Apollo's Templates
HomeBusinessInvoice TemplatesCommercial
Across the border

Commercial Invoice Template

The document customs actually reads: exporter and consignee, an item table with HS codes, country of origin, and declared values, the incoterms, the reason for export, and a signed declaration. Carriers ask for three copies with every international shipment because duties, taxes, and clearance speed are all assessed from this one page. Fill it completely and shipments clear; leave blanks and they sit.

Three formats

The customs paperwork, laid out right.

Excel — declared value totals

Item rows with qty-times-unit-value math and a computed total declared value.
Commercial invoice for customs with HS code, origin, and declared value columns and a signature line
PDF

Printable PDF

The print-three-copies version with the declaration and signature line.
Download PDF

Word (.docx)

An editable commercial invoice for repeat export lanes — save one per destination.
Worth knowing

Describe goods like an inspector, not a marketer.

“Men’s 100% cotton knit T-shirts” clears; “apparel” gets flagged. Customs descriptions want material, type, and use — the words that map to an HS code — not brand language. Add quantity and unit value that multiply cleanly into the total, and your paperwork reads like someone who ships often, which is itself a clearance speed advantage.

Keep a lane file per destination: the HS codes you’ve confirmed, the incoterm you quote, the consignee’s import particulars. The second shipment to a country should take five minutes of paperwork, not the afternoon the first one did. The Word version of this template is built to be that saved lane file.

Sent before shipping
Proforma Invoice Template
The advance copy buyers use for approval and prepayment.
Open →
Domestic product sales
Simple Invoice Template
The standard qty-times-price bill for non-export orders.
Open →
All nineteen sheets
Excel Invoice Templates
The fleet with working totals.
Browse →

Frequently asked questions

Where do I find the right HS code?
Search your product on the US Census Bureau's Schedule B tool (or the WCO's HS database) — the first six digits are harmonized worldwide. Getting it roughly right matters: the code sets the duty rate, and a wrong code can mean overpaying, delays, or penalties. For a product you ship repeatedly, confirm the code once with your carrier or a broker and reuse it forever.
What value do I declare — cost, price, or something else?
The transaction value: what the buyer actually paid. Undervaluing to shave duties is customs fraud in every jurisdiction and the classic small-shipper mistake, especially on “gift” shipments. Samples and no-charge items still need a fair value with the reason for export marked accordingly.
What are incoterms and which one do I write?
Incoterms say who pays freight and duties and where risk transfers. Small shippers mostly live between DAP (buyer pays import duties on delivery) and DDP (you pay everything). Write whichever your sale agreed — and if that sentence was news, quote DAP and say “duties are the buyer's responsibility” in the sale terms.
Commercial invoice vs proforma — which does the shipment need?
The shipment needs this one: the commercial invoice travels with the goods and is the declaration duties are assessed on. The proforma is its advance copy — sent before shipment so the buyer can arrange payment or import licenses. Same table of goods, different legal status.
Updated through September 2026