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.
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⬇️ 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.

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.

1. Consignor / Sender details

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

2. __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

3. **Consignee / Receiver details

• Company / Person
• Address, postcode, city, location/country
• Reciever name, telephone number, email address

4. Delivery details - State if delivery address differs from consignee address

• Company
• Address, postcode, city, location/country
• Reciever name, telephonenumber, email adress

5. 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 origin / 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

6. 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

7. 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

8. Additional information

• E.g. EORI number, Read more here and here

This article contains basic information about customs invoices for guidance. We reserve the right to amend any clerical errors.

Updated on: 25/03/2025