The invoice for customs clearance: it declares the value, quantity and type of goods and is the basis for the duty calculation.
The commercial invoice is the invoice for customs clearance. It declares the value, quantity and type of goods and forms the basis of the duty calculation — errors in it hold up shipments.
The commercial invoice names seller and buyer, goods description, quantity, unit and total value, currency, delivery term (Incoterm) and ideally the tariff number. It is the central document for customs value determination.
Why this matters for your import.
On import into Switzerland the duty calculation relies on the details of the commercial invoice. Discrepancies between invoice, packing list and tariff lead to queries and standing times.
How you'll come across the term.
We make sure the commercial invoice matches the packing list and customs tariff number cleanly — so that clearance goes through without queries.
Incomplete or vague goods descriptions. 'Various goods' isn't enough for customs — each line item must be clearly assignable.