Guide
Freight forwarding document checklist for air, ocean and road shipments
Which documents a shipment needs, who usually provides them and when they are needed — split into the core commercial and transport documents almost every shipment has, and the conditional documents that depend on the goods, the route, the border and the contract.
Use this as a working checklist, not as legal advice. Document requirements vary by origin and destination country, the goods and their classification, the carrier, the Incoterm, any letter of credit and the customer's own instructions. Always confirm with the carrier, the customs broker and the relevant authorities for the specific shipment.
Core documents
These appear on most international shipments in one form or another. "Core" means commonly expected — not that every one is legally required for every shipment.
| Document | What it is for | Usually from | Needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial invoice | States the goods, value, currency, buyer, seller and terms of sale. The basis for customs valuation. | Shipper / seller | Before export clearance; again for import |
| Packing list | Packages, contents, marks, weights and dimensions. Used to check cargo and calculate charges. | Shipper | Before booking is finalised |
| Booking confirmation | The carrier's confirmation of space, vessel or flight, cut-off times and the booking reference. | Carrier, via forwarder | Before cargo is delivered to the terminal |
| Shipping instructions | The forwarder's or shipper's instructions to the carrier for issuing the bill of lading: parties, cargo description, marks. | Forwarder / shipper | Before the documentation cut-off |
| Bill of lading (ocean) | Receipt for the goods, evidence of the contract of carriage and — if negotiable — document of title. Master B/L from the carrier, house B/L from the forwarder. | Carrier / forwarder | Issued after loading; needed for release |
| Sea waybill (ocean) | A non-negotiable alternative to a B/L when no document of title is needed; release is to the named consignee. | Carrier / forwarder | Issued after loading |
| Air waybill (air) | Contract of carriage and receipt for air cargo. Master AWB from the airline, house AWB from the forwarder. Not a document of title. | Airline / forwarder | At acceptance of the cargo |
| Arrival notice | Tells the consignee or notify party that cargo is arriving, with charges due and what is needed for release. | Carrier / forwarder at destination | Before arrival |
| Delivery order | Authorises the terminal or warehouse to release the cargo to a named party or haulier. | Carrier / forwarder at destination | After charges are paid and customs release |
Conditional documents
These depend on the goods, the countries involved and the commercial arrangement. The trigger column is the question to ask for every new shipment.
| Document | Typical trigger | Area |
|---|---|---|
| Export declaration | Required by the export country's customs; thresholds and exemptions vary. | Customs |
| Import declaration / customs entry | Goods entering a customs territory, normally filed by a customs broker. | Customs |
| Certificate of origin | Preferential duty under a trade agreement, letters of credit, or the importer's request. | Customs |
| Import or export licence / permit | Controlled goods such as dual-use items, some chemicals, weapons, certain foods and animal products. | Customs |
| Advance cargo information filing | Route-specific pre-arrival filings, for example US Importer Security Filing (ISF) for ocean imports into the US, or EU ICS2 entry summary declarations. | Customs / security |
| Insurance certificate or policy | When the Incoterm or contract makes the seller insure (for example CIF or CIP), or the customer buys cargo insurance through you. | Insurance |
| Dangerous goods declaration | Hazardous cargo: shipper's declaration under the IMDG Code (sea) or IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations (air), usually with a safety data sheet. | Cargo |
| Verified gross mass (VGM) | Every packed export container under SOLAS — the container's verified weight must reach the carrier before loading. | Cargo |
| Phytosanitary / health certificate | Plants, plant products, food and animal products, as required by the destination country. | Cargo |
| Wood packaging compliance | Pallets and crates of solid wood generally need ISPM 15 treatment and marking; some destinations also check for it at entry. | Cargo |
| Fumigation certificate | When the destination, the goods or the buyer require fumigation of the cargo or container. | Cargo |
| Letter of credit documents | When payment is under a documentary credit: the L/C dictates exactly which documents, in which form, and by when. | Commercial |
Export vs import: who needs what
The same shipment has two sets of paperwork: what the origin side needs to get the goods out and on board, and what the destination side needs to clear and release them. Forwarders often handle one side and an agent the other, so the handover between them is where documents go missing.
| Export (origin) | Import (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Main goal | Goods cleared for export and loaded on the booked sailing, flight or truck | Goods cleared, charges paid and cargo released for delivery |
| Commercial documents | Commercial invoice and packing list from the shipper | The same invoice and packing list, passed to the customs broker |
| Transport documents | Booking confirmation, shipping instructions, B/L or air waybill issued | B/L or air waybill copy; original B/L surrendered if one was issued; arrival notice |
| Customs | Export declaration where the origin country requires it; licences for controlled goods | Import declaration and duties; advance cargo filings the destination requires |
| Cargo-specific | VGM for containers; dangerous goods declaration; fumigation or ISPM 15 marking | Phytosanitary, health or conformity certificates; checks on wood packaging |
| Release and delivery | — | Delivery order to the terminal or warehouse; proof of delivery |
Example: ocean export, full container
A forwarder exporting one 40' container of machinery parts on FOB terms. The buyer arranges insurance.
- Before booking: commercial invoice (draft is fine), packing list, booking request.
- Before cargo cut-off: booking confirmation, VGM for the packed container, export declaration where required.
- Before documentation cut-off: shipping instructions to the carrier; house B/L draft checked with the shipper.
- After loading: master and house B/L (or sea waybill), final commercial invoice, certificate of origin if the buyer claims preferential duty.
- Not needed here: insurance certificate (buyer insures under FOB) and dangerous goods declaration (non-hazardous cargo).
Example: ocean import
The same container seen from the destination side, cleared by a customs broker.
- Before arrival: copy of the B/L, commercial invoice and packing list for the broker; any advance cargo filing the destination requires; arrival notice to the consignee.
- At arrival: import declaration, payment of duties and charges, original B/L surrendered if one was issued (or release under a sea waybill / telex release).
- For delivery: delivery order to the terminal and haulier; proof of delivery afterwards.
- Watch for: phytosanitary or health certificates for food and plant products, and wood-packaging rules for pallets.
Example: air export
Two pallets of electronics, including lithium batteries packed with equipment.
- Before acceptance: commercial invoice, packing list with dimensions (air rates use chargeable weight, which depends on volume), export declaration where required.
- Because of the batteries: check the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations for the battery type and packing instruction; a shipper's declaration and labelling may be required.
- At acceptance: house air waybill from the forwarder, master air waybill from the airline.
Example: air import
- Before arrival: copies of the air waybills, commercial invoice and packing list to the broker; arrival notice to the consignee.
- At arrival: import declaration, duties and charges paid, then release from the airline's or handler's warehouse — no original document of title is surrendered for air.
- Watch for: licences for controlled goods, and certificates for regulated products such as pharmaceuticals or food.
Road and border crossings
A truck crossing a border carries its paperwork with it, and a missing or inconsistent document usually means the vehicle waits at the border rather than the cargo waiting at a port. Domestic road moves often need little more than a delivery note and proof of delivery; international ones need more.
| Document | What it is for | Typical situation |
|---|---|---|
| CMR consignment note | The road consignment note under the CMR Convention: evidence of the contract of carriage and of the goods handed to the carrier. | International road carriage between countries that are party to the CMR Convention |
| Commercial invoice and packing list | Value, goods description, quantities and weights for customs at the border and at destination. | Every cross-border shipment |
| Export declaration | Clears the goods for export from the origin customs territory. | Leaving a customs territory, subject to the origin country's thresholds |
| Transit document | Lets goods cross one or more territories under customs control without paying duties along the way — for example an EU/common transit declaration (NCTS) or a TIR carnet. | Goods moving through, or between, customs territories before final clearance |
| Advance electronic manifest | Pre-arrival filing of the truck, driver and cargo, such as the US ACE truck e-Manifest or Canada's ACI eManifest. | Trucks entering the United States or Canada |
| Import declaration | Clears the goods into the destination territory and settles duties and taxes. | At or after the border, often by a customs broker |
| Certificates and permits | Certificate of origin, phytosanitary or health certificates, licences for controlled goods, dangerous goods documents (ADR in Europe). | Depends on the goods and the countries |
| Proof of delivery | Signed or electronic confirmation the goods were delivered, needed to close the file and invoice. | Every delivery |
A border checklist for the driver's folder. Before a truck leaves, check that the invoice, packing list and CMR describe the same goods with the same quantities and weights; that any transit document or e-manifest has been filed and its reference is on hand; that permits and certificates for the goods travel with the load; and that the driver knows the customs office or crossing point the declaration names. The vehicle and driver documents themselves — registration, insurance, driving permits and any cross-border operating licence — are the haulier's responsibility, but a forwarder booking the haulier should confirm they are in order for the route.
Common mistakes and missing documents
Most document delays are not exotic. These are the ones that come up again and again:
- Descriptions that do not match. The invoice says "machine parts", the packing list names the parts, the B/L says something else. Customs and banks compare them.
- Weights and package counts that differ between the packing list, the booking, the VGM and the transport document.
- The wrong consignee or notify party on the B/L — expensive to correct once issued, and it can block release.
- A missing or late commercial invoice for the customs broker at destination, so the import declaration cannot be filed before arrival.
- Original B/L not available at destination when one was issued, holding up release. Ask early whether a sea waybill or telex release is acceptable.
- Advance filings missed — ISF, ICS2 or a truck e-manifest not sent in time.
- Certificates that arrive after the cargo — origin, phytosanitary or dangerous goods documents that should have been arranged at booking.
- Letter of credit discrepancies — a date, spelling or document that does not match the L/C terms exactly.
- The "latest" version is not the one that was sent. Keep every version and record which one went to the carrier or customer.
Pre-shipment checklist
A short list to run for every new shipment. Print it, or copy it into your own template.
- Mode, direction, Incoterm and route confirmed — they decide which documents apply.
- Commercial invoice and packing list received, and consistent with each other.
- Booking confirmed; cargo and documentation cut-offs noted.
- Conditional documents identified: customs, licences, origin, insurance, dangerous goods, cargo certificates.
- Who provides each document, and by when, agreed with the shipper, agent and broker.
- Advance filings due for the destination (ISF, ICS2, e-manifest) scheduled.
- Shipping instructions sent; B/L or air waybill draft checked against the invoice and packing list.
- Destination side has copies before arrival: transport document, invoice, packing list, certificates.
- Arrival notice sent; release documents (original B/L, delivery order) arranged.
- Proof of delivery received and filed; the shipment is ready to invoice.
Running the checklist day to day
- Decide the list per shipment, at booking. Mode, direction, Incoterm, goods and destination tell you which conditional documents apply. Mark the rest as not applicable so they stop looking missing.
- Record who provides each document and by when. Most delays are a document waiting on someone who did not know it was their turn.
- Keep versions. B/L drafts and invoices change; keep the history rather than overwriting the file.
- Share deliberately. Customers need some documents (B/L copy, arrival notice, invoice) and should not see others (supplier invoices with your costs).
Tranvoro keeps documents on the shipment, shows a required-document checklist by mode and direction with a "Mark N/A" for the ones that do not apply, keeps every version and lets you share selected files with the customer. See shipment document management, how it fits a small forwarding team, or start a 30-day free trial.