3 Mandatory Import/Export documents Import/Export documents: three mandatory documents Import/Export documents: three mandatory documents

The consequences of an incorrectly organized or missing document can be far-reaching for all parties involved. Documents that are incorrectly organized or missing can cause immeasurable distress for all the stakeholders. The importer or exporter cannot surrender or acquire their shipment if the office work has not been completed. They may even suffer a penalty and, worse yet, their credibility may suffer.
Topics we'll discuss include:
How the authorities reduce documentation for export-import
In order to export products via sea, exporters need three key documents
In order to import products that are arriving via sea, importers need three key documents
Additionally, you may find our blog post on which shipping documents are necessary for clearance of customs of interest.
Documentation for export and import operations and how to reduce it.
To begin with, a brief explanation of import-export documentation guidelines in India.

Before five years ago, exporters and importers were required to prepare seven to eight mandatory documents - plus any additional documentation that may be required, depending on the type of products shipped or country-specific regulations and guidelines. The procedure was tedious and expensive as a result. The World Bank cited it as a factor behind India's poor performance in the Ease of Doing Business Index. India was ranked 142 of 189 nations in 2014 (it has since climbed to 63 out of 189). Within the same year, the Department of Commerce formed an inter-ministerial committee to look for ways to reduce the amount of paperwork associated with imports and exports. Moreover, India's ranking in Ease of Doing Business was to be raised to number one and exports doubled to $900 billion by 2020. The committee recommended that import and export documents be reduced to three each.

The suggestions have been approved. In a notification issued by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), a department of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry that formulates and implements India's Foreign Trade Policy, the modifications were announced. With the revised Foreign Trade Policy, which is effective from April 2015, here are the 3 key documents for exports and imports.

‍‍Must-have Shipping Documents for Exports

Bill of Lading
Documents that are essential to exporters. It is a mandatory document that must be signed by three parties: the exporter, the shipping line, and the importer. For easy transportation of products from source to destination, the exporter needs an accurate and complete set of bills of lading from the shipping line/freight forwarder and dispatch it to the importer/ importer’s bank.
This bill of lading contains the following information:

Description, amount, weight of products
Name and address of consignee
Terms of sale
2.Commercial Invoice cum Packing List
The exporter has issued an invoice of sale to the importer as part of a settlement agreement. Based on the purchase price, they can determine the responsibilities and taxes due on the products.
The document includes information such as:
Name, address of seller (exporter)
Name, address of buyer (importer)
Value, amount of products
{An itemized packing list contains information about more info the products.|In a packing list, product information is listed item by item.|An itemized packing list contains information about the products.] In addition, it corrects the tally at the point of clearance.

It contains:
Description of the products
Quantity and weight (gross and net) of the products
Number of packages
Type of packaging (PP,Jute, BOP , Laminated etc)
Marks and numbers (symbols/numbers positioned on every piece of shipment in a cargo to discover them)
Carrier’s (ship) name
Date of export
Export licence number
Letter of credit score number
Economic bill and packing list were previously separate files with the same fields.

3. Bill of Entry
Shipment bills or export bills are types of customs clearance applications. The information provides customs with a way to determine whether an exporter has received government incentives, such as:

Various tax exemptions, rebates, and refunds
Export benefits under various government programs
‍Documents required for imports

Bill of Lading
An exporter or importer must have this document. Both the exporter and the importer must sign the bill of lading. Bills of lading are required for importation at the importer's end.

2. Commercial Invoice cum Packing List
Similarly, the importer needs this document as well. In most cases, customs clearance is based on the commercial invoice and packing list.
3. Bill of Entry
The final requirement for importers is a bill of entry. Customs authorities inspect and clear goods at the port of entry based on a declaration that importers make. The information in this bill matches an insurance policy or sales invoice.
Included in this information are:
Type of cargo
Value of the goods
Quantity of the goods
This was a quick overview of the three documents that importers and exporters should always have on hand. It does not mean that these are the only documents required. Shipping is all about paperwork. For their goods to be processed at customs, importers and exporters may need to submit additional supporting documentation, depending on various factors and case-by-case.


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