Commercial invoice & Proforma invoice

When transporting goods to or from a country outside the EU or if the goods pass (a so-called transit outside the EU) to a country outside the EU, there is a requirement thateither a commercial invoice or a proforma invoice must be attached with the goods. Which customs invoice is needed depends on if the goods that you send requires payment or not.

Which customs invoice should I attach?
Commercial invoice - Attach when the goods is something you have sold and did require payment from the consignee.
Proforma invoice - Attach when the goods is a gift or e.g. samples and did not require payment from the consignee.

Regardless of whether the goods you send has been sold or if it is a gift, a value of what is sent must be stated on the customs invoice. No item may be stated as zero (0:-) in value.

⬇️ Download the Commercial invoice as a PDF. ⬇️
⬇️ Download the proforma as a PDF. ⬇️

This article contains basic information about what should be included in the customs invoice. Shiplink does not act as an agent for customs matters, if you have specific questions about import/export, you should hire experts or contact the Swedish Customs or another organization to get the help needed.

When exporting and/or importing, it is the freight booker's responsibility to provide the correct basis for a commercial invoice or proforma invoice. The customs invoice must be designed in accordance with the laws and regulations that exist in the country that the goods are being transported to, and should be written in English. Some countries that you send to require that the customs invoice is written in another language. Always check beforehand what applies.

📎 The commercial invoice or proforma invoice is attached in the step 2 of the freight booking (Address details). You should also print out 4 physical copies and place in an envelope. Write down your shipment number on the envelope, and hand the envelope to the driver upon collection. If you don´t use our attached proforma, but you have your own pro forma invoice. Then you mustn't forget that it must say "No charge, Value for customs purposes only".

Enter the following information on the invoice template

NOTE! Each of the template's fields/boxes must be filled with the requested information, except where states optional.

Consignor / Sender details
Company
Address, postcode, city, location/country
Sender name, telephone number, email address

Invoice details
Invoice number - Optional
Shipping date
Shipping number
Currency /Currency code
Reason for export
Sender VAT-number
Reciever VAT-number
Terms of sale - Incoterms Read more och här

Consignee / Receiver details
Company / Person
Address, postcode, city, location/country
Reciever name, telephone number, email address

Delivery details - State if delivery address differs from consignee address
Company
Address, postcode, city, location/country
Reciever name, telephonenumber, email adress

Goods information
Description of goods / Detailed description of the goods, for each item
Quantity / Enter quantity and unit, for each item. E.g. meters, liters or pieces.
Unit weight (kg) / Enter the weight of a copy of the item
Unit value / Enter value for one copy of the item
HS code / Enter HS code
Location of orgin / Enter country of origin of each article
Total weight (kg) / Enter the total weight per row, e.g. if you have entered 5 items, you must enter the total weight for all 5.
Total value / Enter the total value per row

Shipment information
Number of packages in shipment / Enter the number of packages in the shipment
Total shipment values / Enter the total value of all lines in the goods description.
Discount / Enter discount you have given to the buyer
Subtotal / Enter the total value, minus any discount
Shipping cost / Enter shipping cost
Insurance cost / Enter insurance cost
Other cost / Enter any other costs
Total declared value / Enter the total value of the above items

Signature and date
Name and signature / Enter signature and name clarification, first and last name
Company and job title / Enter company name and job title for the contact person
Date / Enter the current date

Additional information
E.g. EORI number, Read more here and here

📌 If you have specific import or export questions, we recommend that you hire experts or contact the Swedish Customs or another organization to get the help you need.
This article contains basic information about customs invoices for guidance. We reserve the right to amend any clerical errors.

Updated on: 13/09/2024