CARICOM Invoice: The Official Form and How to Fill It In
A CARICOM invoice is the invoice certified to show that goods traded between member states are of CARICOM origin, which supports duty-free treatment: the Jamaica Customs Agency says certified CARICOM-origin goods "do not generally attract these import duties". It calls the form the "CARICOM Invoice ( C23 )" and says the invoices "must be certified by the Certifying Authorities in the CARICOM country of origin of the goods". Below: where to get the official blank form, what goes in each box, and how certification works.
Official blank CARICOM invoice form
The Saint Lucia Customs & Excise Department publishes a blank CARICOM INVOICE (one-page PDF) under its manufacturers' forms, alongside the CARICOM Certificate of Origin ("Caribbean Common Market Combined Declaration by Exporter and Certificate of Origin"), which has preparation notes on its second page.
Both files are hosted by the Saint Lucia Customs & Excise Department (customs.gov.lc); links checked 2026-09-25. We do not host copies. The invoice PDF is a flat form (no fillable fields): print it and complete it by hand, or use a PDF editor. Other member states may publish their own versions and form numbers (Jamaica refers to the "CARICOM Invoice ( C23 )"), so check which version the certifying authority in the country of origin accepts before you use it.
How to fill in the CARICOM invoice, box by box
Box names are copied from the Saint Lucia form; the guidance column is ours.
| Box on the form | What to enter |
|---|---|
| SELLER (Name, full address, country) | Your business name, full address and country. |
| INVOICE DATE AND NO. | The date of issue and your invoice number. |
| CUSTOMER'S ORDER NO. | The buyer's purchase order number, if there is one. |
| OTHER REFERENCES | Any other reference the buyer or the certifying authority asks for (for example a contract or export declaration number). |
| CONSIGNEE (Name, full address, country) | The party the goods are shipped to. |
| BUYER (IF OTHER THAN CONSIGNEE) | Only if the buyer is not the consignee. |
| PRESENTING BANK | The bank presenting the documents, if payment runs through a bank; otherwise leave blank. |
| COUNTRY OF ORIGIN OF GOODS | The CARICOM member state where the goods were produced. |
| COUNTRY OF FINAL DESTINATION | The importing member state. |
| TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF DELIVERY AND PAYMENT | Delivery terms (for example an Incoterms rule with its named place) and payment terms. |
| PORT OF LADING / SHIP/AIR/ETC. / OTHER TRANSPORT INFORMATION | Where the goods are loaded, the mode of transport and any vessel or flight details. |
| CURRENCY OF SALE | The currency the prices are in. |
| MARKS AND NUMBERS / NO & KIND OF PKGS | The marks and numbers on the packages, and how many packages of which kind. |
| DESCRIPTION OF GOODS / SPECIFICATION OF COMMODITIES (IN CODE AND/OR IN FULL) | A full description of each item; "in code" leaves room for a tariff code. |
| GROSS WEIGHT kg / NET WEIGHT / CUBE m3 | Weights in kilograms and volume in cubic metres, as the form prints them. |
| QUANTITY / UNIT PRICE / AMOUNT | Quantity, price per unit and line amount for each item. |
| PACKING / FREIGHT / INSURANCE / OTHER COSTS (SPECIFY) | Each cost on its own line, so the total is traceable. |
| TOTAL INVOICE AMOUNT | The invoice total. |
| SIGNATURE AND STATUS OF AUTHORISED PERSON | Signed by the person authorised to make the certification printed on the form, with their position. |
The certification printed above the signature box reads:
IT IS HEREBY CERTIFIED THAT THIS INVOICE SHOWS THE ACTUAL PRICE OF THE GOODS DESCRIBED, THAT NO OTHER INVOICE HAS BEEN OR WILL BE ISSUED AND THAT ALL PARTICULARS ARE TRUE AND CORRECT.
Because the seller certifies that no other invoice "has been or will be issued", the figures on the CARICOM invoice should match your own sales records for the same shipment.
The origin criterion on the Certificate of Origin
The Saint Lucia Certificate of Origin has an "Origin Criterion" column. Its "Notes for the Preparation of this form" say the criterion "must be stated in the column headed "Origin Criterion" against each item", where each article has been:
- (a) "wholly produced within the common Market": "The letters "CM" must be inserted";
- (b) produced from materials from outside the common market (or of undetermined origin) in a way that puts the article in a different tariff heading from those materials: "The tariff heading number of the finished product preceded by the letter "X" must be inserted";
- (c) produced under the conditions in the list referred to in Article 14 of the Annex to the Treaty: the tariff heading number preceded by the letter "L", with the value of outside materials as a percentage of the export price in brackets where a percentage value-added condition applies.
The notes add: "The completion of this form implies that the producer and the exporter will furnish to the appropriate authorities such information and supporting evidence as they may as necessary require for the purpose of verifying these declarations", and "PERSONS WHO FURNISH OR CAUSE TO BE FURNISHED UNTRUE DECLARATIONS RENDER THEMSELVES LIABLE TO PENALTIES."
The exporter's declaration on this form refers to "Article 14 and 16 of and Schedule II to the Annex to the Treaty establishing the Caribbean Community". The file's own metadata dates it to 2002; ask the certifying authority which edition of the certificate and which origin rules it applies today. Source: CARICOM Certificate of Origin, Saint Lucia Customs, read 2026-09-25.
Who does what: seller, certifying authority, importer
- Seller / exporter completes the CARICOM invoice and the Certificate of Origin and signs the declarations.
- Certifying authority in the country of origin certifies them. In Saint Lucia, Customs Notice No. 5 of 2014 (Comptroller of Customs, 18 March 2014) says exporters must "Submit the properly completed Certificate of Origin along with the corresponding invoices and export declaration (shipping bill) to the administration office of Customs", and that "Submission should be made at least one working day prior to the exportation of the goods in question" (Notice No. 5 of 2014, read 2026-09-25).
- Importer produces the certified invoice to customs in the importing state. The Jamaica Customs Agency: "A CARICOM Invoice ( C23 ) certifying the country of origin of the goods is to be produced to the Customs Department", and "Remember to have your CARICOM Invoice (C23) verified by the Certifying Authority of the CARICOM country from which your goods have been imported."
Jamaica operates a Common External Tariff (CET) along with other trading partners of the Caribbean Common Market (CARICOM). Goods imported from third countries are subject to the duties listed in the CET but goods imported from CARICOM countries and are certified to be of CARICOM origin do not generally attract these import duties. These CARICOM origin goods enjoy duty-free status, that is, they are not subject to Customs import duty but local taxes, General Consumption Tax and Special Consumption Tax are payable.
Certifying authorities and form numbers differ between member states. We give only the ones the Saint Lucia and Jamaica authorities publish; for another country, ask its customs department.
Can our generator make a CARICOM invoice?
No. Our Commercial Invoice Generator prints an ordinary commercial invoice (seller and consignee, per-line description, origin and HS code, packages, gross weight, Incoterms, freight and totals). It does not reproduce the official CARICOM form, its certification wording or the certifying authority's stamp, so it cannot replace the certified CARICOM invoice. You can still use it to prepare and check your figures, or as the commercial invoice for shipments that do not claim CARICOM origin.
The generator is free and unmetered for normal use; an anti-abuse cap of 20 PDFs per device per day (200 per IP) applies, well above ordinary use, and blank template file downloads are not metered. A one-line "Created free with myinvoicetemplate.com" credit is switched on by default and one free checkbox in the settings turns it off. Your draft is stored in your own browser on this device, so download and keep the PDF you need.
CARICOM invoice: FAQ
What is a CARICOM invoice?
It is the invoice used when goods of CARICOM origin move between member states, and it is certified to show where the goods come from. The Jamaica Customs Agency says goods imported from CARICOM countries that "are certified to be of CARICOM origin do not generally attract these import duties", and that "A CARICOM Invoice ( C23 ) certifying the country of origin of the goods is to be produced to the Customs Department".
Where can I get a blank CARICOM invoice template?
Use the form published by a customs authority. The Saint Lucia Customs & Excise Department publishes a blank "CARICOM INVOICE" PDF among its manufacturers' forms, together with the "CARICOM Certificate of Origin". Other member states may publish their own versions and numbers (the Jamaica Customs Agency refers to the CARICOM Invoice as C23), so ask the certifying authority in your country which version it accepts.
Who certifies a CARICOM invoice?
The Jamaica Customs Agency says: "The Invoices must be certified by the Certifying Authorities in the CARICOM country of origin of the goods." In Saint Lucia, Customs Notice No. 5 of 2014 tells exporters to submit the completed Certificate of Origin "along with the corresponding invoices and export declaration (shipping bill)" to the administration office of Customs.
Is a CARICOM invoice the same as a commercial invoice?
It carries the same kind of commercial data (seller, consignee, description, quantities, prices, costs, total), but it is a specific form with a certification that the price is the actual price and that "NO OTHER INVOICE HAS BEEN OR WILL BE ISSUED", and it goes with the origin certification that supports duty-free treatment. An ordinary commercial invoice, including one made with our generator, does not carry that certification.
Do I need a CARICOM invoice for goods from outside CARICOM?
The CARICOM invoice certifies CARICOM origin. For goods from outside the region, the Jamaica Customs Agency says that "Goods imported from third countries are subject to the duties listed in the CET" (Common External Tariff). Ask the customs authority of the importing member state which invoice it requires for non-CARICOM goods.
What does C23 mean?
C23 is the number the Jamaica Customs Agency uses for the CARICOM invoice: "A CARICOM Invoice ( C23 ) certifying the country of origin of the goods is to be produced to the Customs Department". Other member states may number their forms differently.
Not legal or customs advice. This page is independent of the Saint Lucia Customs & Excise Department, the Jamaica Customs Agency and the CARICOM Secretariat. Forms and procedures change: confirm the current form and certification steps with the certifying authority in the country of origin and the customs department of the importing state.