FMCG Export Documentation

What we prepare

Every shipment leaves with a commercial invoice and a packing list, prepared from the order as it was actually loaded rather than as it was originally quoted. If a line was short-shipped or a quantity changed during consolidation, the documents reflect the load in the container, because a document that disagrees with the goods is worse than no document at all.

• Commercial invoice — parties, goods, values, currency, Incoterm and named place
• Packing list — cartons per SKU, pallet count, gross and net weights, dimensions
• Transport document appropriate to the route, prepared with the carrier
• Proforma invoice ahead of the order, where you need one to open a letter of credit or apply for a permit

For a mixed load the line detail matters more than buyers expect. A container holding forty products needs forty descriptions specific enough for customs to classify, not one line reading "assorted FMCG goods". We agree that detail before loading rather than correcting it while the container waits.

What we may be able to obtain

Beyond the commercial and transport set, some documents depend on the product and its supply chain rather than on us. Whether one is available is a per-product question, and we answer it during quotation rather than after the order.

• Certificate of origin, where the goods and the route allow one to be issued
• Manufacturer or supplier declarations, where the producer provides them
• Product specifications, ingredient lists and shelf-life statements
• Analysis or conformity certificates, where they exist for that product

Telling us what your market needs

Requirements are set by the importing country, so the authoritative source is always on your side: your customs broker, and the relevant authority in the destination. What we can do is tell you what we are able to produce against that list.

1. 1Send the destination country with the enquiry, not after the quotation.
2. 2Name any document your broker has told you is mandatory for the category.
3. 3Say whether a preferential duty claim is intended — the proof required for that is specific and not interchangeable with a general certificate.
4. 4Flag any consignee or notify-party detail that must appear exactly as registered.

When documents appear

Drafts are worth checking rather than skimming. Most delays we see are not a missing exotic certificate but a small disagreement between documents — a carton count that does not match, a consignee name that differs from the registration, an Incoterm stated without its named place.

Where our responsibility ends

We prepare export-side documentation. Import permits, product registration, destination labelling approval and customs clearance sit with the buyer, because they depend on registrations held in the destination market and on rules that change without notice. Exactly where the line falls shifts with the Incoterm agreed, which is what Incoterms exist to define.