Collaborate on International Commercial Invoice Template for Organizations with Ease Using airSlate SignNow

International commercial invoice template for organizations

hello and welcome to international trade simplified our topic today is a commercial invoice in this topic we will cover key elements of a commercial invoice the importance of the commercial invoice and the stakeholders interested on the same document kindly watch the video till the end be sure to send us your views and comments also do make suggestions on topics you want us to cover in the future our contact details are provided in the video lastly please consider liking the video and also subscribe to the channel a commercial invoice is a document that enumerates the details of a shipment it includes exporter and importer details description of the shipment quantity and value it is a necessary document for all actors in the logistics process while it is a very important document a commercial invoice requires supplementary documents such as a packing list and a transport document for its function to be completely effective these documents will be covered in their respective videos a commercial invoice is required by many actors in the logistics process customs officials are interested in collecting statistical information and taxes another layer of interested stakeholders is central or reserve banks who act through the retail banks as well as regulatory bodies who are interested in international trade without much ado let us get into it a company letterhead this is not a regulatory requirement but from experience documents produced with a company letterhead appear more authentic and believable and do not draw unnecessary attention to the transaction my advice is if your documents are not generated through an erp system but through a microsoft office package or any other package for that matter add a company letterhead on your documents to make them appear authentic and businesslike invoice name the word invoice suffices in place of a commercial invoice the reason for this is that the word invoice is accepted to mean commercial invoice and for this reason it is seen and accepted as a commercial invoice perform a invoice and quotation are not accepted to serve the purpose of a commercial invoice this is because both these documents help to bring a contract between a seller and a buyer into being an event which may or may not happen so for this reason they are inconclusive a tax invoice is a document exchanged between vendors for the purpose of addressing their respective tax responsibility and by extension a tax invoice is required by a tax collection office many organizations export on a tax invoice simply because it is easier to do so the tax invoice is easily accessible through the accounting system where the entity conducts its business on a regular basis a commercial invoice on the other hand is not generated from the same system as at the tax invoice very few businesses have a commercial invoice on their erp system further a commercial invoice is misunderstood to be applicable only to commercial sales this is not true a commercial invoice extends to all types of transactions including donations and no exchange perceives transactions and the like to name a few the types of transactions can be communicated by endorsing the invoice ingly invoice and payment details an invoice number ensures that the document and the transaction are unique and cannot be duplicated unwittingly there is no numbering convention to be observed when formulating an invoice number as such any numbering system is acceptable payment method is required to inform the central or reserve bank through the retail bank on how proceeds will be received options for receiving proceeds can range from an advance payment payment instruments such as letters of credit and payment on credit payment terms are required to inform your central or reserve bank when payment can be expected this again is communicated via your retail bank this is to ensure that all transactions are regulated to reduce and or eliminate fraudulent and illicit transactions such as money laundering round tripping and asset stripping you see our number this is a unique consignment reference number this number is used to link transactions to payments that the entity makes or receives for example an export of x value of goods should receive proceeds of x foreign currency and the ucr number is used to link these two activities exporter and importer details cover sender and receiver details names addresses as well as contact details also a customs license number a customs license number is called different names in different jurisdictions the names range from a customs code to a t-pin the naming convention may differ from one jurisdiction to another but the purpose is the same the customs code is a number issued by a customs office to an applicant who wishes to export and import goods some jurisdictions link additional activities between the revenue collector and the vendor on the same number this can include processes such as pay as you earn as well as input and output tax payments and reporting shipment details include description of goods the contents of the shipment in other words the description of the goods and their brand if brand is available this is to enable customs to have an adequate comprehension of what the goods are and so they can ascertain the fair market value a harmonized system code or an hs code in short is an international system for naming and classifying goods for purposes of customs clearances this system allows members to classify goods using a coding system rather than using the description of a shipment which can be ambiguous and vague at best a quick example would be a truck as it is called in america when referring to an ldv in america this is a vehicle with limited capacity for carrying persons and suitable for carry a light load of cargo whereas in south africa such a reference would be construed to mean a sizable vehicle possibly a multi-axle vehicle suitable for carrying large-sized cargo reconciling these heuristics can pose a serious challenge for traders and authorities alike hence the importance of the harmonized coding system quantity of units unit price and total value the country of origin and the country of export are also important to ascertain if any benefits or restrictions exist between the trading parties these can be in a form of unilateral and non-reciprocal agreement when one state opens up its market to qualifying exports from foreign states the benefit of a trade agreement is the removal of trade barriers that effectively increase the desirability of exporters goods in the country of import one such example is the african growth and opportunity act trade agreement which is conferred by the united states of america to qualifying imports from foreign african member states bilateral trade agreements exist between two states where one state opens up its market to another and vice versa in a reciprocal manner multilateral trade agreements exist between three or more states where trade barriers between member states are reduced to enable member states to compete customs valuation information a subtotal value is the sum of value of the goods items on the invoices additional costs such as handling and packaging local costs including transportation to the free onboard point also referred to as an fov point should also be added an fob point is all the cost to the point where the cargo is loaded on the vessel or handed over to the carrier responsible for the international transport the local transport cost is usually ignored in custom seldom and says marine cargo insurance this is a premium paid to the insurer to provide cover to the assured which indemnifies the assured against financial loss or expense incurred resulting from any of the risks and hazards which are defined in the policy document freight cost this would be informed by a rate card quotation or an invoice from an entity whose core business is freight and transport services sometimes a commercial invoice may not include these costs because the costs are received when the invoice has already been raised and for this reason the freight cost is usually furnished as a separate statement which is added to the commercial invoice and all the other accompanying documents it is advisable that your commercial invoice covers all costs including freight and insurance some jurisdictions insist on a commercial invoice that includes all costs this is because the calculation of duties and taxes depends on all this information it is important to note that some jurisdictions insist on seeing freight and insurance costs on the commercial invoice while others are happy to receive this information as an addendum that is if they are even interested in it this differing of standards and requirements is linked to how the revenue collector of a particular country computes its customs value a different approach is also seen on the marine insurance where certain jurisdictions insist on insurance being procured locally this may result in increased costs for the buyer if it is not properly managed it is advisable to state the incoterm that governs the transaction this enables involved actors such as shippers freight forwarders customs officials port officials clearing agents importers and the like to correctly apportion responsibilities risks and costs export tax many jurisdictions collect tax even on goods marked for exports as a point of departure qualifications apply to certain goods or conditions to waive this tax liability check with your local tax office for clarity there is risk of double taxation where tax is paid at the point of export and also that of import an argument can be made that tax should not be levied on goods that are not consumed in the country of export while this is a valid point it is advisable that you familiarize yourself with application qualifications that enable you to waive tax on your exports before you avail yourself of the benefit currency of the transaction it is advisable to use a single currency for all line items on the invoice but this is not a requirement it is natural to use the currency of the country of export however this may not be practical for various reasons such as regulatory requirements which may prohibit the use of certain currencies cross-trade restrictions contract agreements or economic conditions that may prevail mode of transport must be stated as well there are five modes of transport that are available to exporters ocean road rail air postal service it is advisable to refine the mode of transport of choice like airfreight courier dhl some information may not be provided for in the structure of a commercial invoice and that information can be inserted as an endorsement in the body of an invoice this endorsement can be anything that the exporter finds useful a license or permit number can also be endorsed on the commercial invoice or better yet an instruction such as call before delivery can also be included the point here is that a commercial invoice must maintain its status and function even if the transaction is different to that of an outright sale when all important details have been covered on the invoice it is necessary to make a declaration statement with a signature designation and date thank you for watching remember to like and subscribe also send us your comments see you on the next video