Export & import documents checklist for sea freight

Quick answer: the core set is a commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading and correct HS codes; US-bound containers also need ISF 10+2 filed before loading in China. We file the export declaration in China; a licensed local broker files the import entry — on DDP we manage that broker for you.

The core four documents

Four documents sit at the center of almost every sea freight shipment, and each answers a different question. The commercial invoice states what the goods are worth — buyer, seller, values, currency and Incoterms — and customs on both sides use it to assess duty. The packing list says what is physically in the shipment: pieces, weights and dimensions per carton, so an inspector can find a specific carton without unpacking everything. The bill of lading is the carrier's contract and receipt, and the document of title your consignee needs to release the container. The certificate of origin, usually issued by a chamber of commerce, states where the goods were made and can reduce duty under preferential trade agreements.

We prepare and cross-check all four before the container sails, because an error discovered at destination costs far more to fix.

Who provides each document

Every document on a China export has an owner. Knowing who signs for what is the quickest way to tell a complete service from a thin one — and to see where your own work stops.

Where a document is not yours to issue, whoever quotes you should be able to name who does issue it and by when. That answer tells you more about a forwarder than any list of services does.

One finished unit is not one shipping piece

The packing-list mistakes that cost the most are rarely typos; they are unit mismatches. A buyer orders three finished rooms and the list says "3". What reaches the warehouse is a set of wall-panel bundles, frame bundles, door and window packs, sanitary fittings and cartons of fixings. Those are the pieces the warehouse can count, the pieces the VGM is built from and the pieces an inspector will look for. A finished-room count is a sales quantity, not a shipment-piece count.

Ask the supplier for a packing record in shipping condition, not a product drawing, with one line per package:

• A unique package ID marked on the physical bundle or carton — for example "UNIT-A / FRAME-02" or "UNIT-A / FIXINGS-A01" — so the list can be matched against what is actually on the truck.
• Packed dimensions and gross weight, including wrapping, edge guards and protrusions. Finished-room dimensions from the layout drawing are not cargo dimensions.
• The room or unit reference each package belongs to, including shared items that serve more than one room, and the assembly stage it is needed for. A total carton count cannot tell the receiving crew which carton holds the first room's brackets.
• A version, a measurement date and any provisional items. Add a window, a bathroom pod or a separately packed staircase and the package count can change while the room count stays the same. Ask for a reissued list and re-check the booking data against that version.

Reconcile the list against the physical pieces before stuffing: walk the stack, tick off every package ID and re-weigh anything that differs. The same record feeds the VGM cross-check and lets an inspector open one named carton instead of the whole container. If the supplier's list and the carrier's booking disagree, settle it before loading rather than at the port on demurrage time.

This section covers shipment facts and the supplier handover record. It is not customs-filing, HS classification or legal advice; the document set for your lane is confirmed by the destination broker.

On the China side: the export declaration

Before a container leaves China it must clear export customs, and we file that declaration on your behalf. What we need from you is straightforward: accurate goods values, the correct HS codes for each product line, supplier details (company name, address and contact), and the consignee information exactly as it should appear on the bill of lading. If your supplier holds the export license, we ship under their declaration; if you buy ex-factory without one, we can arrange the export declaration through our own channels.

The declared value must match the commercial invoice, and the HS codes must match the goods — destination customs will compare the export declaration against your import entry, and mismatches are one of the most common triggers of inspection. Getting these three data points right at booking prevents nearly all declaration problems later.

On the destination side: the import entry

At destination, the import entry must be filed by a licensed local customs broker — requirements differ by country, and we prepare everything the broker needs. A few lane specifics worth knowing:

• United States: ISF '10+2' data must be filed with CBP before the container is loaded in China — late or missing ISF can mean fines and holds.
• European Union: the importer needs an EORI number registered before the entry is filed.
• Mexico: imports are cleared under a pedimento filed by a licensed Mexican broker — see our Mexico lanes.
• Australia & New Zealand: strict biosecurity — packaging must be clean and wooden crates must be ISPM-15 treated and stamped, especially on Australia lanes.
• Many African markets: certificates of origin (and sometimes pre-shipment inspection) are required for clearance.

Tell us the destination port at booking and we will confirm the exact document set for that lane.

Five mistakes that cause delays

Most customs delays trace back to a handful of repeat mistakes, and all of them are preventable at booking time:

1. Invoice value mismatches — the declared value on the import entry differs from the commercial invoice, triggering queries or inspections.
2. Wrong HS codes — classified too high to look compliant or too low to dodge duty; both roads end in penalties and reclassification.
3. Missing ISPM-15 treatment on wooden crates and pallets — Australian and New Zealand biosecurity will hold or re-export the container.
4. Late ISF filing — US-bound containers must have 10+2 data filed before loading, not after.
5. Consignee details that don't match the B/L — a different company name or address on the invoice versus the bill of lading stalls cargo release.

We check all five on every file before the container is loaded.

With DDP we run both ends

If you would rather not deal with customs at all, DDP (Delivered Duty Paid) puts both ends in our hands: we handle the export declaration in China and the destination clearance, and duties and taxes are paid before the goods reach your door. One contact owns the whole chain — documents, brokers, duties — which is why most first-time importers choose it.

Our DDP service is strongest on the USA and Canada lanes, where our broker relationships are established and we can quote door-to-door with duties included; on other lanes it is available case-by-case. Note that Guyana-bound cargo transships en route, so the same documentation discipline applies with one extra port in between. To compare prices under each Incoterm, see our cost guide.

Sources

• IMO / ILO / UNECE: Code of Practice for Packing Cargo Transport Units (CTU Code) — international guidance on packing, securing and the parties responsible for a packed container.
• PQSE House: Container House Loading and International Shipping Guide — a supplier-side example of a multi-package modular-building packing record and factory-to-site handover. Unpaid external reference; it documents shipment facts and handover, not customs filing or classification, and is not an endorsement of any supplier.