Commercial invoice - Your responsibility as a sender
When exporting it is always your responsibility as the sender, to provide the correct documentation for an export declaration of your cargo. This applies regardless of carrier. The documents are called supporting documents. For more helpful information visit the Swedish customs agency's website.

In this article, we'll go through the basics of the supporting documentation and what is always requested. Keep in mind that it is up to you as sender to know if more supporting documentation is needed for your particular shipment. Some items may need extra documentation to be supplied before exporting.

If the item that you are sending is something that you have sold, you need to supply a Commercial Invoice.
If the item is a gift or a product sample, an item that the recipient does not have to pay for, then a Proforma invoice is needed.

The content of the two is nearly the same. But they must be named correctly and a proforma must also clearly state the phrase: "No charge. Value for customs purposes only". Otherwise, it is about the same information that needs to be included in both types of supporting documents.

The invoice must always be designed according to the rules of the country that the goods is sent to, and the information must be written in English.
The necessary information that always have to be included:
Seller's name and complete address
EORI number Read more and apply for an Eori number here
Billing Address/Buyer - Enter their complete address, organization number and VAT number
Delivery address/Recipient - Make sure to indicate if it deviates from the billing address
Date When the invoice is issued & invoice number
Payment terms & delivery terms also called incoterms, DHL has information and a template of the most common terms here. You can also find more information at the International Chamber of Commerce, click here

Details of each item in the shipment
Description of the article - Detailed description of the product
Country of origin - The country where the goods are manufactured
Product code - information about what classification that your product have, you get from the Swedish Customs agency
Call the customs response for help with the correct product code on: +46 771 520 520
Enter quantity and unit of the item - Can for example be 1 pc computer or 6 m fabric
If you are unsure of the appropriate quantity and unit size for your item, the Swedish Customs agency can help you.
Weight - Must be stated per unit and total per line on the invoice
The value of the item and in which currency - The value is stated per unit of item and in total per line on the invoice
If you have given a discount on the product to the customer, you must state it and how much discount

Details of the entire shipment
Number of packages
Marking of each package
Type of package
Total net weight (without packaging) and total gross weight (with packaging)
Total value of the shipment

At the bottom of the invoice you can include a field for other information or special information.
The last thing you need to do is note the following on the invoice "I hereby certify that this invoice is true and correct./The accuracy of this invoice is hereby certified."
Then the invoice must be signed and dated with the current date

When exporting, the value of the goods must always be stated. No article may have the value 0:-, keep that in mind even when the recipient does not have to pay anything.
If you want help or feel unsure about anything. Feel free to contact our customer service. We are here to answer all your questions! Phone number: +46 10-20 706 66 or send an email to: kundservice@shiplink.se

This article aims to act as a guide and gather the most important and necessary information. We reserve the right to amend any clerical errors.

Published on: 03 / 03 / 2021