Shipper's letter of instruction
The document that tells your freight forwarder exactly what to do and authorises them to file your export data. Every AES element in numbered boxes, and a live check on whether your shipment even needs an EEI filing.
Everything stays in this browser. Nothing is uploaded, and closing the tab keeps your details for next time.
Commodities
| Description | Schedule B | Qty | Unit | Gross (kg) | Value (USD) | D/F | License |
|---|
What an SLI actually does
Two jobs at once. It is the instruction sheet telling your freight forwarder how you want the shipment handled — which carrier, which ports, what insurance, what not to do. And it is the authorisation letting them file your Electronic Export Information with the government on your behalf, which is the part that carries legal weight.
Without one, a forwarder is guessing at your intentions and has no documented authority to file on your behalf. With one, both of you have a record of exactly what was instructed — which matters on the day something goes wrong.
When is EEI filing required?
Under the Foreign Trade Regulations at 15 CFR Part 30, Electronic Export Information is filed through the Automated Export System for exports of physical goods, with exemptions. The exemption most exporters rely on is at 30.37(a): it covers commodities shipped from one USPPI to one ultimate consignee on a single conveyance where the value classified under an individual Schedule B or HTSUSA code is $2,500 or less.
That word "individual" is the trap. The threshold is per commodity code, not per shipment. A $9,000 shipment made of four different Schedule B codes at $2,250 each is exempt. A $3,000 shipment under a single code is not. The calculator above groups your lines by code and tells you which ones cross the line.
Value is not the only trigger. EEI is required regardless of value for items needing a BIS or State Department licence, ITAR-controlled goods, DEA-controlled substances, rough diamonds, and used self-propelled vehicles, among others. Never treat the $2,500 test as the whole answer.
Who is the USPPI?
The U.S. Principal Party in Interest is whoever in the United States receives the primary benefit of the transaction — usually the seller or manufacturer. It is not your forwarder, and it is not normally your foreign buyer. The USPPI provides the export data and carries responsibility for its accuracy even when an agent does the filing.
Routed and non-routed transactions
In a standard transaction, you as the USPPI control the export and authorise your own agent to file — that is what this letter does. In a routed export transaction the foreign buyer arranges the international carriage and authorises their own U.S. agent to file the EEI. Your obligations change: you must still provide the data elements, but the filing responsibility sits with the buyer's agent.
Getting this box wrong creates real confusion about who is responsible for the filing, which is how shipments end up either unfiled or filed twice.
D or F?
The origin indicator on each commodity line. D means domestic — grown, produced, or manufactured in the United States, including goods made from foreign components if they were substantially transformed here. F means foreign — goods that entered the United States and are now being re-exported in essentially the same condition.
Questions people actually ask
Is a shipper's letter of instruction legally required?
The SLI itself is not mandated by regulation — the legal obligation is the Electronic Export Information filing under 15 CFR Part 30 where it applies. But the SLI is how the USPPI conveys the data for that filing and authorises the agent to make it, so in practice forwarders require one. Many also require a separate formal power of attorney.
What is the $2,500 export threshold?
The low-value exemption at 15 CFR 30.37(a). It covers goods shipped from one USPPI to one ultimate consignee on a single conveyance where the value under an individual Schedule B or HTSUSA code is $2,500 or less. It is applied per commodity code, not per shipment — a shipment can be well above $2,500 in total and still be exempt if no single code exceeds it. Licensed and controlled goods require filing regardless of value.
What is the difference between an SLI and a bill of lading?
The SLI is your instruction to the forwarder, written before the shipment moves. The bill of lading is the carrier's contract of carriage and receipt for the goods, issued once they have them. The SLI tells the forwarder what to arrange; the bill of lading is one of the things they arrange.
Do I need a power of attorney as well?
Usually yes. The authorisation block on an SLI covers the specific shipment, but most forwarders want a standing power of attorney on file before they will file EEI for you at all. Ask your forwarder for their form — it is a one-time piece of paperwork, not a per-shipment one.
What is a Schedule B number?
The ten-digit U.S. export commodity classification code, administered by the Census Bureau. The first six digits match the international HS code, so an importer's HS number and your Schedule B number will share their opening six digits. You can use a valid HTSUSA code instead for most exports.