Service Info

Printer-Friendly Commercial Invoice

The Commercial Invoice is the official transaction record between an exporter and an importer. In most cases, it’s the form that customs officials use to clear your shipment. If you are not sure whether one is needed, go to Find International Documents or call 1.800.GoFedEx 1.800.463.3339 and say "international services." You can also complete a Commercial Invoice online using FedEx Ship Manager^® at fedex.com. Or print a Commercial Invoice and complete it by hand: Use either the FedEx Express form (142 Kb PDF) or the form for FedEx International Ground^® shipments (137 Kb PDF).

Your own corporate invoice is the preferred format if it contains specific information. FedEx can provide a form you can copy onto your letterhead. For help, go to Find International Documents.

FedEx Express: A Commercial Invoice typically is required when you ship nondocument commodities. You must submit one signed original and two copies. For express shipments from the U.S. to Canada, use either the Commercial Invoice or a Canada Customs Invoice.

FedEx International Ground: A Commercial Invoice is required for all shipments to Canada — one signed original and four copies. For FedEx International Broker Select^® shipments to Canada, you must include contact information for the broker designated to clear the shipment.

Here's what to include on your Commercial Invoice:

Full name and address — including a contact name, telephone number and fax number — for the shipper, recipient and broker (if applicable).
Importer-of-record information, including nonresident importer (NRI) designation if applicable.
A FedEx^® International Air Waybill number or FedEx Ground tracking ID (list the individual tracking ID for every package in the shipment).
Date of exportation.
Export references (optional).
Country of export and country of ultimate destination.
Detailed description of each commodity, including, but not limited to:
1. Packing elements
  1. Marks, numbers and symbols under which the commodity is packaged and sold
  2. Number of packages
  3. Type of packaging
2. Commodity description
  1. Full description
    - Grade
    - Composition, construction of product, or both
    - Harmonized System (HS) classification number
    - Country of manufacture
    - Generic or scientific name
  2. Units of measure
    - Quantity with appropriate unit of measure
    - Weight with appropriate unit of measure (pounds or kilograms)
  3. Value
    - Sale price or fair market value of each item
    - All charges and discounts associated with the transaction (such as packaging, shipping and insurance)
    - Total invoice value
    - Terms of sale (such as Free Carrier [FCA] or Carriage and Insurance Paid To [CIP])
Destination control statement required for most U.S. exports: "These commodities, technology or software were exported from the United States in accordance with the Export Administration Regulations. Diversion contrary to United States law is prohibited."
Destination control statement for U.S. exports controlled by the U.S. Department of State: "These commodities are authorized by the U.S. government for export only to [country of ultimate destination] for use by [end user]. They may not be transferred, trans-shipped on a noncontinuous voyage, or otherwise be disposed of in any other country, either in their original form or after being incorporated into other end-items, without the prior written approval of the U.S. Department of State."
Signature and date. Your Commercial Invoice must also include this statement, known as the Shipper’s Declaration: "I declare all the information contained in this invoice to be true and correct."