Free Commercial Invoice Template — PDF & Word

A blank commercial invoice for cross-border shipments: exporter and importer blocks, the air waybill or bill of lading number, Incoterms and country of origin, and a separate freight & insurance line above the total. Download it, fill it in, ship.

PDF commercial-invoice-template.pdf

Print-ready blank form with ruled fill-in lines. Opens in any browser or PDF reader — print it and complete it by hand, or keep it in your shipping file as the master copy.

Download PDF
Word (DOCX) commercial-invoice-template.docx

Fully editable in Microsoft Word, Google Docs, or LibreOffice Writer. Type straight into it, add your logo, add item rows, then print or export to PDF.

Download Word file

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-item HS code and country-of-origin fields, an Incoterms and export-reason selector, automatic totals and a live preview — then downloads a completed PDF. Free, and no signup there either.

Open the generator →

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 where the goods were produced.
  • Line-item table: Four columns: DESCRIPTION, QTY, UNIT PRICE, AMOUNT. 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.

Frequently asked questions

Is this commercial invoice template really free?

Yes. Both files download directly with no signup, no email address, and no attribution requirement. You can use them for personal and commercial work, including for clients, and you can change the layout however you need.

Can I edit the Word version in Google Docs?

Yes. The DOCX is a plain Word document with a standard four-column table, so it opens in Microsoft Word, Google Docs, and LibreOffice Writer. Upload it, type your details, add rows to the item table if you have more than seven lines, then print it or export it to PDF.

Where do I write the HS code and country of origin?

The blank template has a single DESCRIPTION column per line rather than a separate HS code column, so write the code and the origin next to each item description — the printed reminder at the bottom of the form says the same. If you want dedicated fields instead, the online commercial invoice generator has a per-item HS code and country-of-origin field.

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.