Free commercial invoice generator
The customs paperwork for a shipment leaving the country — origin, reason for export and tariff code.
A commercial invoice is not an accounting document. It travels with an international shipment and is read by a customs officer who is deciding one thing: what duty is owed on the contents of that box. Everything unusual about it follows from that. It states where the goods were made rather than where the parcel was posted, it says why they are being sent, and it is signed — because the signature is a declaration that the contents are what you say they are, not an agreement to a price.
Commercial invoice, pro forma, or ordinary invoice
These three get mixed up constantly, and sending the wrong one is a common reason a parcel sits at a border for a week. An ordinary invoice is addressed to whoever pays you and exists so you get paid. A pro forma invoice is issued before a sale is final — a firm offer, used to arrange prepayment or to let a buyer apply for an import licence. A commercial invoice is issued for goods that are actually moving, and it is what the shipment clears against.
Some shipments want two of them at different moments: a pro forma when the buyer is arranging payment, then a commercial invoice when the box goes. That is normal, and the numbers on them do not have to match.
The four fields people get wrong
Country of origin is about manufacture, not despatch. A print made in Calgary and posted from Vancouver has Canada as its origin. It decides which tariff applies and whether a trade agreement brings the duty down, so guessing here changes the bill.
Reason for export is a sale, a gift, a sample, a repair or a return, and each is assessed differently. Marking a paid commission as a gift to be helpful is the kind of thing that gets a shipper flagged.
Incoterms say who pays the freight and the duty. DAP means you deliver and the buyer settles duty on arrival; DDP means you have already paid it; EXW means the buyer collects and pays for everything. It is a term you agreed with the buyer, not a shipping option you pick at the last minute — and the buyer discovering an unexpected customs bill on their doorstep is how a good client stops being one.
Declared value is what the goods are worth, and understating it to reduce duty is fraud rather than a saving. It is also the figure any insurance claim is settled against, so a parcel declared at $20 that goes missing is a parcel worth $20.
What this one does not do
The tariff code and the country of origin are stated once for the whole shipment, not per line. That is honest for one seller sending their own goods, which is who this is for. A shipment mixing goods made in three countries genuinely needs a code against each line, and for that you want your courier’s own form or a customs broker — a tool that let you put one code on a mixed shipment would be helping you file something wrong.
Most couriers want three copies, one in the pouch on the outside and two attached, but it varies by carrier and destination, so check with yours. Nothing here limits how many times you download it. If you also want a list of the contents to go inside the box without prices on it, that is a delivery note.
Questions people ask
- What is a commercial invoice for?
- It rides with an international shipment and is read by a customs officer deciding what duty is owed. It states who is sending what to whom, what it is worth, where it was made and why it is being sent. Without one, a parcel gets held at the border.
- How is it different from a normal invoice?
- A normal invoice is an accounting document addressed to whoever pays you. A commercial invoice is a declaration addressed to a customs authority. It carries facts an ordinary invoice never mentions — country of origin, incoterms, a tariff code — and it is signed, because the signature is a statement that the contents are as described.
- Is it the same as a pro forma invoice?
- No, and sending the wrong one is a common way to have a shipment held. A pro forma is issued before a sale is final — a firm offer, often used to arrange prepayment or an import licence. A commercial invoice is issued for goods actually being shipped and is what customs clears against. There is a pro forma generator here too.
- What is the country of origin?
- Where the goods were made, not where the parcel is being posted from. A print made in Calgary and shipped from Vancouver has Canada as its origin. Customs uses it to work out which tariff and which trade agreement apply, so getting it wrong changes the duty.
- What are incoterms and which one do I use?
- They are the shorthand for who pays the freight and the duty. DAP means you deliver and the buyer pays duty on arrival; DDP means you have paid the duty already; EXW means the buyer collects and pays for everything. Whichever you agreed with the buyer is the one to put here — it is a contract term, not a shipping option.
- Can I put a different HS code on each line?
- Not here. The tariff code and the country of origin are stated once for the whole shipment, which is honest for one seller sending their own goods and covers most small exporters. A mixed-origin shipment genuinely needs a code per line, and for that you want your courier's own form or a broker.
- How many copies do I need?
- Most couriers want three — one in the pouch on the outside of the box and two attached — but check with yours, because it varies by carrier and destination. The PDF prints as many times as you need, and nothing here limits downloads.
- Is my shipment information sent anywhere?
- No. The invoice is built inside your browser on your own device, and the PDF is created there too. Nothing you type is uploaded to us, because there is nothing on our side to receive it.