PDF
commercial-invoice-template.pdf Print-ready blank form with ruled fill-in lines.
Download PDFCommercial Invoice Template (PDF & Word) & Format Guide
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Word (DOCX)
commercial-invoice-template.docx Editable Word document (tested in Microsoft Word).
Download Word fileCommercial invoice format: what goes where
| Field on the template | What to write |
|---|---|
| COMMERCIAL INVOICE (title) | Names the document, so the broker, the carrier and customs can see it is the invoice for the sale, not a quote or a proforma. Keep it. |
| Invoice no. · Date issued | Your own reference and the date of sale. The US rule asks for the time when and the place where the goods were sold (19 CFR 141.86(a)(2)). |
| AWB / B-L no. | The air waybill or bill of lading number, which ties this invoice to one shipment. Apart from installment shipments, a US invoice may not cover more than one distinct shipment by one consignor to one consignee (19 CFR 141.81). |
| Exporter (seller) | Name, address and country of the seller, plus a contact or tax reference. 19 CFR 141.86(a)(2) asks for the person by whom the goods are sold; 141.86(j) also asks you to name a responsible employee of the exporter who knows the transaction, which fits on the last line. |
| Importer (buyer) | Name and address of the buyer (the person to whom the goods are sold, 141.86(a)(2)). If the goods go to a different address, write the ship-to party in Notes. |
| Incoterms & country of origin | The delivery term written as the rule, the named place and the edition, for example "FCA Rotterdam Incoterms® 2020", and, if the whole shipment has one origin, that country (141.86(a)(10)). The ORIGIN column carries the origin of each line. |
| DESCRIPTION | A detailed description of each item: the name it is known by, grade or quality, and the marks and numbers of the packages (141.86(a)(3)). |
| HS CODE | The Harmonized System code of that line’s goods. How many digits to write depends on the destination; the HS code guide linked below explains it. |
| ORIGIN | The country where that line’s goods were produced (141.86(a)(10)). Fill it on every line, even when all lines share one origin. |
| QTY | The quantity in the weights and measures of the country of shipment or of the United States (141.86(a)(4)). Add the unit (pcs, kg, dozen) after the number. |
| UNIT PRICE · AMOUNT | The purchase price of each item in the currency of the purchase (141.86(a)(5)). Goods sent without a sale (samples, gifts, replacements) still need a value (141.86(a)(6)). |
| Notes | Anything the other fields have no room for: the reason for export, what each package contains (141.86(e)), the port of entry (141.86(a)(1)), licence or permit numbers, payment terms. |
| Subtotal · Freight & insurance · TOTAL | The goods value, then freight, insurance and similar charges itemized by name and amount (141.86(a)(8)), then the total. Write the currency code (USD, EUR, GBP) next to the figures. |
About this page
The blank file prints its fields top to bottom in this order. Each row says what to write and, where a rule exists, which one. The references are the United States list in 19 CFR 141.86(a); other destinations set their own requirements, so check the country you ship to.
- What customs expects on the invoice, summarized: commercial invoice requirements.
- The full US list, quoted from the regulation: US commercial invoice requirements (19 CFR 141.86).
- Where the HS code goes and how many digits: HS code on a commercial invoice.
- Samples, gifts and free replacements: no-commercial-value invoices.
- Shipping within CARICOM? See the CARICOM invoice: the official form and how to fill it in.
- A filled-in example made with the online tool: see the sample on the Commercial Invoice Generator page.
Free for personal and commercial use. No signup, no email, no attribution required.
Both files were generated on from a single source layout, so the PDF and the Word file carry exactly the same fields — and whenever that layout is revised, every format is regenerated together rather than edited by hand. There is no spreadsheet version of this template: on a customs invoice the freight and insurance figure is entered from your carrier's charge, not calculated. If you want the arithmetic done for you, use the generator below.
Prefer a finished PDF? Fill it in online
The Commercial Invoice Generator gives you per-line HS code and country-of-origin columns, an Incoterms field, a reason-for-export selector, automatic totals and a live preview, then downloads a completed PDF. Free, and no signup there either; its PDFs carry a one-line credit that one checkbox turns off.
What's inside this template
Both formats are A4 and carry the same blank fields, in this order:
- Document fields: Invoice no., Date issued, and AWB / B-L no. — the air waybill or bill of lading number that ties the invoice to the shipment.
- Exporter (seller) block: Four blank lines under the heading — room for the selling party's name, address, country and a contact or tax reference.
- Importer (buyer) block: Four more blank lines, kept as a separate block, so consignor and consignee read apart at a glance.
- Incoterms & country of origin: A field of its own, off the item table: the delivery term you agreed and, if the whole shipment has one origin, that country.
- Line-item table: Six columns: DESCRIPTION, HS CODE, ORIGIN, QTY, UNIT PRICE, AMOUNT, so every line carries its own HS code and country of origin. Six ruled rows in the PDF, seven blank rows in the Word table (add more rows in Word whenever you need them).
- Totals block: Three lines: Subtotal, Freight & insurance, and TOTAL — so the transport and insurance cost is declared separately from the goods value.
- Notes area: Two blank lines for anything the shipment needs on the face of the document: export reason, permit or licence numbers, payment terms.
- Printed reminder: The form itself carries the line: “State the HS code and country of origin for every line. Values must match the shipment documents exactly.”
Nothing is pre-filled — no rates, no example values, no logo. Every figure on the finished document is one you entered.
Which format should you pick
- Take the PDF if the invoice gets printed and completed by hand, or if you need the layout to look identical on every machine it passes through — courier desk, broker, customs file.
- Take the Word file if you type your details in, ship to the same buyer repeatedly and want a reusable master copy, need your logo on it, or have more line items than the blank table holds.
- Take neither if you would rather not edit a document at all: the online generator adds up the lines and hands you a finished PDF.
When to use a commercial invoice
A commercial invoice is the document that travels with goods across a border. Customs authorities use it to see what is being shipped, who is selling and who is buying, and what the goods are worth — which is the basis for assessing duty and import tax. It records a sale that has actually happened, which is what separates it from a proforma invoice, issued before the sale is final.
You generally need one for any cross-border shipment of goods, and carriers normally ask for it alongside the air waybill. Goods moving between EU member states are an exception: they stay inside the same customs territory and are not cleared through customs, so nothing has to be declared for that leg — you still issue an invoice for VAT and accounting purposes.
The details are where shipments actually stall: HS classification, the Incoterms® rule you agreed, how to value samples and replacements, and keeping declared values consistent with the rest of the shipping paperwork. Those belong in one place, not scattered through a template page — read the Commercial Invoice Guide for the full treatment.
Not legal, tax, or customs advice. A template cannot know your commodity, your destination country, or your carrier's requirements — check the finished document against your customs broker or the destination authority before you ship.