Which document do I need?

Borderdesk prints three documents. Which one you need depends on the sale and on how you ship.

Commercial invoice

For a sale. It's what customs reads to set duty and import VAT: who sells to whom, what each item is, its HS code, origin, value and weight, and the totals the customer paid.

• Express couriers such as DHL, UPS and FedEx always ask for one. Attach it to the parcel, or upload it when you book the shipment.
• Postal parcels go with a CN23 from the carrier. Some carriers ask for a commercial invoice as well, and customs read it when they open the parcel.

Ask your carrier how many copies it wants, and put them in a document pouch on the outside of the parcel.

Pro forma invoice

For goods that aren't sold: gifts, samples, replacements and returns. It looks like an invoice but says that no payment was made, and gives a value for customs instead. Borderdesk picks it on its own when an order's reason for export isn't a sale.

CN23

The UPU customs declaration for postal parcels. The CN23 Borderdesk prints is a supporting copy. When you buy a postal label for an international parcel, online or at the counter, the postal operator prints the official CN23 with it, from the customs data you enter there, and sends that data to customs electronically.

Use Borderdesk's CN23 to:

• keep a record of what you declared,
• pack a readable copy with the parcel, as some carriers ask, or
• copy the item lines when you fill in the carrier's form.

Make sure the data on the carrier's form matches: the same descriptions, HS codes, origins and values. Parcels whose forms disagree, or have empty fields, can be held.

Express couriers don't use the CN23; send a commercial invoice instead.