Commercial invoice generator
A working commercial invoice, not a template you have to retype into Word. Fill the form, watch the document build itself, then print it or save it as a PDF.
Everything stays in this browser. Nothing is uploaded, and closing the tab keeps your details for next time.
Line items
| Description of goods | HS code | Origin | Qty | Unit | Unit price |
|---|
What a commercial invoice has to carry
The commercial invoice is the document customs uses to decide what your goods are, what they are worth, and what duty applies. Destination requirements vary, but a US export invoice that omits any of the following is asking for a hold:
- Full legal name and address of the exporter and the consignee, and the buyer if that is a third party
- Invoice number and date, and the purchase order it answers to
- A plain description of the goods — a commercial description, not a part number
- HS or HTS classification, at least to six digits
- Country of origin of the goods, which is not necessarily where they shipped from
- Quantity, unit, unit price, and extended amount, with the currency named
- Terms of sale as an Incoterms 2020 rule plus the named place
- Freight, insurance and other charges shown separately, so the customs value can be built correctly
- A signed declaration that the contents and values are true
Why charges get their own lines
Customs valuation depends on where risk and cost transfer, which is what the Incoterm encodes. An FOB value and a CIF value for the same goods differ by the freight and insurance between them. Burying those amounts inside the unit price makes it impossible for a broker to build the correct declared value, and it is one of the more common reasons an entry gets queried.
Amount in words
Banks handling letters of credit, and several customs authorities, expect the total written out. The generator does it automatically from the total and the currency code you enter, so the words and the figures cannot drift apart.
Questions people actually ask
Is a commercial invoice the same as a proforma invoice?
No. A proforma is a quotation — it states what you propose to sell and on what terms, and it is issued before the sale is agreed. A commercial invoice records a sale that has happened and is the document customs values the goods from. The layouts look similar, which is why they are so often confused.
Do I need an HS code on the invoice?
You are rarely required to provide one as the exporter, but you should. Without a classification the destination customs authority assigns one for you, and their choice is not always the favourable one. Six digits are internationally harmonised; digits beyond that are country-specific.
What is the country of origin, exactly?
Where the goods were produced or last substantially transformed — not where they were shipped from and not where your company is registered. Goods assembled in one country from another country's components take the origin of the country where the substantial transformation occurred, under rules that vary by trade agreement.
Is anything I type here sent to a server?
No. The page runs entirely in your browser, and your company details and line items are kept in your browser's own storage so they are still there next time. Clearing the shipment or your browser data removes them permanently.