Forms You’ll Need When Shipping Internationally

A commercial invoice form is the primary document used for importation control, valuation and duty determination of the ship. It’s required for all shipments containing non-documents. Long story short, it identifies the products that are being shipped.

The form should include:

• Complete name and address information for both shipper and recipient
• Phone numbers for both shipper and recipient
• Terms of Sale (Incoterm)
• Reason for export
• A complete description of the item
• What the item is
• What the item is used for
• Harmonized Tariff Codes, if known
• Country or territory of origin (where manufactured) for each item
• Number of units, unit value and total value (purchase price) of each item
• Number of packages and total weight
• Shipper's signature and date

If there’s no commercial value for what’s being shipped, a fair market value must be listed.

Need help filling in a commercial invoice? We made a guide to help walk you through it.

A packing list is an optional document that allows shippers to give specific details on a shipment’s contents. A packing list might seem similar to a commercial invoice, but it’s not the same. A packing list should not – and will not – replace a commercial invoice. Why?  Because it isn’t used by customs to determine duties and fees associated with the shipment.

Without information about the cost or value of a shipment’s contents, a packing list can still be very useful. For example, packing lists come in handy when a shipment’s contents are being forwarded to a third party, such as a customer or vendor.

All exporters from Canada to international destinations (other than the United States, Puerto Rico, or the US Virgin Islands), or their customs broker on their behalf, have to declare all exported goods electronically using either the Canadian Export Reporting System (CERS) or the G7 Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) reporting option.

A certificate of origin is a document that verifies the manufacturing country of the items being shipped, and the item’s origin and destination determine if the certificate is required. Requirement reasons could be because of established Treaty arrangements, varying duty rates and preferential duty treatment dependent on the shipment´s origin.

For instance, when you are shipping between the US, Puerto Rico, Canada, and Mexico, you should use the Canada-US-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) Certificate of Origin to determine if the goods imported into your country qualify for the reduced or eliminated duties allowed under CUSMA. To be assessed the proper duty and to avoid delays in customs clearance in the US, Puerto Rico, Canada, and Mexico, include a CUSMA Certificate of Origin with the export documentation.

Use our Import and Export Regulations tool to see additional forms you may need for these and other countries.

Commercial shipments to international destinations other than the United States (including Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands) containing restricted goods or goods valued over CAN$2,000 require submission of an export declaration to the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA).

An export declaration can be submitted using the Canadian Export Reporting System (CERS), or G7 Electronic Data Interchange Export Reporting (G7 EDI) system.

Additional information about export documentation and filing requirements is available in the CBSA’s Guide to exporting commercial goods from Canada.