Create a printable, free commercial invoice template.

When you need to import or export products internationally, having a template of a commercial invoice template handy can help expedite the shipping process.

In today's world market, shipping items across international borders takes more than a standard product invoice. Having a printable template of a commercial invoice makes your job easier and helps your business run more efficiently.

What is a commercial invoice?

A commercial invoice is a legal document between an importer and an exporter that’s similar to a pro forma invoice, except it includes additional information for shipping internationally. It’s an easy way for customs agents to identify duties and taxes on shipped goods.

When the shipment reaches the border, officials can more easily look at the commercial invoice, find the necessary information, and process the shipment.

Information to include in a commercial invoice template.

Because the package is crossing international borders, there’s a lot of information you’ll need to include in your commercial invoice:

• Company name, address, phone number, and possibly a tax identification number (TIN)
• Buyer’s name, address, contact information, and perhaps TIN
• The ship-to address, along with name, contact information and TIN (if different from buyer’s)
• Detailed description of the items, including:
  • Harmonized System (HS) number
  • Name of product
  • Grade or quality
  • Any numbers or symbols used to identify merchandise (SKU, serial number, etc.)
  • Currency type used
  • Country of origin
  • Quantity
  • Price per unit
• Country of shipment
• Signature of shipper, along with title and date of signing

This list is by no means exhaustive. Other required information may depend on the countries you're shipping to or from. For example, many products require special certifications or licenses to cross international borders. It’s very important to research the trade laws of both your country and the country you want to ship to before creating your commercial invoice template.

Boost efficiency with a template of a commercial invoice.

A commercial invoice template is a standardized document that contains all the information you need to create an easily updateable commercial invoice. And because there's a lot of important information needed on them, you'll want to avoid going through everything line by line each time you need to ship a product internationally, so having an invoice template on hand boosts efficiency.

You can create your commercial invoice template in Excel or any document processor you feel most comfortable using. The key is to add lines for each piece of information you’ll need to provide. Then, you can insert any information that will stay the same for every invoice, like your company name and address. Leave lines that may change blank, such as product names or quantities.

Remember that your commercial invoice needs to be printable, so it's best to avoid fancy formatting or fonts. Keep it straightforward and easy to read. It is a legal document, after all.

Once your invoice template is ready, be sure to save it as a PDF to prevent formatting issues when you go to print. You can either save directly to PDF or convert Excel to PDF online. Whenever you need to get a shipment ready, bring up your template, add any invoice-specific information, and you're good to ship.

Download a printable commercial invoice template.

If you’re not comfortable creating your own template from scratch, plenty of printable commercial invoice templates are available online, typically in PDF form. Simply download the template and update the fields whenever you need to send an international shipment.

For simple edits and collaborations with your team, you can edit the PDF template on any device with an online PDF editor. For more extensive edits, you can also convert your commercial invoice template to Excel with an online PDF to Excel converter.

Frequently asked questions.

Do I really need to use a commercial invoice?

Commercial invoices are necessary for shipping products internationally. You must use a commercial invoice if you ship items to another country.

Who receives a commercial invoice?

The buyer is the end receiver of a commercial invoice, but the document is also used in other parts of the shipping process, most notably at customs checkpoints.

Is a commercial invoice proof of payment?

Yes, a commercial invoice serves as proof of payment. It’s a legal document that proves the entire transaction between buyer and seller.

Content as a Service v2 - acrobat-hub - Tuesday, October 24, 2023 at 10:18