Goods & export · template 07 of 12
Commercial invoice template for exporting goods
The document that travels with a shipment. Customs uses it to classify the goods, value them and decide what duty is owed — so the fields it needs are not the fields a service invoice has.
Free, no sign-up, nothing stored. It opens filled in so you can see the shape.
When to use it
Use it whenever goods cross a border, including samples and low-value shipments. Couriers ask for it, and an incomplete one is the most common reason a parcel sits in a customs shed.
Describe the goods plainly enough that someone who has never seen them can classify them. “Gift” and “sample” are not descriptions, and understating value to reduce duty is fraud in most jurisdictions.
Field by field
The tariff classification for each type of goods. Your freight forwarder or the destination country's tariff schedule confirms it — getting it wrong changes the duty owed.
Where the goods were made, not where they ship from. It drives preferential duty rates under trade agreements.
Who bears cost and risk at each stage — EXW, FOB, CIF, DAP and the rest. State the term and the named place (“DAP London”).
Gross and net weight, and how many cartons. The carrier reconciles these against what they weigh.
A signed statement that the details are true. Many customs authorities expect one on the face of the invoice.
Questions people ask
Commercial invoice or proforma?
A proforma goes before the sale; the commercial invoice accompanies the actual shipment and is the document customs clears against.
Do I need one for a sample worth almost nothing?
Usually yes. Declare a realistic value even for free samples — customs values goods whether or not money changed hands.
Is this tax advice?
No. Tariffs, origin rules and documentary requirements differ by country and change often. Confirm with your forwarder or customs broker before shipping.
What this is, and what it isn't
This creates an invoice document — the kind you send a client and attach to a payment. It is not a fiscalised e-invoice. Many countries now require invoices to be registered with the tax authority through an approved system, which returns an official number and QR code. We don't do that. If your business is in scope where you are, this document is still yours to send — but the official filing happens elsewhere. We'd rather tell you than let you find out.
We don't validate tax IDs or registration numbers, and nothing here is tax advice. Rates and labels are yours to set; we don't maintain rate tables for every country and won't pretend to.