Export documentation is important for shipping goods internationally. Key documents include proforma invoices, commercial invoices, packing lists, bills of lading, and consular invoices where required. Accurate and properly completed documentation is necessary for customs clearance, obtaining payment, and transporting goods legally according to the regulations of the exporting and importing countries.
2. Export documentation
Once the goods are ready the exporter has to prepare
and execute various documents of different tags of
sending the shipment of goods to the importer
The various documents are vital to the exporter and
bank which is a media of payment
3. Importance of Export document
As an evidence of shipment and title of goods
For obtaining payments
Transportation of the goods
Custom clearance of the goods
And many other purposes
4. Export document
The documentary requirement are both regulatory and
operational in nature and have to comply with the rules
and regulation with the Indian government as well as the
importing countries for different type of products.
These requirement are different for different type of
products
Accuracy and completeness are the prime necessities in
documents covering export shipments
5. Export document cost
Export documentation work constitutes a heavy charge
in exports activity
Its costly, complex and cumbersome
Minor discrepancies of any kind either in the date itself
or any typing error in the document which looks harmless
might proves costly
6. Export document
Any alteration or addition made by an authority issuing
the documents should be endorsed properly, with the
signature of the person issuing the document only
If the documents are not the correct ones and not filled
properly the importers may not be able to get the goods
when the ship carrying them arrives
8. Legal Importance
Before granting the permission, the custom officer
however ensures that the goods being exported are in
accordance with the different regulation particularly in
terms of following:
The goods are same type, sort and values as declared
by the exporter
The duty or cess livable has been properly determined
and paid
10. Aligned documentation system
The Government of India made it mandatory for every
exporter to use standardized preshipment export
documents w.e.f. September 1,1991
This is properly known as aligned documentation system
The preshipment document on a standard layout was first
introduced by Sweden in 1956
11. Paper size and specifications
All documents under the system are to be prepared on
A4 size of paper
Standard margin 10mm---top 20mm----left
The size of the individual boxes should be as per the
specification
Maximum tolerance is 1 mm
12. Specifications
The captions inside the boxes should be printed in 6
points sans serif face and should be located as near on
the top left corner of the boxes as possible
Documents need to generated mechanically
Paper should be found in stable form 50-60% relative
humidity
13. Documentation practice in India
In India, on an average about 25 documents are
associated with the preshipment stages to export
transaction
These documents are classified in to two categories:
commercial
regulatory
16. Important documents
Proforma invoice
Commercial invoice
Consular invoice
Packing list
Mate receipt
Bill of lading
Letter of Credit (not a export document)
17. Performa Invoice
The starting point of the export contract is in a form of a
offer made by an exporter to the foreign customer
The offer made by an exporter is in the form of a
proforma invoice
It is a quotation given as a reply to an enquiry
18.
19.
20. Importance of proforma invoice
It forms the basis of all trade transaction
It may be useful for an importer to obtain
the import license or foreign exchange
21. Commercial Invoice
A commercial invoice is a bill for the goods from the
seller to the buyer
Its an important and basic export document
These invoices are often used by the government to
determine the true value of goods for duty purposes
26. Consular invoice
A consular invoice is a document that is required by
some countries
It describes the shipment of goods and information such
as importer, exporter and value of the consignment for
custom purposes
Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Mauritius, New Zealand,
Myanmar, Iraq, Australia, Fiji, Cyprus, Nigeria, Ghana,
Guinea,
27. Packing List
Export packing list is considerably more detailed and
informative then a domestic packing list
It also shows the individual net, gross weight, and
measurement for each package
The list is used by the shipper or forwarding agents to
determine the total shipment weight & volume and
whether the correct cargo is being shipped
28.
29. Bill Of lading
The bill of lading (in ocean transport), waybill or
consignment note for rail, air, or road transportation and
receipt in postal or courier delivery are collectively
known as transport document
Bill of lading is issued by shipping company or its agent
stating that goods are either being shipped or have been
shipped
32. Significance
Bill of lading is the only evidence to file a
claim against a shipping company in the
event of no delivery, defective delivery or
the short delivery of the cargo at the
destination