's, and delaying import/export shipment(s) for days.
  7. US Customs can classifies as  AD/CVD.

First 2 HTC / HTS /harmonized tariff code classification are free, but after 2nd classification of items, each classification is $10 each per line. For example: if you are importing 4 different category items (on your Invoice , Packing List , Bill of Lading / bl: 100 apples, 75 oranges, 50 toys and 25 desks), you will be charge extra $20 for ISF filing + $20 for customs clearing entry filing. The fees are added it to your Invoice as additional classification HTC / HTS code / 7501 lines, check here 7501 lines for 3 pages of sample 14 line, first two line free, so other 12 x $10 = $120 fees will be charge as 7501 line

To avoided HTC / HTS /harmonized tariff code classification fees, please ask your factory/supplier to have it on the Invoice , Packing List and Bill of Lading / bl, if your factory/supplier don't know the HTC / HTS /harmonized tariff code, you could look-up your own (duty/tax) HTC / HTS /harmonized tariff code or call and email U.S. customs import specialist.

Also, first 2 factories/suppliers Invoice submission are free for customs clearing entry filing, under same Bill of Lading (b/l). For example: if you are importing from 3 different factories/suppliers with 3 different Invoice / Packing List . First 2 factories/suppliers Invoice / Packing List submission entry filing are free, but after 2nd Invoice / Packing List factory/supplier, you will be charge $20 per supplier/factory Invoice submission to U.S. customs as additional Invoice s submission and will be add on to your customs clearing Invoice /fees.

Must described, materials of each category at ISF form, Invoice , Packing List , Bill of Lading / bl (telex-release / surrender / express-release or original- Bill of Lading (obl) with notify party), arrival notice Invoice , photo-pictures-of-import/export items, materials that is made out of, on all documents, if fabric/textile, must have% (ie: cotton%, woven% and etc. ), fumigation-certificate (if any), all related documents, photo-pictures of labels/marks/ stamp, out-side of boxes/crates and etc. , all info must be us dollar and English and all permits (licenses/ permits to import). For more details view (basic import/export / 211 pages)

For example: if you are importing 10 of men's sweat shirt (80% cotton 20% polyester / HTC #) / 5 tablecloth (100% polyester / HTC # ) / 20 desk (stainless steel / HTC # ) aluminum (aluminum ingot / HTC # ) and etc., check here for sample invoice.

Third party billing waiver (if any) grantor hereby waivers receipt of the customs entries and Invoice s from the grantee and directs that copies of your bills for services and copies of customs entries, ISF filings, bond number and etc be transmitted to individual business/warehouses relating to importer shipments.

If your shipment is house-hold goods ( HHG ) and personal effects (PE) (used items only), here a sample of excel template ( packing list and Invoice )

Note: if you are buying from two different factory/suppliers, you could consolidate the shipment under one BL, but you can not consolidate under one Invoice / Packing List . It must be submitted as 2 different Invoice /factory/supplier to U.S. customs. Each Bill of Lading (b/l) is considered as one shipment and it must be cleared as each BL by U.S. customs/us.

 

 

Invoice from your factory/supplier:

In respect of international shipping of air/ocean/sea freight from the USA , you always will be asked by international shipping companies that support your international shipment to provide some sort of commercial Invoice before your goods be accepted to your international shipment. Commercial Invoice is the mandatory international shipping document that will be required by origins and destinations customs.

Note: in certain circumstances, particularly when you are shipping household goods or personal items from the USA , a valued packing list may substitute your commercial Invoice . Properly filed valued packing list in international shipping actually reflects all information provided in ocean freight proforma commercial Invoice s. However, when your ocean freight international shipment will enter destination country's commerce zone of certain countries, the destinations customs may ask you to transfer your valued packing list initially submitted at origin into a form of commercial Invoice anyway.

Commercial Invoice s in international shipping of air/ocean/sea freight , besides other points, are used by origins and destinations customs in purpose to control legality of commodity and assign duty, taxes etc (if any) on international ocean freight shipments at the origins and destinations. In international shipping using air/ocean/sea freight services, commercial Invoice s may be the original commercial Invoice s obtained from your merchant or proforma commercial Invoice s. In proforma commercial Invoice s shippers describe commodity and assign value of internationally shipped goods by themselves. In international shipping of ocean freight commercial Invoice s submitted at origin in forms sufficient to origin customs may not always be sufficient for destination customs. You should not really worry about that. Upon destination customs request to provide international shipping documents in a proper form, having a copy of your commercial Invoice originally submitted at origin, you or your customs broker will always be able to transform the international shipping document into the format required by the destination customs.

Suggestions on filing commercial Invoice s to international ocean freight shipments from the USA :

  1. If your international shipment contains commercial freight, then at a time of purchase, always request from your merchant a commercial Invoice in a form acceptable for the international shipping. Then email or fax copy of the Invoice to international shipping company that supports your international shipment.
  2. If for any reasons you experience difficulties on obtaining an Invoice in form of commercial Invoice acceptable to the international shipping, then ask your international shipping company that supports your international shipment for an acceptable form of the international shipping document. Properly fill it out based on information that you have and submit it back to the international shipping company.
  3. If you are shipping household goods or personal effects, then file your valued packing list, which may be considered a proforma commercial Invoice , in a standard form acceptable by customs in your country.

General requirements on format of commercial Invoice s in international shipping of ocean freight from and to the USA commercial Invoice s for international shipping of air/ocean/sea freight from and to the USA must be in english. It must provide the following information (see the section 141. 86 of u. S. Customs regulations on international shipping merchandises to the USA for more detailed requirements):

  • the port of entry to which the goods are designated;
  • shippers (sellers) and buyers full name, address and contact information;
  • detailed description of goods;
  • the quantities in weight and measures;
  • value of each item in USD based on exchange rate on the date of export;
  • the country of origin of the goods; and
  • all goods or services furnished for the production of goods being imported not included in the Invoice price (if any)

Our online form of proforma commercial Invoice for international shipping air/ocean/sea freight from the USA commercial international shippers: request from your merchant an Invoice in form acceptable by international shipping companies to international shipping by sea. Then fax or e-mail to us a copy of the Invoice as a part of your international shipping documents. Otherwise, our clients should be able to fill out and submit a valued packing list as its proforma commercial Invoice online via link in our shipping instructions using a standard form acceptable by u. S. Customs. Upon your booking request online in our website, we will e-mail to you this link with our shipping instructions. You may try the fully working version of the form of the international shipping document in this link.

Notice: each international shipping document for your international ocean freight submitted via our shipping instructions is unique. It is generated individually for your international ocean freight shipment and pre-formatted based on the information that you had provided when booked your international ocean freight shipment online.

Important: while submitting your international shipping documents online double-check all info in the document. If you see any errors or typos, then urgently re-submit the document or ask us to correct it via e-mail. During submitting your international shipping documents for your international ocean freight shipment online you will have several opportunities to edit and re-submit the shipping documents. However, as soon as shipping documents are submitted to the ocean freight carrier, all further corrections are possible only at a time when you recover your international shipment at the destination. Importers are responsible for all fees, us laws and international laws. Under Invoice / over Invoice issues: under invoicing occurs when importer and exporter conspirers artificially lowing true value on the commercial Invoice to submit to customs and by lowing the duty/tax that need to be paid, and creating second Invoice for importer and exporter only.

  1. Your chances of being caught by U.S Customs in the act of under invoicing have increased dramatically. U. S. Customs has intensified its import/export enforcement efforts by implementing the inbound/outbound compliance program which entered the enforced compliance phase on July 1, 1997
  2. Us and many countries have established comparable value systems for imports/exports.
  3. The entered goods may be confiscated by customs and importer/exporter may be penalized/fined/black-listed/imprisonment as conspirator and co-conspirator + importer/exporter may be prosecuted under money laundering.
  4. It may cause you payment problems, especially if you are operating on an open account or collection basis.
  5. Transport insurance is based on commercial Invoice value. If you under Invoice and your goods are damaged or lost, your insurance claim on the value of the goods will be based on the artificially low value shown on the commercial Invoice
  6. It may also cause more exams on the shipment(s). Exams could cost $100's and $1,000's, and delaying import/export shipment(s) for days.
  7. You could search all the issues of under invoicing on www. Google. Com and/or www. CBP.Gov website. Invoice / proforma / commercial Invoice terminology and definitions relating (for reference only) - under Invoice issues: could lead to met/ce exams and it could lead to other exam. Look below and for exams details.

Proforma Invoice vs Commercial Invoice : pro forma Invoice is before you pay your supplier/factory commercial Invoice is issue two/three day before your shipment is about to leave foreign port. Requirements, criteria, or format of a commercial Invoice , bill of sale, receipt that must be provided when clearing or filing entry documents. (from CBP . Gov)

  1. Customs broker = messenger between U.S. customs and importer: to transmits importer info/documents, way it was received from you and your-vendors, to U.S. customs
  2. Customs broker = is not a messenger between you and your-vendors (factory/ supplier/ forwarder/ warehouse/ shipping-company/ cet-exam-site, us agencies and etc. )
  3. All importer are bound to incoterms (pre-arranged before leaving foreign port, such as: Bill of Lading /BL (sale) / MFG contract agreement / OBL / arrival notice)
  4. To understand why/who importer must pay, before/after/during shipping, you must review incoterms and contact issuer of Bill of Lading (title to shipment)
  5. Please review import process, incoterms and etc import requirements by U.S. customs. After viewing, if you required a personal assistant: $250 hr / $2000 day +retainer
  6. Importer is responsible for all fees/us laws/liability/exam/permit(s)retroactive(backdate) document (bl, arrival notice and etc. ) case file: federal court us attorney's.
  7. Your responsibility = your shipment / money / profit / sales / documents / permit, your-vendors (factory/supplier/forwarder and etc. ), your arrangement/negotiation and etc.
  8. Exam notice by freight forwarder: LCL arrival notice, full container arrival notice. For AD/CVD, fumigation, emergency action notifications can be $1,000's.
  9. Fumigating your shipment can be $7,205, vacuum cleaning can be $1,900 and A-TCET exam / intensive exam/stop sign / CET exam can be $1,843. 60 / $2,059. 90.
  10. If exam (vacis, nii, x-ray, ibet, met, cet and etc,), your freight forwarder will be notifying with arrival notice and Invoice (pay your freight forwarder) (99% of the time).
  11. If exam (cet exam, a-tcet exam, intensive exam/stop sign, ipr, tailgate, emergency action notifications and etc,) importer must pay directly to exam site. (100%)
  12. If importer / id=(ssn# or tax-id/ein/irs# or can#) or any info is off-by-one-digit/letter, US customs can/will confiscate/seize your shipment and penalize/fines you.
  13. And uscustoms/agencies can release with detention(hold)/hold/confiscate/penalize/fines/recall/exam/penalty/re- ISF -filing/issue destroy/re-export/add-dpl and etc.
  14. Please pay all your-vendors directly (asap), to avoid service fees $50. You can check here If amending/up-dating your entry filing and visit here If entry must be re-file.
  15. You /importer/consignee is fully responsible for all actions of payment (be aware of scam hijack emails and other scams).
  16. Before paying us, consignee must verify payment method and amount of payment, and such as our bank account#, western-union account#, check payable to and etc,.
  17. Only valid communication is, if you/importer/consignee/your-vendors is communicating by phone# and email lists from our uscustomsclearing.com/contact-us.