A container of turmeric travels with more paper than most people expect, and the paper is what actually clears customs. The cargo is rarely the problem. A mismatched net weight between two documents, or a certificate of origin dated after the bill of lading, will stop a shipment that is otherwise perfect.
The commercial set, issued by the supplier
- Proforma invoice. Issued before the order. In practice it is the contract: specification, quantity, packaging, Incoterm, port, payment terms, delivery window and tolerance all live here. Read it as carefully as you would a signed agreement, because that is what it becomes.
- Commercial invoice. The final priced document customs assesses against. Description, HS code, quantity, unit price, Incoterm and currency must be internally consistent and match everything else in the file.
- Packing list. Marks and numbers, bag count, net and gross weights, dimensions, container and seal numbers. This is the document destination customs uses to reconcile a physical inspection.
The transport set, issued by the carrier or forwarder
- Bill of lading. Receipt, contract of carriage and, when negotiable, document of title. Original bills are issued in a set of three; whoever holds an endorsed original can claim the cargo, which is exactly why banks hold them under a letter of credit. A telex release or a non-negotiable sea waybill speeds up collection but gives up that security, so it belongs to established relationships rather than first orders.
- Insurance certificate. Present on CIF and CIP terms. On FOB and CFR the buyer arranges cover, and a surprising number of first-time importers discover mid-voyage that nobody did.
The regulatory set, issued by authorities and certifiers
- Certificate of origin. Non-preferential certificates are issued by a chamber of commerce and simply state where the goods were produced. Preferential certificates are what unlock reduced duty under a trade agreement, and India has several in force with GCC and Asia-Pacific markets. If your duty calculation assumes a concession, the preferential certificate is not optional paperwork. It is the concession.
- Phytosanitary certificate. Issued by Indian plant quarantine authorities under the international plant protection framework, confirming the consignment is free from regulated pests. Required by most importing countries for plant products, and the wording must match the packing list exactly.
- Fumigation certificate. Where the destination requires treatment, or where wooden pallets and dunnage need heat treatment or fumigation marking under ISPM-15.
- Certificate of Analysis. Lot-specific laboratory results against the agreed specification.
- Health or free sale certificate. Required by several markets to confirm the product is freely sold in the country of origin.
- Halal certificate. Standard for GCC and much of South-East Asia, and increasingly requested by manufacturers supplying those markets from elsewhere.
- Shipping bill. The Indian customs export declaration, filed electronically. It stays on the exporter’s side but is worth knowing about, because its numbers are what the rest of the file must agree with.
The three that most often hold a container
- Phytosanitary wording that does not match. A botanical name, quantity or set of marks that differs even slightly from the packing list gives quarantine at destination a reason to hold the consignment.
- A certificate of origin out of sequence. Issued after the bill of lading date, or referencing an invoice number that has since been revised, and the duty concession is refused.
- Consignee and notify details wrong on the bill of lading. Under a letter of credit this becomes a discrepancy, and discrepancies cost fees and days.
A five-minute reconciliation that prevents most of it
Before documents are couriered or presented to a bank, lay them side by side and confirm that these fields are identical on every one of them:
- Exporter and consignee names, spelled the same way, including the legal suffix.
- Invoice number and date.
- Marks and numbers, bag count, net weight and gross weight.
- Container number and seal number.
- HS code, port of loading and port of discharge.
One transposed digit in a net weight cascades through the entire file. Catching it in Mumbai takes an email. Catching it at the destination port takes a fortnight.
We prepare the full documentation package with every shipment and can share a sample set for your market before you order, just ask when you get in touch.