Forms Needed for International Shipping

Mandatory for All Cross-Border Shipments

The Commercial Invoice (or pro forma invoice) is required for all cross-border shipments (except for documents with no commercial value). It is the primary form used for importation control, valuation and duty determination.

Our shipping tool will assist you in filling out your Commercial Invoice while creating your shipping label. Providing accurate and specific information is crucial to avoid customs delays.

If you have a UPS account, please ensure that it is enrolled to UPS Paperless^® Invoice, which allows you to file all your customs forms electronically during or post shipment creation. To enroll you need to simply log in, go to “Account and Payment” tab, select “View Account Details” in the “Actions” menu, click on “Paperless” tab and select "Enroll My Account".

If you prefer to fill out the Commercial Invoice on your own, without the aid of our shipping tool, you can read this guide or watch this video for assistance. Once completed, you can either upload your Commercial Invoice when creating a shipping label (option available for account holders), or print three copies of your Commercial Invoice, place them in a clear plastic pouch, and attach the pouch securely on top of your parcel next to the shipping label.

Please note that a surcharge may apply if the Commercial Invoice is provided only in paper form before being processed by UPS. To avoid this surcharge, we strongly recommend providing the Commercial Invoice digitally.

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Necessary Forms Depending on the Different Regulations

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.

To check and see what forms you’ll need, use our Import and Export Regulations tool.

Rules for when a certificate is needed change frequently. Be sure to verify your specific requirements before shipping.

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Optional Forms Providing Specific Details

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.

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Other Documents and Forms

Different countries require different export documentation. The type of product you ship and the local regulations of the destination country that you are shipping to, will influence what additional documentation is required. To learn about some common export documents needed while shipping internationally, watch this video.

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