Commercial Invoices

Background

One of the most important documents in international trade, the Commercial Invoice is a contract and proof of sale issued by the seller to the buyer. This document describes the goods being sold and details the price, value, and quantity of the goods.

The breakdown of costs on a Commercial Invoice is used by Customs to calculate and assess the duties and taxes due for the shipment.

The Commercial invoice should have the following information for exporting outside of the UK:

• Shippers EORI number starting with GB (or XI for Northern Ireland)
• Receivers Tax ID, VAT or EORI number
• Manufactured Country of Origin 
• Reason for export (Sale, Return etc)
• Product descriptions, quantities, HS Codes, Net weight, commercial value
• incoterms should be on the invoice as well.
• Declaration Statement on Origin - For all products of UK preferential origin, your Commercial Invoice MUST contain the statement as indicated by the Trade and Cooperation agreement. Should this be missing on the Commercial Invoice, the carriers will presume that the product is NOT of UK origin and duties and taxes may be charged, until proved otherwise via an official Certificate of Origin issued by the Chamber of Commerce. Please note that all Commercial Invoices generated by the World Options Portal automatically include this statement.

A complete and accurate Commercial Invoice is actually a legal requirement. Failing to do so can result in long Customs delays and potential fees. Furthermore, misinformation on a Customs invoice can lead to underpayment for duties and taxes which could, in turn, result in legal ramifications. 

Paper Invoicing

You require 4 copies of the commercial invoices to be printed and signed. 1 copy to be attached on to the box and 3 copies to be given to the driver collecting your shipment. 

Paperless Invoicing

Paperless invoicing works by submitting invoices to the carrier electronically so there is no need for paper copies. 

When sending goods, you will need to complete the commercial invoice page on the World Options Portal, even if you send a hard copy of the commercial invoice.

How To Go Paperless

• Use our mobile World Options app to access your profile preferences and add your electronic signature. You can search for "World Options" in the App Store or Play Store.
• Use a desktop or a laptop computer to upload a copy of your company logo to the same preferences section.
• Customers will be able to continue to use their own commercial invoices for DHL, TNT, FedEx, DPD and DHL Connect EU and international services.

Paperless Invoicing Tips

Tip #1: Complete commercial invoices faster by using the products section in the World Options portal and add in the details for the goods you send out commonly. Once stored, these goods can be instantly selected, and this will you save time. See example of Commercial Invoices below

Tip #2: You can add your products instantly by uploading an Excel .csv file that lists your goods, into your World Options portal account. To learn more about this feature, please contact your account manager.

Once the World Options app is downloaded , It takes only 28 seconds to create the electronic signature. See link to a short video for further guidance.

Example of Commercial invoice

Example of Invoice for Gifts/Personal