Free Commercial Invoice Generator for Export & Customs
Build the commercial invoice customs actually wants: exporter and importer details, HS codes, country of origin per line, net weights, Incoterms, freight and insurance, and a signed origin declaration — with a live preview and a clean PDF for your forwarder. Everything runs in your browser; nothing is uploaded.
Exporter and importer
Shipment details
Goods
Live preview
COMMERCIAL INVOICE
For customs and export purposes.
Invoice No: EXP-2026-014
Date: 13 Nov 2026
Incoterms: CIF Hamburg
Exporter
Indus Textile Exports (Pvt) Ltd
Plot 14, Korangi Industrial Area, Karachi, Pakistan
NTN 1234567-8
exports@industextile.example
Importer / Consignee
Northgate Retail GmbH
Hafenstraße 9, 20457 Hamburg, Germany
VAT DE123456789
From: Karachi, Pakistan · To: Hamburg, Germany · Packages: 48 cartons · Payment: 30 days from bill of lading date
| Description | HS | Origin | Qty | Unit | Net kg | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cotton bed sheets, woven, dyed — set of 2 | 6302.31 | Pakistan | 1200 | $6.40 | 1080.00 | $7,680.00 |
| Cotton bath towels, terry towelling | 6302.60 | Pakistan | 800 | $3.85 | 360.00 | $3,080.00 |
Total net weight: 1440.00 kg
Goods value$10,760.00
Freight$1,150.00
Insurance$85.00
Total (CIF)$11,995.00
We hereby certify that the goods described in this invoice are of Pakistan origin, that the quantities, weights and values stated are true and correct, and that this invoice is the only invoice issued for this shipment.
Signature and stamp of exporter: ____________
Shipping before the final values are known? Start with the free Proforma Invoice Generator, then issue the commercial invoice for the actual shipment.
What a commercial invoice is, and why customs runs on it
The commercial invoice is the single most important document in an export shipment. It is the seller’s formal statement of what is being shipped, who made it, what it is worth and who is receiving it — and it is the primary source customs officers use to classify the goods, assess duty and tax, check restrictions and release the cargo. Your buyer’s broker builds the import declaration from it; your own export declaration mirrors it; the bank under a letter of credit examines it word by word. When the three tell different stories, the shipment stops.
Unlike a domestic invoice, a commercial invoice is written for officials who know nothing about your business. Vague descriptions that work fine at home — "spare parts", "garments", "samples" — are red flags at a border. A customs-grade description says what the item is, what it is made of and what it is used for: "men’s woven cotton shirts" clears; "shirts" invites an examination, a delay and a storage bill.
What a commercial invoice must contain
A complete commercial invoice carries the exporter’s full legal name, address and tax or registration number; the importer’s (consignee’s) name, address and VAT or importer number; a unique invoice number and date; the currency; the Incoterm with its named place; ports of loading and discharge; the number and type of packages; and, per line, a precise description, the HS code, the country of origin, the quantity, the unit price, the line total and the net weight. Freight and insurance appear as separate lines when the Incoterm puts them on the seller. It closes with the total, the payment terms and the exporter’s signed declaration that the particulars are true — a formula some countries require almost verbatim.
Incoterms, value and the mistakes that hold shipments
The Incoterm is not decoration: it tells customs which costs form part of the value and tells both parties where risk passes. Quote it with a named place — "CIF Hamburg" is a term; "CIF" alone is an argument waiting to happen. The declared value must be the real transaction value, consistent with the payment the buyer actually makes; customs administrations compare invoice values against payments, reference prices and your past shipments. The recurring causes of holds are boring and preventable: invoice totals that do not match the packing list; weights that differ between documents; missing HS codes or origin; a consignee name that differs from the bill of lading by one word; and totals in figures that disagree with the goods lines. Five minutes of cross-checking against the packing list before the documents leave your desk is worth days at the port.
Commercial invoice, proforma and packing list — who does what
The proforma opens the transaction: issued before shipment, it lets the buyer arrange funds, licences and letters of credit against expected values. The commercial invoice closes the documentation: issued for the goods as actually shipped, at their final values, it is the basis for duty. The packing list is its physical twin — same shipment described by packages, dimensions and gross and net weights rather than by money. Keep all three consistent, and keep copies for the years your tax and customs rules require (commonly five to ten). This generator produces the commercial invoice; nothing here is legal or customs advice, and for a first shipment to a new market a licensed customs broker is money well spent.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a commercial invoice and a proforma invoice?
Timing and legal weight. A proforma invoice is issued before shipment as a quotation-like document the buyer uses to arrange payment, import licences or letters of credit — the goods may not even be packed yet, and quantities can still change. A commercial invoice is issued for the actual shipment, with the final quantities, weights and values, and it is the document customs uses to assess duty. Never ship against a proforma: if the values clear customs on the wrong document, correcting them afterwards is slow and can draw penalties in strict regimes.
What is an HS code and where do I find the right one?
The Harmonized System code is the international classification number customs uses to identify what a product is and which duty rate applies. The first six digits are the same worldwide; countries append their own digits for finer categories. Find yours through your national customs tariff (most publish a searchable online tariff), your freight forwarder, or a customs broker — and use the same code on every shipment of the same product. Guessing a code because it carries a lower duty is misdeclaration, even when the goods themselves are perfectly legal.
Why does customs care about country of origin on every line?
Origin decides preferential duty rates under trade agreements, anti-dumping duties, sanctions and import restrictions. Two identical-looking products can face very different duty depending on where they were made, so each line of the invoice states its own origin — a single mixed shipment can legitimately contain goods of several origins. Note that origin means where the goods were manufactured or last substantially transformed, not the country you are shipping from.
Do freight and insurance belong on the commercial invoice?
That depends on the Incoterm. Under CIF or CIP the seller arranges and pays freight and insurance to destination, and customs in many countries values goods on a CIF basis, so both amounts should be shown separately so the customs value can be verified. Under FOB the invoice value usually stops at the port of loading, and adding destination freight would overstate it. The safest habit: always show freight and insurance as separate lines (this tool does) and let the declared total match the basis your Incoterm implies.
Can I declare a lower value to reduce the buyer’s duty?
No — that is undervaluation, a customs offence in every serious jurisdiction, and it backfires on the buyer as well: duty, penalties and shipment seizure are assessed against them, and their import record is flagged for future inspections. Declare the real transaction value — what the buyer actually pays for the goods. If the price is genuinely low because of a discount or a sample shipment, say so in words on the invoice ("samples supplied free of charge — value for customs purposes only") rather than inventing a number.