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The documents behind a shipment from China, explained
A single machine crossing an ocean generates a small stack of paper, and each sheet has a distinct job. Here is what every document does, who issues it, and which ones you will actually hold in your hands when the shipment reaches your border.
The stack, one sheet at a time
| Document | Issued by | What it actually does |
|---|---|---|
| Commercial invoice | The seller | States what was sold and for how much. Your customs authority values the shipment from it, so it must match the contract and the declaration — a “gift invoice” or an adjusted number is a customs offence with your name on it, not the seller’s. |
| Packing list | The seller | Piece counts, weights and dimensions per package. Customs uses it for inspections; you will use it at delivery to check nothing is missing. It must agree with the invoice and with what is physically in the container. |
| Export declaration | The forwarder files it, in China | Declares the goods leaving China. The description must be truthful, because the same description follows the shipment to your border — mismatches between the export and import story are a classic trigger for exams. |
| Bill of lading (B/L) | The ocean carrier (drafted by the forwarder) | The single most important document at sea: a receipt for the cargo, the contract of carriage, and — in original form — the document of title. See the three release forms below. |
| Air waybill (AWB) | The airline (drafted by the forwarder) | The air equivalent. Not a document of title and not negotiable — which is why air cargo releases faster and why the AWB itself never “blocks” a delivery the way an un-surrendered original B/L can. |
| Certificate of origin | Chamber of commerce / issuing body | States where the goods were made. Needed where your customs or a preferential duty programme requires it. Note that origin follows where the goods are manufactured — not the port they ship from. |
| Fumigation / ISPM-15 declaration | Treatment provider | Evidence that wooden packaging was treated to the ISPM-15 standard, where your country asks for it alongside the heat-treated mark stamped on the wood itself. |
| Arrival notice & delivery order | Destination agent / carrier | Issued when the shipment nears or reaches your port: the invoice for arrival charges, and the document that releases cargo for pickup or delivery once charges are settled. |
One of these documents has its own vocabulary: the fumigation or ISPM-15 declaration travels with the wooden packaging itself, and the standard behind it — which crates need it, what the stamp looks like — is explained in our wooden crate guide.
The bill of lading: one document, three release forms
The bill of lading deserves its own paragraph because it is three things at once: a receipt, the contract of carriage, and — in original form — a document of title, which means whoever holds an original effectively controls the cargo. That power is useful when payment is still outstanding; it is pure friction when you have already paid. Hence the three release forms:
| Form | How it works |
|---|---|
| Original bill of lading | A paper set is printed and couriered (usually three originals). Whoever holds one original controls the cargo. Required when payment depends on the document — letters of credit, document-against-payment terms, goods sold in transit. |
| Telex release | The original set is surrendered at origin (or never printed); the carrier releases the cargo at destination against proof of identity. No courier, no risk of lost paper, no waiting for the post. The normal choice when you have paid the supplier directly. |
| Seaway bill | No originals exist at all; cargo releases to the named consignee on arrival. Fastest and simplest — used for trusted, repeat flows where nobody needs to hold the cargo hostage for payment. |
Decide the release form before departure, not when the vessel is about to arrive — switching after issuance can cost an amendment fee and, under a letter of credit, your payment terms.
Where document problems are actually born
Almost never at sea. The classic failures happen on land, before departure: a packing list that disagrees with what was stuffed; an invoice value “helpfully” reduced without a matching contract; a consignee name spelled one way on the booking and another on the B/L; a late change of delivery address that never made it into the documents. Every one of them is cheap to fix before filing and expensive after. This is why the origin-side check — invoice against packing list against declaration against booking — is the part of a forwarder’s work you most directly benefit from.
What you keep for your own border
When the shipment nears your country, your customs clearance will draw on the invoice, the packing list and the transport document, plus any certificate your regime requires. If you clear it yourself, have those ready before the arrival notice lands; if a broker clears for you, they will ask for exactly the same file. Ask your forwarder for the complete set as PDFs at departure — it is standard practice, and it makes the arrival side boring, which is the goal.
Want a document set that survives your border?
Send the shipment details — the file you receive at departure is the file your broker will ask for.