Export Documentation

Export documentation
Once the goods are ready the exporter has to prepare
and execute various documents of different tags of
sending the shipment of goods to the importer


The various documents are vital to the exporter and
bank which is a media of payment
Importance of Export document
As an evidence of shipment and title of goods

For obtaining payments

Transportation of the goods

Custom clearance of the goods

And many other purposes
Export document
The documentary requirement are both regulatory and
operational in nature and have to comply with the rules
and regulation with the Indian government as well as the
importing countries for different type of products.

These requirement are different for different type of
products

Accuracy and completeness are the prime necessities in
documents covering export shipments
Export document cost
Export documentation work constitutes a heavy charge
in exports activity


Its costly, complex and cumbersome


Minor discrepancies of any kind either in the date itself
or any typing error in the document which looks harmless
might proves costly


Export document
Any alteration or addition made by an authority issuing
the documents should be endorsed properly, with the
signature of the person issuing the document only


If the documents are not the correct ones and not filled
properly the importers may not be able to get the goods
when the ship carrying them arrives
Legal importance
Legal Importance
Before granting the permission, the custom officer
however ensures that the goods being exported are in
accordance with the different regulation particularly in
terms of following:

The goods are same type, sort and values as declared
by the exporter

The duty or cess livable has been properly determined
and paid
Legal importance
Aligned documentation system
The Government of India made it mandatory for every
exporter to use standardized preshipment export
documents w.e.f. September 1,1991

This is properly known as aligned documentation system

The preshipment document on a standard layout was first
introduced by Sweden in 1956
Paper size and specifications
All documents under the system are to be prepared on
A4 size of paper

Standard margin 10mm---top 20mm----left

The size of the individual boxes should be as per the
specification

Maximum tolerance is 1 mm
Specifications
The captions inside the boxes should be printed in 6
points sans serif face and should be located as near on
the top left corner of the boxes as possible


Documents need to generated mechanically

Paper should be found in stable form 50-60% relative
humidity


Documentation practice in India
In India, on an average about 25 documents are
associated with the preshipment stages to export
transaction

These documents are classified in to two categories:
commercial
regulatory
Commercial Documents
Regulatory
Important documents
Proforma invoice
Commercial invoice
Consular invoice
Packing list
Mate receipt
Bill of lading
Letter of Credit (not a export document)

Performa Invoice
The starting point of the export contract is in a form of a
offer made by an exporter to the foreign customer

The offer made by an exporter is in the form of a
proforma invoice

It is a quotation given as a reply to an enquiry
Importance of proforma invoice
It forms the basis of all trade transaction

It may be useful for an importer to obtain
the import license or foreign exchange
Commercial Invoice
A commercial invoice is a bill for the goods from the
seller to the buyer


Its an important and basic export document


These invoices are often used by the government to
determine the true value of goods for duty purposes
Significance
Significance
Consular invoice
A consular invoice is a document that is required by
some countries
It describes the shipment of goods and information such
as importer, exporter and value of the consignment for
custom purposes

Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Mauritius, New Zealand,
Myanmar, Iraq, Australia, Fiji, Cyprus, Nigeria, Ghana,
Guinea,
Packing List
Export packing list is considerably more detailed and
informative then a domestic packing list

It also shows the individual net, gross weight, and
measurement for each package

The list is used by the shipper or forwarding agents to
determine the total shipment weight & volume and
whether the correct cargo is being shipped
Bill Of lading
The bill of lading (in ocean transport), waybill or
consignment note for rail, air, or road transportation and
receipt in postal or courier delivery are collectively
known as transport document

Bill of lading is issued by shipping company or its agent
stating that goods are either being shipped or have
been shipped
Bill of lading
Bill of lading
Significance
Bill of lading is the only evidence to file a
claim against a shipping company in the
event of no delivery, defective delivery or
the short delivery of the cargo at the
destination