All the documents required for international air freight

1. Commercial invoice​

The first document needed is the commercial invoice, which contains much of the basic information related to the shipment. It is a document that must be produced by the shipper.​

Primarily it has a breakdown of all the items being shipped. Including key details such as quantity, unit weight, unit value, origin location, and the number of packages. As part of the information on the cargo, it will also need the commodity/HS code to be filled in. This is the unique number that distinguishes your products from others. For businesses based in the UK, you can visit the government’s website here to find the correct commodity code for your products.​

The commercial invoice will also include the financials related to the shipment, shipping costs, insurance costs, other costs and the incoterms being used. Then it will need the sender and receiver details too.​

At the very bottom, it is always best to add your EORI number. EORI stands for Economic Operators Registration and Identification number and is used to identify the business involved when exchanging information with customs.​

2. Packing list​

The packing list is a document that contains more detailed information about the cargo; such as dimensions, weight, description, and contents of each package. Once again, the responsibility for this document is with the business sending the goods.​

This document just makes the handling of the shipment a much easier process for the people involved and is likely to speed up the process.​

It also gives the loaders a much better understanding of the shipment’s contents. This is likely to improve their handling of it, for example taking the upmost care if they know it is a fragile or high-value item.​

It’s also wise to include the commercial invoice number on the packing list.​

3. Airway bill (AWB)​

The airway bill is another necessity. It’s basically the airfreight version of a bill of lading. That means it is issued by the air carrier to the shipper to acknowledge the receipt of the goods for carriage.​

Once received it should contain all the expected information. Name, address and contact details of the shipper and consignee, the departure airport, destination airport, weight, value and number of pieces in the shipment including any special instructions.​
As it is published by the carrier, it should also contain information about their terms and conditions. Info like their liability for damage and procedure for making claims.​