The documents that travel with a consignment

Commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading, certificate of origin, insurance certificate, and whatever the destination adds - phytosanitary for agricultural goods, a health certificate for food, a conformity certificate for electricals in some markets.

We prepare the first five in-house and file the shipping bill against our own IEC. The sixth is arranged with the relevant authority before the container is loaded, never after.

Drafts go to the buyer for approval before originals are issued. It is cheaper to correct a consignee address on a draft than to amend a bill of lading in transit.