Commercial invoice for customs: what to check before importing

Essential details

• Full identity of the seller and the buyer (company name, address, country).
• Invoice number and date.
• A precise description of each product, ideally with its material and use.
• Quantity and unit for each line (pieces, pairs, kilograms…).
• Unit price, line amount and total amount.
• Invoice currency.
• Incoterm and named place (for example FOB Shanghai, DAP Lyon).
• Country of origin of the goods.

Strongly recommended details

• Net and gross weight, per line or in total.
• HS or CN code provided by the supplier (to be checked on your side).
• Payment terms and order references.
• EORI or tax identification numbers of the parties.

Inconsistencies to look for

Before sending the invoice to your customs broker or preparing the declaration, compare it with the other documents in the file.

• Does the invoice total match the sum of the lines?
• Are the quantities the same as on the packing list?
• Is the weight consistent with the transport document?
• Is the country of origin the same on the invoice and on the certificate of origin?
• Is the Incoterm compatible with transport costs invoiced separately?

Pro forma invoice and final invoice

A pro forma invoice can accompany a shipment with no sale (sample, warranty replacement) or precede the final invoice. It must then show a realistic value and state that no payment is made: a “symbolic” value is not the customs value.

Check your invoice in a few minutes

Our free checker runs these checks: enter the invoice lines, total, currency and Incoterm, tell us which documents you have, and get the list of points to fix.