Insights for cross-border trade

A proforma invoice and a commercial invoice describe the same shipment, but they do different jobs. Knowing which to send — and when — keeps your buyer, your bank, and customs on the same page.

A proforma invoice comes first. It is a formal quotation you send before the goods ship: it confirms the price, quantity, currency, and delivery terms so your buyer can arrange payment, open a letter of credit, or apply for an import permit. Nothing is owed yet — it simply sets expectations.

A commercial invoice comes at shipment. It is the definitive document customs uses to value the goods and your buyer uses to pay. It should match the proforma exactly, plus the final quantities actually shipped.

In AsanBill, both come from one source. Draft the proforma, and the commercial invoice and packing list stay linked to it — change a price or quantity once and every document updates together, each rendered in your buyer’s language with per-line HS/GTIP codes and Incoterms.

Most shipments held at the border are held for paperwork, not for the goods. A few consistent habits across your export documents make the difference between clearing on the first pass and waiting for a correction.

Start with the three documents that travel together: the proforma invoice, the commercial invoice, and the packing list. When the quantities, values, and descriptions on all three agree, an officer has nothing to question.

Then get the details right on every line. Classify each item with the correct HS or GTIP code, state the agreed Incoterm (EXW, FOB, CIF, DAP and the rest of the eleven), and show the currency clearly — with the exchange rate you actually used, so the numbers reconcile.

AsanBill builds these habits in: one source for all three documents, per-line customs codes and Incoterms, multi-currency totals with logged exchange rates, and buyer-language PDFs — so the paperwork lines up before it reaches the border.